Personality Flashcards
Define Personality
Distinctive and characteristic pattern of thoughts emotion and behavior that make up an individual’s personal style of interacting with the physical and social environment
A relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual’s behavior
Trait Theories
Attempt to learn what traits make up personality and how they relate to actual behavior
1)Gordon Allport (1961) and Traits
Cardinal Traits: So basic that all of a person’s activities can be traced back to the trait
Central Traits: Core qualities of a personality
Secondary Traits: Inconsistent or superficial aspects of a person
2)Raymond Cattell and Traits
Surface Traits: Features that make up the visible features of personality
Source Traits: Underlying traits of a personality; each reflected in a number of surface traits
Cattell also created 16PF, personality test
Gives a “picture” of an individual’s personality
Instead of a trait being present or absent, each dimension is scored over a continuum, from high to low. For example, your level of warmth describes how warm, caring, and nice to others you are. If you score low on this index, you tend to be more distant and cold.
3)Hans and Sybil Eysenck
Two primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation stability(unstable to stable) and extraversion.
-According to their theory, people high on the trait of extroversion refer to sociable behavior of an individual.
-In the neuroticism/stability dimension, people high on neuroticism tend to measure sensitivity of nervous system.
Based on these two dimensions, the Eysenck’s’ theory divides people into four quadrants. These quadrants are sometimes compared with the four temperaments described by the Greeks:
melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic, and sanguine
4) Big Five” Personality Factors
Extroversion: Extroversion is characterized by sociability, assertiveness, excitement-seeking, and emotional expression.
-Agreeableness: is the tendency to be pleasant, cooperative, trustworthy, and good-natured.
-Conscientious: Conscientiousness is characterized by competence, self-discipline, thoughtfulness, and achievement-striving (goal-directed behavior).
-Neuroticism: is the tendency to experience negative emotions.
-Openness to Experience: Openness to experience is characterized by imagination, feelings, actions, and ideas.
Brief note on Personality through a psychoanalytic perspective?
Personality, according to Freud’s theories, is influenced by:
1)Childhood drives
2)Unconscious motivations
Unconscious
Freud: Mostly unacceptable thoughts & wishes
Now (non-Freudian): information processing of which we are unaware
Preconscious
Information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness
The personality follows the structure:
1)Id
Location: unconscious
Role: to satisfy basic drives.
Motto: “Pleasure Principle”
2)Ego
Location: conscious
Role: “executive”; Mediates id & superego
Motto: “Reality Principle”
3)Superego
Location: spans unconscious & conscious
Role: our ideals, conscience, judgment, guilt
Motto: “Perfection”
However the conflicts between the Id, Superego and Ego arise in unconscious mind
The unconscious mind can be understood through:
-Slips of tongue (“Freudian slip”)
-Dreams
-Jokes
-Anxiety
-Defense Mechanisms
Explain the various types of Defense Mechanisms?
-Regression : Reverting to behavior that is characteristic to an earlier stage of development when confronted with stress or anxiety
-Repression : Anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories are kept out of consciousness
-Reaction Formation : Unconscious switching of unacceptable impulses into their opposites
-Projection : Their own threatening impulses are attributed to others
-Rationalization : Self-justifying explanations in place of the real reasons
-Intellectualization : Gain detachment from a stressful situation by dealing with it in abstract, intellectual terms
Assessing the Unconscious
Projective Test : Rorschach or TAT(Thematic Apperception Test ), that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection
Brief note on the Behaviorist Approach for personality
Personality development is the result of the interaction between our genetic endowment and the types of experiences we are exposed to in living our daily lives
Approach that emphasizes learning and observable behavior
Learning Theorist: Believe that learning shapes our behavior and explains personality
Brief note on the Humanistic perspective for personality
Under the Humanistic perspective, People are viewed as experiencing beings. Emphasis here is on individual experiences, relationships and ways of understanding the world. Everyone’s experience is unique and the individual’s perception of the world is critical to their understanding and behavior, A strong belief in free-will and conscious rational decision-making.
-Abraham Maslow-Self-Actualization
The motivation to fulfill one’s potential
-Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals.
Saw humans as intrinsically good and as having an innate desire for self-improvement.
Self-Concept
Characteristics of self actualizers
-Perceive reality accurately and objectively
-Accept themselves and others.
-Spontaneous, natural, genuine.
-Problem-centered, non-egotistical;
-Need some privacy and solitude more than others do; is able to concentrate intensely.
-Philosophical, has a sense of humor that is constructive, not destructive.
-Independent, self-sufficient and autonomous; has less need for praise or popularity
-Strongly ethical, benevolent, altruistic.
-Creative, original, inventive
Brief note on Cognitive Approach
The cognitive approach identifies the influence of three factors Internal personal factors, Environmental factors, and Behavior.
Social learning has various methods :
1) Observation
2) Mental models
3) Imitation / Enacting role model
4) Repetition if positive consequence
Schemas: A schema is a cognitive framework or concept that helps us process, organize and interpret information.
Self schemas: A self-schema is a cognitive generalization about oneself. Derived from past experience that process and guide processing of self related information.
