Personality Flashcards
(125 cards)
1
Q
________________ is the unique way in which each individual thinks, acts and feels throughout life.
A
Personality
2
Q
______________ refers to value judgments made about a person’s morals or ethical behaviour.
A
Character
3
Q
________________ refers to the biologically innate and enduring characteristics with which each person is born, such as irritability or adaptability.
A
Temperament
4
Q
Both _____________ and ______________ are vital parts of personality, however they do not fully define personality.
Each adult personality is a combination of _____________ and personal history of social networks, family, culture, environment and the time during which they grew up.
A
character, temperaments
temperaments
5
Q
What are the two main approaches to studying personality?
A
The dispositional approach (descriptive) and the process approach (explanatory).
6
Q
What is the dispositional approach of studying personality?
A
Focuses on describing relatively stable personality characteristics by focusing on temperaments, traits and types, which are then used to predict behaviour and to detect similarities or differences.
It is merely descriptive and does not explain why an individual has such personality characteristics.
7
Q
What is the process approach of studying personality?
A
It explains how personality develops and changes in terms of internal mental processes (e.g. motivation, emotions, perceptions), development, and social interactions.
Stems from 3 major perspectives: psychodynamic, behavioural and socio-cognitive, and humanistic.
8
Q
How can temperaments change or vary?
A
Temperaments can vary based on differences in brain functions, structures and balance of neurotransmitters. They can also change over-time due to self-regulation and regulation of reactivity.
9
Q
Is shyness an example of a temperamental change?
A
Yes, it is due to self-regulation which may be caused by negative experiences in social interaction.
10
Q
______________ are a consistent, enduring way of thinking, feeling, or behaving.
A
Traits
11
Q
____________ _______________ are used to describe the key characteristics that make up human behaviour in an effort to predict future behaviour.
A
Trait theories
12
Q
A ______________ ________________ is a questionnaire that has a standard list of questions that only requires certain specific answers, such as “yes”, “no,” and “can’t decide.”
A
personality inventory
13
Q
One issue that personality inventories face is that it is a form of self-report, what issue can be seen from this?
A
As they are still a form of self-report, it may lead to the responses being distorted truths or lies, due to the social desirability bias.
14
Q
Why are personality inventories more objective and reliable than projective tests?
A
The standard nature of the questions and the lack of open-ended answers make these assessments far more objective and reliable than projective tests.
15
Q
A ______________ ________________ _______________ is a form of personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli to the client, the client then responds with their interpretation of the visual stimuli.
A
personality projective test
16
Q
Raymond Cattell categorised traits into two different forms, ______________ traits, which are personality characteristics easily seen by others, and _____________ traits, which are traits that form the core of one’s personality.
A
surface, source
17
Q
What is Raymond Cattell’s 16 personality factor theory?
A
Cattell used factor analysis (a technique to look for grouping and commonalities in numerical data) to identify 16 source traits (or trait dimensions) amongst 100s of individuals. Cattell then developed the bipolar scale where opposing traits were placed at each end of the scale.
18
Q
What is the Five-Factor Model or the Big-Five personality inventory?
A
The Big Five personality traits are a set of five broad personality dimensions that are used to study personality.
19
Q
What are the five personality dimensions in the Big Five personality inventory?
A
Openness (Imagination, feelings, actions, ideas)
Conscientiousness (Competence, self-discipline, thoughtfulness, goal-driven)
Extraversion (Sociability, assertiveness, emotional expression)
Agreeableness (Cooperative, trustworthy, good-natured, teamwork-driven)
Neuroticism (Emotional instability)
OCEAN
20
Q
Can one personality dimension of the Big Five model predict another?
A
No, they are independent.
21
Q
What is the MMPI-2?
A
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is designed to detect abnormal behaviour or abnormal thinking patterns in personality.
It is typically used in clinical settings for psychological disorders or for psychological resilience for vocational guidance or job screening.
22
Q
How does the MMPI-2 measure tendencies towards psychological disorders?
A
It uses a true/false questionnaire to measure 10 clinical traits.
