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Foundations of Psychology > Personality Factors and Traits > Flashcards

Personality Factors and Traits Flashcards

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1
Q

Concept: Freud’s Levels of Consciousness

A
  1. Conscious: Current thoughts and awareness.
  2. Preconscious: Memories that can be brought to awareness (e.g., phone number).
  3. Unconscious: Repressed desires, fears, and emotions influencing behavior.
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2
Q

Concept: Freud’s Structure of Personality

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  1. Id: Operates on the pleasure principle; seeks immediate gratification for desires.
  2. Superego: Represents morality and internalized societal values.
  3. Ego: Balances the id’s desires and the superego’s morality, working within reality.
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3
Q

Concept: Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

A
  1. Oral Stage (0–1 year): Focus on the mouth (sucking, biting); task: weaning.
  2. Anal Stage (1–3 years): Focus on control (toilet training); task: learning control.
  3. Phallic Stage (3–6 years): Focus on genitals; task: gender identification.
  4. Latency Stage (6–puberty): Sexual impulses are repressed.
  5. Genital Stage (Puberty onward): Mature sexual relationships and work.
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4
Q

Concept: Freud’s View of Personality Development

A
  1. Personality forms through resolving conflicts in each psychosexual stage.
  2. Fixations may occur if stages are not resolved properly, affecting adulthood.
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5
Q

Concept: Self-Concept in Rogers’ Theory

A
  1. Self-Concept: Beliefs about oneself and how one thinks others perceive them.
  2. Congruence: When self-concept aligns with reality, personal growth occurs.
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6
Q

Concept: Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory

A
  1. Emphasizes free will, self-actualization, and human goodness.
  2. Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance without conditions is crucial for healthy personality development.
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7
Q

Concept: Freud vs. Rogers

A
  1. Freud: Focuses on unconscious forces, early childhood experiences, and psychosexual development.
  2. Rogers: Emphasizes conscious growth, free will, and self-actualization.
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8
Q

Concept: Rogers’ “The Good Life”

A

Traits of fully functioning individuals: openness, self-trust, freedom of choice, creativity, and a full range of emotional experiences.

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9
Q

Concept: Criticism of Freud’s Theory

A

Lacks empirical support, vague, and overemphasizes sexual drives.
Difficult to test scientifically.

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10
Q

Concept: Criticism of Rogers’ Theory

A

Seen as idealistic and lacks scientific rigor.
The focus on individual experience makes empirical testing challenging.

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11
Q

How do situations influence personality traits?

A

While personality traits are stable, situations can influence how traits are expressed. For example, an outgoing person may still be quiet at a funeral due to situational appropriateness.

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11
Q

What is the “aggregation” concept in personality theory?

A

Aggregation refers to the idea that a trait is a tendency to behave a certain way on average over time. While behavior may vary in specific situations, traits become apparent when viewed across multiple instances.

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12
Q

What are personality traits?

A

Personality traits are relatively consistent tendencies to think, feel, or behave in a characteristic way across a range of situations.

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13
Q

What role does the situation play in behavior according to Walter Mischel’s theory?

A

Mischel argued that behavior is more influenced by the situation than by consistent personality traits. He believed that behavior varies across situations, challenging the idea of fixed traits.

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14
Q

What is the importance of situational interaction in personality?

A

Personality traits interact with situations to influence behavior. For example, an outgoing person may act differently in new experiences versus routine situations, showing the dynamic between personality and context.

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14
Q

How does Hans Eysenck’s model of personality differ from the Big Five?

A

Eysenck proposed three personality dimensions:

  1. Extraversion
  2. Neuroticism
  3. Psychoticism, which relates to social deviance and creativity. The Big Five model does not include psychoticism.
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15
Q

What are the Big Five personality traits?

A

The Big Five personality traits are:

  1. Openness to experience – Imagination, curiosity.
  2. Conscientiousness – Organization, dependability.
  3. Extraversion – Sociability, assertiveness.
  4. Agreeableness – Trust, compassion.
  5. Neuroticism – Emotional instability, anxiety.
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16
Q

What is the Big Five model used for?

A

The Big Five model is used to categorize broad personality traits, making it useful for research and practical applications in business, psychology, and industry.

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16
Q

What are some of the traits included under the superfactor of conscientiousness?

A

Traits include competence, order, achievement-striving, deliberation, and self-discipline.

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16
Q

How do individual differences affect how people perceive and react to situations?

A

Personality differences cause individuals to experience the same situation differently, such as responding calmly or agitatedly to frustration, reflecting unique interpretations and responses based on their traits.

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17
Q

What mnemonic can help remember the Big Five traits?

A

The mnemonic “OCEAN” stands for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

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18
Q

How do traits like agreeableness manifest in social situations?

A

Agreeableness is linked to traits like trust, altruism, and modesty, which help individuals cooperate and interact positively in social contexts.

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19
Q

Overview of Personality Theories

A

Definition: Personality refers to deeply ingrained behavioral patterns and responses to society.

Key idea: Personality develops over time and is influenced by biological and environmental factors.

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20
Q

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
Components of Personality:

A

Id: Unconscious, driven by the pleasure principle, seeks immediate gratification.

Ego: Operates on the reality principle, balancing the id’s desires with societal expectations.

Superego: Internalized moral standards, suppresses the id’s urges, and guides ethical behavior.

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20
Q

Biological and Environmental Influences on Personality

A

Key idea: Personality is shaped by the interaction between biological factors (genetics) and environmental influences (culture, upbringing, social interactions).

