personality Flashcards
what is the definition of personality?
those relatively stable, permanent characteristics that are unique to an individual and influence the way they think, feel and behave
what is the definition of a trait?
a personality characteristic that endures over time and across different situations
what are the assumptions of trait theories?
- stable and thus predictable over time
- stable across situations
- personality consists of different traits and you have more or less of each
- some traits are more closely interrelated
what were mccrae and costa’s big five?
openness to experience conscientiousness extraversion agreeableness neuroticism
what are the limitations of mccrae and costa?
- mask individual differences
- doesnt accept that it changes situationally
- no causes
- subjective
what are the strengths of mccrae and costa?
- increasing evidence
- environmental and hereditary causes
- prevalent in non western cultures
what are the assumptions of humanistic theories?
that all people are born good and are striving to each their full potential
according to carl rogers, what are the three factors that influence self actualisation?
- the way others treat them
- the way they view themselves
- how they deal with negative influences
what is self concept?
perceptions and beliefs people have about themselves. built up over time through interactions and the environment
what is a well adjusted person?
someone whose self image, ideal self and true self are congruent
what were maslows five needs?
physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self actualisation
what were the strengths of humanistic theory?
- positive
- looks at all qualities of an individual
- complete picture of development
what are the limitations of humanistic theory?
- romantic and simple
- focus on self fulfilment
- doesnt recognise evil
- difficult to generalise to minorities
- methodological flaws
- people can move up without meeting lower needs
what is social cognitive theory?
learning by observation and modelling and is a way to acquire social skills and many non-social behaviours
what is reciprocal determinism?
we not only watch the actions of others, we watch the consequences of those actions, the rules and standards that apply to behaviour in specific situations and the ways in which people regulate their own behaviour.
what is self efficacy?
the degree to which one is sure of their own ability and capability to manage and to be effective in meeting the demands of particular situations.
what are the principles of bandura’s social learning theory?
People learn by observing others behaviour
Cognition plays an important role in learning
The same set of stimuli may provoke the same responses
The world and a person’s behaviour are interlinked
Personality is an interaction between three factors
People have control over their actions
what does mischel’s social cognitive theory suggest?
personality results from a two way interaction between a person’s characteristics and the environment
what are personality signatures?
consistency in traits can be found in distinctive but stable patterns of if then situations
emphasises the importance of physical, social, and environmental forces in shaping behaviour
what is self regulation?
the ability to set and work towards goals
what are the variables to predict behaviour?
competencies, cognitive strategies, expectancies, subject values and self regulatory systems
what are the two needs of a child according to maslow?
unconditional positive regard and self worth