23
Q
What is MBTI?
A
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality inventory which simplifies human personalities into 16 distinct types.
These types resemble traits, however they exist as distinct categories and not as continuous dimensions. This means that an individual would align to characteristics of one type and not the other.
24
Q
What is the Barnum-Forer effect?
A
A common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet which are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people.
25
How does the Barnum effect apply to the MBTI personality inventory?
The MBTI's description of the personality types are rather vague and may apply to a wide range of individuals.
26
________________ __________________ is a field of study devoted to discovering the genetic bases for personality characteristics.
Behavioural genetics
27
____________________ is how much some trait within a population can be attributed to genetic influences.
Heritability is how much some trait within a population can be attributed to genetic influences.
28
What have twin studies determined with regards to personality factors?
Monozygotic twins (twins that share 100% of genetic material) were more similar in intelligence, leadership, empathy and assertiveness.
There were also studies that showed the big-five personality factors of monozygotic twins were believed to be about 25% to 50% inherited.
29
What are the limitations of the dispositional approach for studying personality?
Portrays personality as fixed and static rather than a dynamic process that can undergo changes with developmental change
Oversimplifies describing personality with a limited number of dimensions.
Only describes behaviour, does not fully explain the full range of temperaments and personality traits.
30
How can self-fulfilling prophecy apply to the dispositional approach in studying personality?
When an individual is given a label, others and themselves might hold expectations based on their label, making it difficult to change behaviours or thinking
31
What are the strengths of the dispositional approach for studying personality?
Evidence from studies of temperament and heritability of personality traits that support the validity of considering dispositions.
It can explain individual differences given similar environments and also has the ability to predict behaviour in common situations (e.g. in jobs).
32
What are the 4 main perspectives of personality?
Psychodynamic, behavioural and socio-cognitive, humanistic and trait.
33
What are the main tenets of the psychodynamic perspective of personality?
People change over time
Past experiences shape who we are
We are not always aware of why we do the things we do
34
The ______________ ______________ of personality focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality, development of abnormal behaviour and psychological disorders.
psychodynamic perspective
35
The ____________ _____________ of personality focuses on the role of each person’s unique conscious life experiences and choices, and how they influence personality.
humanistic perspective
36
What is the trait perspective of personality?
Concerned with the characteristics themselves, much like the dispositional approach.
37
How did Sigmund Freud's history shape his perspective?
As Freud was born and raised in Europe during the Victorian Age, there was a period of sexual repression. Freud’s focus with sexual explanations for abnormal behaviour seems more understandable in light of his cultural background and that of his patients.
38
Sigmund Freud believe that the mind was divided into three parts, what were these 3 parts called?
The conscious, preconscious and the unconscious.
39
What is the unconscious stage of the mind according to Sigmund Freud?
Information not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness, it was thought to be a part of the mind that remains hidden at all times. For example, manifest content in dreams.
40
What is the preconscious stage of the mind according to Sigmund Freud?
Information is available but not brought to conscious awareness yet, the information was believe to be just beneath the surface of awareness.
41
What is the conscious stage of the mind according to Sigmund Freud?
Information that is easily available and in one’s immediate awareness, it also has interactions with the outside world.
42
Sigmund Freud believed that personalities were divided into three parts, what are the names of these three parts?
Id, superego and ego.
43
What is the id of the personality according to Sigmund Freud?
It is the first and most primitive part of personality, it exists in the unconscious awareness and is the pleasure-seeking, amoral part of personality existing at birth.
It contains basic biological drives such as hunger, thirst, self-preservation and sex.
44
The id follows the _____________ ______________, where it functions based on the desire for immediate satisfaction of needs without the regard for consequences.
pleasure principle
45
According to Sigmund Freud, the ______________ of the personality exists in all stages of consciousness and acts as a moral core or conscience, differentiating between right and wrong. It also produces guilt, or moral anxiety, depending on how acceptable behaviour is.
superego
46
According to Sigmund Freud, the ______________ of the personality is the executive director between the id and the superego, it engages with reality and is rational and logical under the reality principle.
