Personality

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

a distinctive pattern of behavior, thoughts, motives and emotions that are consistent in an individual over time

Question 2

Personality Traits

Answer 2

long-term disposition to behave in particular ways in a variety of situations

Question 3

Cattel’s Theory of Personality

Answer 3

Studied traits using factor analysis
Developed the 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire
Examples: reserved-outgoing; relaxed-tense; trusting-suspicious…

Question 4

McRae and Costa

Answer 4

Developed the “Big Five” personality traits; believe most personality traits fall under these categories.

Question 5

CANOE

Answer 5

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness and Extraversion

Question 6

Trait Theory and Gender

Answer 6

Research on the BIG FIVE traits shows that in general
Women tend to be higher than men on agreeableness and neuroticism
No gender differences found in openness to new experiences
Overall men and women seem to be more similar in personality than different

Question 7

Social Role Theory

Answer 7

gender differences are based on cultural messages and expectations regarding appropriate behaviors, careers and activities

Question 8

Eysenck’s Theory

Answer 8

Personality is determined by a large extent to one’s genes.

Question 9

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Answer 9

Focus on the influences of early childhood (first 5 years of life)
Emphasis on unconscious motives/conflicts
Primary focus on sexual and aggressive urges

Question 10

Id

Answer 10

impulses/dominated by pleasure/avoid pain

Question 11

Ego

Answer 11

grows & develops, “voice of reason” , mediator of id/superego, helps find compromises

Question 12

Superego

Answer 12

moral component of personality; rigid standards

Question 13

Psychosexual Stages

Answer 13

progress through stages. Fixations or regressions can occur. How you resolve this conflict determines personality

Question 14

Defense Mechanisms

Answer 14

responses to anxiety that are caused by internal conflicts; attempts to reduce distress of anxiety/guilt

Question 15

Displacement

Answer 15

mad at boss & yelling at Dad

Question 16

Rationalization

Answer 16

giving reasons for behavior we know isn’t right

Question 17

Reaction Formation

Answer 17

being overly nice to people you don’t like

Question 18

Sublimation

Answer 18

socially acceptable way to express impulses

Question 19

Compensation

Answer 19

(overcompensation): feeling sensitive and making yourself feel better in another way

Question 20

Reciprocal Determinism

Answer 20

(Bandura)
Reinforcement history and cognition influence behavior; how we approach the world
We see what we expect to see
We place ourselves in places that will confirm our beliefs

Question 21

Self-Esteem

Answer 21

The extent to which an individual likes, values and accepts the self.
People high in self-esteem live happier, healthier lives
People low in self-esteem tend to perceive rejection in ambiguous feedback

Question 22

self-concept

Answer 22

explicit knowledge of one’s own behaviors, traits and characteristics – Are you attractive? Are you good at sports?
Self-concept develops and is maintained in relationship to others
Increased stability over time
Self-verification: find evidence in environment to confirm our self-concept

Question 23

Self-Efficacy

Answer 23

belief one can set out to accomplish tasks/goals. Acquired from 4 sources
Mastery of new skills, overcome obstacles
Successful and competent role models
Positive feedback and encouragement
Awareness of feelings/manage responses

Question 24

Locus of Control

Answer 24

(Rotter): the degree to which people perceive the control of rewards as internal to the self or external to the environment

Question 25

Internal Locus of Control

Answer 25

people believe they are responsible for what happens to them

Question 26

External Locus of Control

Answer 26

people believe their lives are controlled by luck, fate or other people

Question 27

Mischel’s Person by Situation Interaction

Answer 27

People express particular traits in particular situations
Most likely to see consistency within these similar situations
Some traits are more situationally determined

Question 28

Humanistic Theories/Perspective

Answer 28

Focus on the inner experiences of ones personality and development – What is important to someone, Driven to become the best you can be
Unique human qualities
Freedom & potential for human growth
Optimistic view of human nature: can control impulses, not based on irrational needs and conflicts

Question 29

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Answer 29

a goal of humans is to be self-actualized; a basic hierarchy of needs exist. Innate drive towards personal growth.
Often seen as a pyramid of needs.

Question 30

Carl Rogers

Answer 30

accepts the self-actualizing tendency; explores individuals who do and do not function well

Looked at the relationship between the self (one’s conscious feelings/views of self) VS the person (sum of experiences, feelings, perceptions and wishes)

Question 31

Congruence

Answer 31

when sense of self and the person are consistent it allows positive functioning

Question 32

Incongruence

Answer 32

sense of self/person in conflict

Question 33

Unconditional Positive Regard

Answer 33

attempt to resolve conflict; accept one may have acted badly and still be a good person; accepts on in a positive and accepting manner

Question 34

Flow

Answer 34

the feeling one gets when at the optimal level of ability and engagement that matches one’s ability. Too little effort leads to boredom, too much challenge leads to anxiety (Cskiszentmihalyi)

Question 35

Existential Approach

Answer 35

personality is governed by the person’s need to make ongoing choices based on the realities of life and the inevitability of death

Question 36

Angst

Answer 36

difficulties in finding reasons for being, the challenges of free choices and search for meaning can all lead to positive goals but also a sense of dread and rumination