Personality Chapter Two Flashcards
What is personality? (Scientifically)
Inner qualities, traits and mechanisms that affect behaviour in more or less adaptive ways. Relatively stable, organised in a way to uniquely define who we are
Inner qualities are…
Essential features of a person, partly latent and hidden
Universal “overall claims” …
Characterise people in terms of always true or generally true facts
“Every human has an Oedipus complex”
Nomothetic “Lawful claims” …
Characterise variations between people along shared dimensions
“Aiden is more attached to his mother than Sylvia is to hers”
Idiographic “Description of one” …
Characterise variations between people using unique dimensions
“Sylvia is uniquely X, Jennifer is uniquely Y”
Personality and intelligence is influenced by …
Genes and environment
Grand theories aim to …
Give COMPLETE and INTERNALLY CONSISTENT account of human nature.
More THEORY less evidence
Piecemeal theories aim to …
Give a PARTIAL and EXTERNALLY CONSISTENT account of human nature.
More EVIDENCE less theory
Informal theories are …
More intuitively digestible
More subjective
More simplistic
Formal theories are …
More intellectually challenging
More objective
More sophisticated
Freud’s ID (it) …
Seems instant gratification (like a baby) pleasure principle
Freud’s EGO …
Can delay instant gratification (reality principle) Ego is the conscious in between of ID and SUPEREGO
Freud’s SUPEREGO …
Is like a conscience, assists the EGO. Internalising what we should be doing
Freud’s psychosexual development - Oral Stage …
Birth - 1 year
Infant gets all it’s sustenance orally
Freud’s psychosexual development - Anal Stage
18 months - 3 years
Begins to develop own will, starts to decide when to poo. Fixation can happen, may develop anal retentive personalities