It attempts to satisfy the demands of the id in ways that does not lead to negative consequences taking consideration of the restrictions put by the superego.
ego
47
According to Sigmund Freud, what happens when the id and superego is conflicted?
Anxiety is created when the id or superego is conflicted and when it gets out of hand, psychological disorders may develop.
48
______________ ______________ ______________ are ways of dealing with anxiety through unconsciously distorting one's perceptions of reality.
Psychological defence mechanisms
49
How are psychological defence mechanisms useful according to Sigmund Freud?
In order for the three parts of personality (id, superego and ego) to function, the constant conflict among them must be managed. Freud assumed that the defence mechanisms were among the most important tools for dealing with the anxiety caused by this conflict.
50
What are the 10 types of psychological defence mechanisms?
Denial
Displacement
Projection
Rationalisation
Reaction Formation
Regression
Repression
Sublimation
Identification
Compensation (Substitution)
Do Dogs Play Really Rough? Recently Rough Snoopy Isn't Cool.
51
What is the denial psychological defence mechanism?
Refusing to accept real events because they are unpleasant.
52
What is the displacement psychological defence mechanism?
Transferring inappropriate urges or behaviours onto a more acceptable or less threatening target.
53
What is the projection psychological defence mechanism?
Attributing unacceptable desires to others.
54
What is the rationalisation psychological defence mechanism?
Justifying behaviours by substituting acceptable reasons (excuses) for less-acceptable real reasons.
55
What is the reaction formation psychological defence mechanism?
Reducing anxiety by adopting beliefs contrary to your own beliefs.
56
What is the regression psychological defence mechanism?
Returning to coping strategies for less mature stages of development.
57
What is the repression psychological defence mechanism?
Suppressing painful memories and thoughts.
58
What is the sublimation psychological defence mechanism?
Redirecting unacceptable desires through socially acceptable channels.
59
What is the identification psychological defence mechanism?
Attempting to become like someone else to deal with one's anxiety.
60
What is the compensation (substitution) psychological defence mechanism?
Trying to make up for areas in which an inferiority is perceived by becoming superior in some other area.
61
Freud believed that personality development occurs in a series of five _________________ stages that are determined by the developing sexuality of the child.
At each stage, a different _____________ zone, or area of the body that produces pleasurable feelings, becomes important and can become the source of conflicts.
If the conflicts are not fully resolved, they can result in _____________, or getting “stuck” to some degree in a stage of development. Meaning that the child may grow into an adult but will still carry emotional and psychological “baggage” from that earlier fixated stage.
psychosexual, erogenous, fixation
62
What are the 5 psychosexual stages of personality development according to Sigmund Freud?
Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital
63
Describe the oral psychosexual stage, state the duration it occurs for, the erogenous zone, and the conflict regarding the stage.
Occurs during first 18 months of life, the erogenous zone is the mouth.
The conflict may arise from over-weaning (taking the mother’s breast away from the child), weaning that occurs too soon or too late can result in too little or too much satisfaction of the child’s oral needs.
64
Describe the anal psychosexual stage, when does it occur, what is the erogenous zone and what is the main conflict?
Occurs during 18 to 36 months of life (1 to 3 years old), the erogenous zone is the anus.
Main area of conflict is toilet training (bowel and bladder control), the demand that the child use the toilet at a particular time and in a particular way.
65
What occurs in later stages of life when the conflict in the oral psychosexual stage is not fully resolved?
Leads to activities and personality traits associated within an orally fixated adult personality: e.g. overeating, drinking too much, chain smoking, talking too much, nail biting, gum chewing, tendency to be too dependent and optimistic (when needs are overindulged) or too aggressive and pessimistic (when needs are denied).
66
What occurs in later stages of life when the conflict in the anal psychosexual stage is not fully resolved?
Leads to either an anal expulsive personality (if refused to go in the toilet) or an anal retentive personality (if avoided going to toilet due to fear).
67
Describe the phallic psychosexual stage include the erogenous zone and for which duration it occurs.
