Personality

Question 1

Big Five Theory (OCEAN)

Answer 1

A trait theory of personality that holds that personality is composed of five dimensions: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Question 2

defense mechanisms

Answer 2

In Sigmund Freud’s theory, defense mechanisms distort reality when the ego is threatened by anxiety. Defense mechanisms include repression, projection, and many others.

Question 3

ego

Answer 3

According to Sigmund Freud’s theory, the portion of the personality that mediates among the desires of the id, the moral control of the superego, and the demands of the environment. It is largely conscious and operates according to the reality principle.

Question 4

empirically derived

Answer 4

A test that was developed by testing items and selecting those that show differences between groups. The MMPI is an example.

Question 5

humanistic movement

Answer 5

A movement in psychology that was characterized by a deep concern for human beings, their dignity, and their universal struggles. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were two key figures in this movement.

Question 6

id

Answer 6

In Sigmund Freud’s theory, the portion of the personality that contains our instincts and our irrational desires. It is largely unconscious and very demanding. It lives according to the pleasure principle, which is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

Question 7

locus of control

Answer 7

The perception one has about what controls his or her life. A person with an external locus of control feels that his fate is controlled by external circumstances. A person with an internal locus of control feels that he has control over his fate.

Question 8

MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2)

Answer 8

An objectively scored personality inventory that assesses psychopathology in several areas, such as anxiety and depression. The most widely used personality inventory.

Question 9

neurosis

Answer 9

In Sigmund Freud’s theory, neurosis is a disorder based upon an imbalance between the id, ego, and superego.

Question 10

Oedipus complex

Answer 10

According to Sigmund Freud, a boy experiences this complex during the phallic stage, during which he experiences sexual desire for his mother and wants to eliminate his father as a rival for his mother’s affection.

Question 11

person-situation debate

Answer 11

A controversy in the study of personality, regarding whether behavior is more due to internal personality characteristics or situational factors.

Question 12

pleasure principle

Answer 12

The principle by which the id is said to operate, which is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

Question 13

postconventional morality

Answer 13

The highest level of moral reasoning, characterized by commitment to moral principles.

Question 14

preconventional morality

Answer 14

In Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory, the lowest stage of moral reasoning in which people make moral decisions on the basis of obtaining rewards and avoiding punishment. It is most common in children.

Question 15

psychoanalytic

Answer 15

A theory developed by Sigmund Freud, it focuses on intrapsychic conflict between the id, ego, and superego, as well as the influence of the unconscious mind on our lives and our behavior.

Question 16

psychometric approach

Answer 16

An approach to personality assessment in which a large pool of items are constructed and administered to a group of people. Factor analysis is then used to determine which of the items tend to cluster together.

Question 17

reality principle

Answer 17

According to Sigmund Freud, the principle on which the ego operates, which is to meet the demands of the external world.

Question 18

Rorschach inkblot test

Answer 18

A projective personality test in which a respondent examines a series of inkblots and tells the examiner what he or she sees in them.

Question 19

schema (personality)

Answer 19

Albert Bandura’s concept that a person’s behavior affects, and is affected by, both personal characteristics and environmental factors.

Question 20

self-serving bias

Answer 20

A willingness to perceive oneself in the best possible light.

Question 21

superego

Answer 21

According to Freud’s theory, the portion of the personality that includes the conscience as well as the “ego ideal,” or an ideal view of one’s self.

Question 22

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Answer 22

A projective personality test that involves telling stories based on cards with ambiguous drawings on them.

Question 23

theory of mind

Answer 23

A set of explanations for how one’s own mind, and the minds of others, function.

Question 24

traits

Answer 24

Individual attributes that demonstrate some (but not perfect) consistency over time and across situations.

Question 25

unconditional positive regard

Answer 25

Rogers’s term for providing warmth, caring, and affection to someone, regardless of their behavior.

Question 26

unconscious

Answer 26

The activities of the mind that take place outside a person’s conscious awareness.

Question 27

uninvolved (negligent)

Answer 27

One of Baumrind’s styles of parenting, in which the parent was lacking in both responsiveness and control. This parenting style was associated with the worst child adjustment of the four parenting styles.