Personality

Question 1

What is personality?

Answer 1

a way of thinking, feeling and acting that is unique to an individual

Question 2

Things that impact personality can include:

Answer 2

● Nature versus Nurture: genes or nature
● Cultural Attitudes: common beliefs & ways of behavior that all ppl in group share.
○ Ex. Western Cultures - Males=more active, Females=more passive
● Birth Order: when you’re born in your family- oldest, ,middle child, youngest

Question 3

Sigmund Freud

Answer 3

● The main force behind personality development is the unconscious mind
● Through socialization the ego and superego develop to control the basic drives and instincts of the id
● Through interacting with others, children develop a balanced personality that:
○ Satisfies needs and wants
○ Judges and acts on what is right
○ Makes decisions appropriate to both the self and the society

Question 4

Charles Horton Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self

Answer 4

● Our sense of self is derived from others - similar to the idea of a looking glass
● We look to others to see the reflection of our psychological selves as we look in mirrors to see the reflection of physical self
● 3 Main steps to the Looking-Glass Self:
○ First: we imagine how important people in our lives view us
○ Second: we react to this perception with feelings like pride or embarrassment
○ As a Result: we develop a set of beliefs about ourselves ex. Smart, funny, clumsy

Question 5

George Herbert Mead’s role taking

Answer 5

● Stage 1-The Preparatory Stage: children imitate the behaviour of people around them
● Stage 2-The Play Stage: children act out the roles of adults such as a doctor or teacher, through play children begin to understand the responsibilities of others
● Stage 3-The Game Stage: children play group games and discover the rules and roles within a team

Question 6

Erik Erikson

Answer 6

● The development of the self doesn’t end with childhood or adolescence - it’s a lifelong process
● Different Psychosocial Stages that individuals go through involving the interaction of the individual and society throughout the lifespan
● Each stage brings with it new interactions, tasks, challenges, social relationships
● Success in meeting the major challenge at each stage allows individuals to move on to the next stage and grow
● Resolving the challenges at each stage leads to healthy personality development