Occurs during 3 to 6 years old, the erogenous zone is the genitals. It centres on the awakening of sexual curiosity and interest in the genitals.
Theorised that castration anxiety were developed in boys and that girls developed penis envy, and that they both develop sexual attraction or curiosity towards their opposite-sex parents and jealousy towards their same-sex parents.
68
What occurs in later stages of life when the conflict in the phallic psychosexual stage is not fully resolved?
Fixation in this stage results in exhibiting promiscuous sexual behaviour and be very vain.
The vanity is to cover-up feelings of low-self worth, the lack of phallic sexual behaviour stems from the failure of the identification defence mechanism and inadequate formation of the superego.
69
Describe the latency psychosexual stage include the erogenous zone and for which duration it occurs.
Occurs during 6 years old until puberty, there is no erogenous zone. In this stage, children grow and develop intellectually, physically and socially and develop skills into adulthood. There are no focus of conflicts in this stage.
70
Describe the genital psychosexual stage include the erogenous zone and for which duration it occurs.
Occurs from puberty until death, the erogenous zone is the genitals. It is considered the entry into adult social and sexual behaviour.
Sexual urges are once again allowed into consciousness, the focus of sexual curiosity and attraction are now other adolescents, celebrities and other objects of adoration.
71
In a __________________ __________________ test, the hope is that the client will project unconscious concerns onto the visual stimulus, allowing the examiner to probe innermost feelings, motives, desires, and conflicts via the defence mechanism of _____________.
projective personality, projection
72
What are some examples of projective personality tests?
Rorschach Inkblot Test
Thematic Apperception Test
73
______________ is an insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasising the revealing of unconscious conflicts.
Psychoanalysis
74
_______________ ________________ is the assumption that all human behaviour is determined by unconscious memories, desires, and conflicts.
Psychic determinism
75
According to Carl Gustav Jung, what was his theory regarding the unconscious mind?
He believed that there was not only a personal unconscious (Freud’s id), but a collective unconscious.
According to Jung, the collective unconscious contains a kind of “species” memory, memories of ancient fears and themes that seem to occur in many folktales and cultures.
76
_______________ are a reservoir for instinctive knowledge and “ancestral memories” that are shared by all members of the human species.
It can also be described as universal, ancient model images in the collective unconscious, for example a mother figure, or a wise man figure.
They can manifest as symbols or themes in religion, dreams, literature and art across cultures.
Archetypes
77
What are the four major archetypes of self as described by Carl Gustav Jung?
The anima/animus, the shadow, the persona and the self.
78
What is the anima/animus according to Carl Gustav Jung?
The feminine image in the male psyche, and the masculine image in the female psyche.
79
What is the shadow according to Carl Gustav Jung?
Destructive or aggressive tendencies which we do not want to recognise.
80
What is the self according to Carl Gustav Jung?
The unified unconscious and conscious of an individual.
81
What is the persona according to Carl Gustav Jung?
An image of ourselves that we present to the world.
82
Alfred Adler developed the theory that as young children, people all develop feelings of _____________ when comparing themselves to the more ___________ adults in their world.
Adler believed that the driving force behind all human endeavours, emotions and thoughts was the seeking of _________________.
inferiority, superior
superiority
83
Which psychological defence mechanism is prominent in Alfred Adler's theory of personality?
Compensation
84
What is Alfred Adler's birth order theory?
The birth order of a child affected personality.
Eldest child: Competes for attention, tends to be an overachiever
Youngest child: Pampered and protected; lacks freedom
Middle child: Gets more attention than older sibling and power over younger sibling; tends to be competitive
85
What was Karen Horney's concept of womb envy?
Horney stated that men felt the need to compensate for their lack of child-bearing ability by striving for success in other areas.
86
Karen Horney focused on the ___________ __________ created in a child born into a world so much bigger and more powerful than the child.
Children who received love, affection, and security from their parents would overcome this __________ whereas those with less secure upbringings would develop neurotic personalities and maladaptive responses of dealing with relationships.
basic anxiety
anxiety
87
What are the three coping styles of personality that were theorised by Karen Horney?
