Personality Across the Lifespan (T3) Flashcards

1
Q

Is personality stable throughout life?

A

not 100%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are some Methods for measuring Personality Over Time?

A
  1. Longitudinal Study
    -> Follows a group of people as they age
    ->expensive
    ->lose people along the way
    ->able to compare across time
    ->generational differences
  2. Cross-Sectional Study
    -> Data collected at one time that compares people of different ages
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Describe Personality During Childhood & Adolescence (CT)

A

Child Temperament:
-> Genetically based behavioral tendencies seen in young children
-> With age, temperament solidifies into personality
-> Follows physical development
->move into adolescence = personality traits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the Temperament Styles?

A
  1. Motor/Motivational
    ->Activity (moving around room? looking around?)
    ->Rhythmicity
    ->Approachability (how are they around strangers?)
  2. Cognitive
    ->Distractibility
    ->Attention
    ->toys everywhere, ability to play
  3. Emotional
    ->Reactivity
    ->Mood
    ->easily adaptable? self control? easy to tantrums?
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How do temperament constructs overlap with big 5?

A

->Child Temperament Constructs = 1.
->Adult Personality Traits (the Big Five)

  1. Positive affect (smiling, happiness) = extroversion
  2. Affiliativeness (liking to be around others) = Agreeableness
  3. Effortful control (control over behavior) = Conscientiousness
  4. Negative affect (crying, sadness) = Neuroticism
  5. Orienting sensitivity (being alert) = Openness
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Does Temperament Predict Personality?

A

->Childhood temperament can predict adult personality, sometimes

EX. under controlled children are more likely to
abuse alcohol and drugs
and to have financial
problems (difficulty self regulating/coping)

->building blocks of traits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Changes in Big Five Personality Traits from childhood to adolescence

A

Childhood:
-> Mature as they better control emotions and actions
->Become more inhibited with age
*Especially between 4
and 9
*Related to higher
conscientiousness

Adolescence:
->Openness to experience increases between 11 and 18
->Increased understanding of intellectual and abstract ideas
->Increase in conscientiousness and agreeableness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Describe Changes in
Self-Esteem

A

->Self-esteem changes moderate during elementary school
*Dips during early teen years Increases during high school and young adulthood

->Girls’ self-esteem doesn’t
increase as fast as boys’ does

->dip in SE as:
*more bullying
*peer pressure/judgement
*puberty
*social media

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Describe the stages of the lifespan

A

Infant: 0-12 months

Toddler: 1-2 yrs

Preschooler: 3-4 yrs

School Age child: 5-10 yrs

Early adolescence: 11-13 yrs

Middle adolescence: 14-16 yrs

Late adolescence: 17-18 yrs

Young adulthood: 18-29 yrs

Middle adulthood: 30-59 yrs

Older adulthood: 60+

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What’s the effect of Birth Order on personality?

A

->Birth order has only a small effect on personality

Firstborns:
->Higher in conscientiousness and neuroticism
->More dominant (bossy)

Middleborn:
->Lower in conscientiousness

Younger:
->Higher in openness to experience
->More reckless

Last borns:
->score higher in agreeableness

Only children:
->Better relationships with parents
* Compensate for the lack of siblings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Describe Personality from
Young Adulthood to Old Age

A

->Personalities mellow as we move into full adulthood (Less neurotic and more conscientious)
*Neuroticism continues
to decline into old age

->Increase in assertiveness, a facet of extraversion

->Slight increase in
agreeableness

->People can and do change but it is usually not radical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

If you are high in neuroticism compared to others when you are
young….

A

….you are likely to be high in neuroticism compared to others when you are older

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describe Changes in Self Esteem and Narcissism from Young Adulthood to Old Age

A

->Self-esteem increases slightly between 20s and 60s and then decreases

->Studies suggest narcissism declines with age

->increase in self esteem as life experiences, learning

->decrease after 60 as beauty standards, decrease in ability, not ‘contributing’ to society, loss of relationships, health, can’t live independently

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Describe Significant Life Experiences & Social Investment Theory

A

Brent Robert’s social investment theory:
->Personalities mature as young people enter important adult social roles
->Adult responsibilities and
relationships cause maturity
EX. employment, starting family, buying a home, taxes

Maturation of personality
->More conscientiousness, more agreeableness, and less neuroticism
->Through stable relationships and steady work

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the Benefits of
Working?

A

Entering the Full-Time Workforce
-> Increase in conscientiousness for those who work rather than go to college
->could be because they have deadlines and could get fired, more supervision, have to work to pay rent, getting paid so more pleasure with job, working with more adults

->Young people are taking
longer to begin serious
careers and families

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How do Relationships affect personality?

A

Young adults in long-term
romantic relationships:
-> Increase in
conscientiousness
-> Decrease in neuroticism
-> Increase in self-esteem

->Similar pattern for older
people

17
Q

Erikson’s Life Stages: describe the Age, central conflict, and Common Personality Developments

A

->Infancy (0 to 1-1/2 years)- Trust versus mistrust - Developing trust in
caregivers

->Early childhood (1-1/2 to 3 years) - Autonomy versus shame - Learning independence

->Preschool (3 to 5) -Initiative versus guilt - Learning on your own

->School age (5 to 12) - Industry versus inferiority - Feeling competent

->Adolescence (12 to 18) - Ego identity versus role
confusion - Learning who you are and forming an identity

->Young adulthood (18 to 40) - Intimacy versus isolation - Developing meaning

->Middle adulthood (40 to 65) - Generativity versus
stagnation - Nurturing children and/or contributing to society

->Older adulthood (65+) - Ego integrity versus despair - Preserving identity as roles change with old age

18
Q

Describe Parenthood and personality

A

->Adults with two or more
children increase in
neuroticism over time

-> Becoming a father magnifies preexisting tendencies in men’s sociability

-> Few differences in personality traits during parenthood

19
Q

How do Negative &
Positive Life Experiences affect personality?

A

->Different people respond in different ways

-> Personality traits can predict experiences

-> The effect of events partially depends on your perception

-> Negative experiences have a negligible effect on personality

->Personality traits are more likely to predict life events than the other way around
EX. conscientiousness, agreeableness etc determine our careers not other way around

20
Q

How does Personality
Predicts Life Outcomes?

A

->Personality is a significant predictor of important life outcomes

->Even subtle correlates of
personality can predict life
outcomes
EX. smiling

21
Q

How is smiling correlated with better life outcomes?

A

->larger smiles/more often tend to have more (+) experiences and better health/life outcomes