Personality

Question 1

Bob and George are childhood friends who thought that it would be fun to participate in a personality study held on campus. In the study, they were asked to fill out a questionnaire that asks about the other’s characteristics. When asked about anger management, George answers that Bob has a very short temper and is quick to express his frustrations physically, such as by throwing a chair or punching a wall. George also answers that Bob is very judgemental of others, particularly of hot-headed men who cannot control their tempers. Which psychological strategy does Bob unconsciously employ to defend against his anxiety over his feelings of social disapproval?

Answer 1

Bob’s tendency to critically judge others is a defense mechanism his unconscious mind uses to lessen Bob’s underlying anxiety about his immature, socially-unacceptable anger behaviors by attributing his unacknowledged, aggressive impulses to others, specifically, the hot-headed men described in the question stem. This defense mechanism is known as projection.

Question 2

the conscious decision to delay paying attention to a thought, emotion, or need in order to cope with the present reality

Answer 2

Suppression

Question 3

True or false: A component of Sigmund Freud’s views on the human psyche is life and death, so termed “libido” and “eros”, respectively.

Answer 3

This statement is false. Freud distinguishes the two conflicting drives of the human psyche, life and death, which are termed “eros”, the life drive, and “thanatos”, the death drive.

Question 4

developed a trait theory/model that describes personalities with three factors: extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticis

Answer 4

Hans and Sibil Eysenck developed a trait theory/model that describes personalities with three factors: extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism

Question 5

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Answer 5

Trust v Mistrust (0-1)

Autonomy v shame/doubt (age 1-3)

Initiative v guilt (3-6)

Industry v inferiority (6-12)

Identity v role confusion (12-20)

Intimacy v isolation (20-39)

Generativity v stagnation (40-65)

Integrity v despair (65+)

Question 6

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Answer 6

Preconventional
1 obedience
2 Self interest
Conventional (adolescence)
3 Conformity: concerned with approval of others
4 Law and Order- social expectations and rules ensure
Postconventional (adulthood and not everyone gets there)
5 Social Contract- laws are seen as ways to reinforce the greater good though complex network of interrelated rights and responsibilities
6 Universal Human Ethics - individuals can make abstract ethical judgements and engage in reasoning based on justice