Moving towards people (Affiliation and dependence)
Moving against people (Aggression and manipulation)
Moving away from people (Detachment and isolation)
88
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic perspective in studying personality?
There is evidence to support concepts of the unconscious mind influencing conscious behaviour, childhood experiences affecting adult personality and the use of defence mechanisms.
It also deals with the challenging aspects of human life such as internal conflicts, anxiety, and guilt.
89
What are the limitations of the psychodynamic perspective in studying personality?
Weak scientific foundation as there is a lack of empirical evidence
Overemphasis on the unconscious mind and neglect on the conscious mind
Does not explain normal healthy personalities
90
In the ______________ ______________ of personality, personality is nothing more than a set of learned responses or habits, either through classical conditioning and/or operant conditioning.
behavioural perspective
91
A child interacts with guests or friends and gets praise and attention, they then generalise it to other social scenarios outside of home which leads them to develop a pattern of extroversion. This statement describes which perspective of personality?
Behavioural
92
The ___________ ___________ perespective emphasises the importance of influences of other people’s behaviour and of a person’s own expectations on learning.
Behaviour is governed by influence of external stimuli, response patterns, and cognitive processes such as anticipating, judging, and memory as well as learning through the imitation of models.
social cognitive
93
The Bobo doll experiment is an example of which perspective in personality development?
The social cognitive perspective
94
In Albert Bandura's ________ ________ theory, he posited that personality is more than a set of learned behaviours or habits acquired through observation, he argued that truly recognising an individual necessitates an ongoing interplay with 3 components: behaviour, environment and personal/cognitive factors.
reciprocal determinism
95
What is the 'environment' component in Albert Bandura's reciprocal determinism theory?
The environment includes physical surroundings, and other people, and the potential for reinforcement in those surroundings.
96
What is the 'behaviour' component in Albert Bandura's reciprocal determinism theory?
Intensity and frequency of behaviour will not only be influenced by the environment but will also have an impact on that environment.
97
What is the 'personal/cognitive factors' component in Albert Bandura's reciprocal determinism theory?
Mental processes such as beliefs, expectancies, and personal dispositions/variables.
98
______________-_______________ is a person’s expectancy in how effective their efforts to accomplish a goal will be in any particular circumstance.
Self-efficacy
99
People’s sense of _______-_______ can be high or low, depending on what has happened in similar circumstances in the past (success or failure).
self-efficacy
100
What is the difference between people with high and low self-efficacy?
People high in self-efficacy are more persistent and expect to succeed, whereas people low in self-efficacy expect to fail and tend to avoid challenges.
101
What is Julian Rotter's social learning theory of personality?
It is based on Thorndike's law of effect, Rotter viewed personality as a relatively stable set of potential responses to various situations.
If in the past a certain way of responding led to a reinforcing or pleasurable consequence, the way of responding would become a pattern of responding, or part of the “personality” as learning theorists see it.
102
In Julian Roger's social learning theory, _____________ is one of the key factors influencing a person’s decision to act in a certain way given a particular situation. It is the person’s subjective feeling that a particular behaviour will lead to a reinforcing consequence.
expectancy
103
What are some strengths of the behavioural perspective of personality?
It emphasises on what is measurable, providing a practical and clear framework of understanding personality through observable behaviours.
It is also used in developing behaviour-based therapies to modify undesirable behaviours through punishment and reinforcement.
104
What are some limitations of the behavioural perspective of personality?
It overlooks mental processes due to it being subjective and unquantifiable.
It also neglects social influences and presents an incomplete view of personality.
105
What are some strengths of the social cognitive perspective of personality?
Integrates social and mental processes with behaviour, concepts can be tested scientifically and hence more empirically sound.
It also emphasises how expectancies can influence mood regulation and behaviour.
106
What are some limitations of the social cognitive perspective of personality?
Some human behaviour and personality can be too complex to explain through interactions of internal cognitions and external stimuli fully.
