personality Flashcards
what is personality?
the pattern of psychological and behavioural characteristics by which each person can be compared
what are the different approaches to personality?
- psychodynamic
- trait approach
- social-cognitive
- humanistic
who developed the psychodynamic approach to personality?
Sigmund Freud
what is the psychodynamic approach to personality?
a view that emphasises the interplay of unconscious mental processes in determining human thought, feelings and behaviour
what did freud believe that our personality was mainly determined by?
basic drives and past psychological events
did freud propose actions were controlled by the conscious or unconscious?
unconscious
what is the id in the psychodynamic approach?
the unconscious portion of personality that contains basic impulses and urges
what did Freud regard as the unconscious portion of personality?
the id
what is the libido in regards to the psychodynamic approach to personality?
the psychic energy contained in the id
what does the id of the psychodynamic approach operate on?
pleasure principles
what are pleasure principles in the psychodynamic approach?
the id’s operating principle, guides people towards what feels good
what is the ego in the psychodynamic approach?
the part of personality that mediates conflicts between and among demands of id, the superego and the real world
what is the reality principle of the psychodynamic approach?
the operating principle of the ego that creates compromises between the id’s demands and those of the real world
what is the superego in regards to the psychodynamic approach?
tells people what they should and shouldn’t do, moral guide
what part of the psychodynamic approach acts as the moral guide?
superego
what is the ego’s primary functions in the psychodynamic approach?
prevent anxiety or guilt
what are defence mechanisms used by the ego in the psychodynamic approach?
unconscious tactics that protect against anxiety and guilt
how do defence mechanisms of psychodynamic approach protect against anxiety and guilt?
either preventing threatening material from surfacing or disguising it when it appears
what are some different types of defence mechanisms?
- repression
- rationalisation
- projection
- denial etc.
what is repression as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
unconsciously pushing threatening memories, urges or ideas from conscious awareness
what is rationalisation as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
attempting to make actions or mistakes seem reasonable
what is projection as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
unconsciously attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or impulses to another person
what is denial as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
simply discounting the existence of threatening impulses
what is reaction formation as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
defending against unacceptable impulses by acting opposite to them
what is sublimation as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
converting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions and perhaps expressing them symbolically
what is displacement as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
deflecting an impulse from its original target to a less threatening impulse
what is compensation as a defence mechanism in the psychodynamic approach?
striving to make up for unconscious impulses or fears
what are Freud’s stages in personality development in the psychodynamic approach?
- oral
- anal
- phallic
- latency
- genital
what is the oral stage of personality development?
first stage in which the mouth is the centre of pleasure and conflict
when does the oral stage of personality occur?
first year of life-2
when does the anal stage of personality occur?
2-3 years
when does the phallic stage of personality occur?
3-5 years
when does the latency stage of personality occur?
lasts through childhood (5-adolescence)
when does the genital stage of personality occur?
rest of person’s life
what is the anal stage of personality development?
focus of pleasure and conflict shifts to anus
what is the phallic stage of personality development?
focus shifts to genital area
what is the latency stage of personality development?
sexual impulses lay dormant as the child focuses on other things such as education
what is the genital stage of personality development?
begins during adolescents, when sexual impulses appear at a conscious level
did Jung’s analytical psychology of personality idenitify specific stages or gradual development?
gradual
what did Carl Jung emphasise in his analytical psychology variation of Freud’s personality theory?
libido was not just a sexual instinct but rather more general life force focused toward creativity etc.
what did Carl Jung claim in his analytical psychology variation of Freud’s personality theory?
there is a collective unconscious which contains the memories we have inherited from our human and non-human ancestors
what did Alfred Adler come to believe about the power behind the development of personality?
doesn’t come from id impulses but from desire to overcome infantile feelings of helplessness
what did Erik Erikson, Erich Fromm andHarry Stack Sullivan focus on for personality?
personalities are shaped by those around them, once biological needs are met we attempt to meet social needs as primary influence
what do contemporary psychodynamic theories focus on?
object relations, how people perceive themselves and others other influence views of world
what is early attachment associated with in personality?
differences with self image, identity, security and social relationships
what are the criticisms of the psychodynamic approach to personality?
- involved few individuals
- may not apply to people in general
- were upper-class Viennese women who had psychological problems and were raised in culture were sex discussions was uncivilised
- European and north American values
what is the trait approach to personality?
the view that personality is a combination of characteristics that people display over time and across situations
what three basic assumptions about personality traits does the trait approach make?
- relatively stable and predictable
- relatively stable across situations
- people differ in how much of a trait they possess
what are the four humour-based personalities of the trait approach?