There are also risks of overgeneralization as experiences like locus of control may vary across individuals based on numerous external factors.
107
"Free Will + Development of Self -> Personality
People have potential for growth
Negative development stems from unhealthy situations rather than unhealthy individuals"
There are all tenets of the _______________ perspective of personality.
humanistic
108
The _____________-______________ tendency is the tendency that human beings are striving to fulfil their innate capacities and capabilities and to become everything their genetic potential will allow them to become.
self-actualising
109
Carl Rogers believed that humans strive for fulfilment called the _________-_________ _____________. An important tool in human self-actualisation is the development of an image of oneself, or the ___________-____________.
self-actualising tendency, self-concept
110
According to Carl Rogers, how is one's self-concept shaped?
The self-concept is based on what people are told by others and how the sense of self is reflected in the words and actions of important people in one’s life such as: parents, siblings, co-workers, friends and teachers
111
What are the two important components of the self-concept in Carl Rogers' theory?
The real self (one’s actual perception of characteristics, traits, and abilities that form the basis of the striving for self-actualisation) and the ideal self (the perception of what one should be or would like to be.
112
What did Carl Rogers theorise about the relationship between the real self and ideal self in his theory?
Rogers believed that when the real self and ideal self are very close or similar to each other (congruent), people feel competent and capable, but when there is a mismatch between the real self and ideal self (incongruent), anxiety and neurotic behaviour can be the result.
113
_____________ ____________ is warmth, affection, love, and respect that come from the significant people (parents, admired adults, friends, lovers, and teachers) in people’s experience.
Positive regard
114
How is positive regard linked to Carl Rogers' self-concept theory?
Positive regard is vital to people’s ability to cope with stress and to strive to achieve self-actualisation.
115
When positive regard is given without any conditions or strings attached, it is known as ___________________ ____________________ __________________.
unconditional positive regard
116
____________________ ___________________ _________________ is when positive regard where it is given only when the person is doing what the providers of the positive regard wish.
Conditional positive regard
117
How is unconditional positive regard related to Carl Rogers' self-concept theory?
He believe that receiving unconditional positive regard was necessary for people to be able to explore fully all they can achieve and become, or in other words, a fully functioning person (a self-actualising person who has a self-concept that is both congruent and positive, thus having a high self-worth).
118
What are the strengths of the humanistic perspective of personality?
It gives insights into development of healthy personalities.
Provides guidelines for developing one’s full “potential”.
Many concepts from positive psychology (which examines human strengths and virtue) stem and originate from humanistic psychology.
119
What are the limitations of the humanistic perspective of personality?
Can be considered an overly optimistic approach about human nature.
Theories are considered abstract and ambiguous, definitions are not concrete an difficult to measure, not empirically sound.
Emphasis on self may apply more to individualistic cultures rather than collectivistic cultures.
120
What is the halo effect?
Bias in which a positive evaluation on one specific dimension of a person or thing is used to make an overall judgement or judgements of other specific dimensions.
In essence, a positive appearance or impression in one area would lead to perceived positive personality traits in other multiple areas.
121
What is the horn effect?
Bias in which a negative evaluation on one specific dimension of a person or thing is used to make an overall judgement or judgements of other specific dimensions.
In essence, a negative appearance or impression in one area would lead to perceived negative personality traits in other multiple areas.
122
What is a fixed mindset?
A person with a fixed mindset may believe that they are unable to change or improve, and would typically fit other people into stereotypes.
These stereotypes may influence their treatment of other people who may fit into such stereotypes, despite these people having a large variability in their behaviour.
123
What is a growth mindset?
A person with a growth mindset believes that if you can put in commitment and effort, it can help you foster more positive personality traits. They do not put people into stereotypes and their treatment is based on the behaviour of others.
124
An _____________ _______________ personality is where they are indifferent or rebellious towards authority, they also see messiness as a statement of personal control.
anal expulsive
125
An _____________ ______________ personality is where they are passively rebellious and are subservient towards authority. They may be excessively neat, stingy and stubborn.
anal retentive