- sanguine
- phlegmatic
- melancholic
- choleric
what is a sanguine personality?
optimistic
what is a phlegmatic personality?
slow, lethargic
what is a melancholic personality?
sad, depressive
what is a choleric personality?
angry, irritable
what is the difference between traits and types?
traits involve quantitative differences between people whereas type involves qualitative
what is the five-factor personality model?
a view based on factor-analytic studies suggesting the existence of five basic components of human personality
what are the five components of the Big Five Model of personality?
(OCEAN)
- openness
- conscientiousness
- extraversion
- agreeableness
- neuroticism
What did Hans Eysenck suggest were the two main dimensions of traits?
extraversion-introversion and emotionality-stability
where do differences in introversion-extraversion and emotionality-stability originate according to Gray?
brain regions containing systems that influence how sensitive people are to different kinds of events
what are the two systems apart of Gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory?
- behavioural approach system
- flight-or-freeze system
what is the behavioural approach system as a part of gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory?
BAS affects people’s sensitivity to rewards and their motivation to seek those rewards
why is the behavioural approach system referred to as the ‘go’ system?
because it is responsible for how impulsive or inhibited a person is
what is the flight-or-freeze system as a part of gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory?
affects how sensitive people are to potential punishment and the motivation to avoid being punished
why is the flight-or-freeze system referred to as the ‘stop’ system?
responsible for how fearful or inhibited a person is
what are some criticisms of the trait approach to personality?
- perhaps more than five dimensions
- may not hold across all cultures
- situational variables also affect personality
what is the social-cognitive approach to personality?
the view that personality reflects learned patterns of thinking and behaviour
what is functional analysis?
analysing behaviour by studying what responses occur under what conditions of operant reward and punishment
what did Julian Rotter argue?
that learning creates cognitions, known as expectancies that guide behaviour
what is Rotter’s Expectancy Theory?
a person’s decision to engage in a behaviour is determined by what they expect to happen and the value they place on the outcome
what do internals as apart of Rotter’s expectancy theory expect?
to control events
what do externals as apart of Rotter’s expectancy theory expect?
controlled by outside forces
what does Albert Bandura regard personality as in his reciprocal determinism social-cognitive approach?
personality is shaped by the ways in which thoughts, behaviours and the enviro are influenced by each other
what is self-efficacy according to Bandura and reciprocal determinism?
learned expectations about the probability of success in given situations
what did Mischel argue in his cognitive-affective theory of personality?
that learned beliefs, feelings and expectancies characterise each individual and make them different
in mischel’s cognitive-affective theory what are the most important cognitive person variables?
- encodings
- expectancies
- affects
- goals and values
- competencies and self-regulatory plans
what are conclusions drawn about personal disposition in Bandura’s concept of reciprocal determinism?
- influence behaviour in relevant situations
- can lead to behaviours that alter situations of promote other behaviour
- choose situations based of it
- are more important in some situations
what are some criticisms of the social-cognitive approach to personality?
- no role for unconscious thought
- no explanations for why specific situations bring out certain behaviour
- not a general theory of behaviour
what is the humanistic approach to personality?
the view that personality develops through an actualising tendency that unfolds in accordance with each person’s unique perceptions of the world
what does the humanistic approach to personality focus on?
mental capabilities
what are the mental capabilities that the humanistic approach to personality focuses on?
- self-awareness
- creativity
- planning
- decision making
- responsibility
what does the humanistic approach to personality emphasise?
looking at people’s perceptions and is called the phenomenological approach
what are some prominent humanistic theories of personality?
- roger’s self theory
- maslow’s growth theory
what does Roger’s self theory emphasise as a humanistic approach?
innate inclination towards growth and fulfilment that motivates behaviour
what did Rogers in his self theory consider personality to be shaped by?
- actualising tendencies
- positive regard
- conditions of worth
what did maslow believe as part of his growth theory as a humanistic approach?
self-actualisation is not just a human capacity but a need
what are the two types of motivation apart of maslow’s growth theory?
deficiency and growth motivation
what is deficiency motivation as a part of the maslow’s growth theory?
the preoccupation with perceived needs for material things, especially what they do not have
what is growth motivation as a part of the maslow’s growth theory?
people do not focus on what is missing but draw satisfaction from what they have, are and what they can do
what are some criticisms of the humanistic approach to personality?
- naive and unrealistic
- too simple
- too vague
what are personality tests traditionally classified as?
projective or non-projective measures
what are projective personality measures?
assessments made up of ambiguous stimuli that can be perceived and responded to in many different ways
are projective tests less reliable and valid than non-projective for personality?
yes they are less reliable and valid
what are non-projective personality measures?
contains direct, unambiguous items relating to the personality of the individual being assessed
what are non-projective personality measures also known as?
objective personality measures