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20
Q

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development

A

Oral Stage (0–1): Focus on the mouth (sucking), task is weaning.

Anal Stage (1–3): Focus on controlling bodily functions, task is toilet training.

Phallic Stage (3–6): Identification with same-sex parent, awareness of sexuality.

Latency (6–puberty): Sexual impulses are repressed, energy is focused on social activities.

Genital Stage (Puberty onward): Focus on mature sexual relationships and productivity.

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21
Q

Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory

A

Key Concepts:

Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance without judgment, essential for healthy personal development.

Self-Actualization: The drive to reach one’s full potential emotionally and intellectually.

Client-Centered Therapy: Focuses on empathy and validating a client’s feelings.

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22
Q

The Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN)

A

Openness to Experience: Imagination, curiosity, creativity.

Conscientiousness: Organized, disciplined, achievement-oriented.

Extraversion: Sociable, assertive, energetic.

Agreeableness: Trusting, altruistic, compassionate.

Neuroticism: Emotional instability, anxiety, vulnerability.

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23
Q

Personality Testing and Superfactors

A

Key idea: Personality tests measure individual traits and superfactors (broader personality dimensions), helping predict behavior across contexts.

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24
Q

Freud’s Oral Stage (Practical Example)

A

Oral Stage (0–1 year): When an infant is successfully weaned, it resolves the key conflict of this stage.

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25
Q

Unconditional Positive Regard (Practical Example)

A

Example: A counselor who listens to and validates a client’s feelings without judgment demonstrates Rogers’ principle of unconditional positive regard.

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26
Q

Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN)

A

Mnemonic: OCEAN stands for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, the five widely accepted personality traits.

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27
Q

Key Takeaways:

A

Freud’s theory emphasizes unconscious conflicts and psychosexual development.
Rogers focuses on self-actualization and unconditional positive regard for personal growth.
The Big Five Model helps explain consistent behavior patterns through five major traits.

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28
Q

What are the major influences on personality?

A

Biological, experiential (personal experience), and sociocultural factors influence personality development.

29
Q

What is temperament?

A

Temperament refers to biologically-based tendencies to think, feel, or behave in particular ways. It remains relatively consistent throughout life and across situations.

30
Q

What are Buss and Plomin’s four broad dimensions of temperament?

A
  1. Sociability
  2. Emotionality
  3. Activity (vigor and tempo)
  4. Impulsivity
31
Q

How do temperament and personality differ?

A

Temperament is biologically-based and consistent across situations, while personality develops from temperaments and can change over time with environmental influences.

32
Q

What does Eysenck say about extraversion?

A

Extraverts have a higher threshold for arousal in the cerebral cortex, meaning they seek out more stimulating environments.

32
Q

What is Eysenck’s theory of personality?

A

Eysenck proposed that biological mechanisms underlie three personality dimensions: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.

32
Q

What is the relationship between neuroticism and conditioned emotional responses?

A

People high in neuroticism are more easily emotionally aroused and are likely to develop strong conditioned emotional responses, particularly fear.

33
Q

How is psychoticism related to personality traits?

A

Eysenck associated psychoticism with traits like aggression and social deviance, but its biological basis is unclear and interacts with neuroticism and extraversion.

34
Q

What did twin studies reveal about the heritability of personality traits?

A

Identical twins show more similar personalities than fraternal twins, indicating a strong genetic component in personality.

35
Q

What is the role of genes in personality development?

A

Genes significantly influence personality traits, as shown in twin studies and molecular genetics research. Genetic influences are quantified by heritability estimates.

36
Q

What are shared and unshared environments in personality development?

A

Shared environments (e.g., parenting) affect siblings in the same family, while unshared environments involve unique experiences (e.g., personal interactions) that shape individual differences in personality.

37
Q

How do cultural factors influence personality development?

A

Culture shapes personality by emphasizing traits valued within a society (e.g., collectivist vs. individualist cultures). Different cultural contexts lead to varying personality traits.

37
Q

What is social role theory?

A

Social role theory explains that boys and girls develop different personality traits based on the roles society assigns to them, such as nurturing for girls and assertiveness for boys.

38
Q

How does personality change over time in the U.S.?

A

Over time, Americans have shown increased levels of anxiety, neuroticism, and external locus of control, as well as a shift in traditional gender roles.

39
Q

How do personality traits differ between collectivist and individualist cultures?

A

Collectivist cultures emphasize group harmony, humility, and social responsibility, while individualist cultures prioritize personal freedom, self-expression, and individual achievement.

40
Q

What is the main idea of Lesson 20: Learning and Personality?

A

Personality is shaped and can change throughout life due to learning experiences, as illustrated by the example of Maya Angelou.

41
Q

How does Classical Conditioning influence personality?

A

Classical conditioning shapes personality by making certain behaviors automatic in response to specific stimuli, such as avoiding a phobia trigger.

42
Q

How does Operant Conditioning influence personality?

A

Operant conditioning influences personality by reinforcing or punishing behaviors. For example, children who receive positive attention for being outgoing are more likely to continue that behavior.

43
Q

What role does Observational Learning play in shaping personality?

A

Observational learning occurs by watching others and imitating their behaviors, as described in Albert Bandura’s social learning theory.

44
Q

What did Bandura’s Bobo doll study demonstrate?

A

Bandura’s study showed that children who observed an adult behaving aggressively with a Bobo doll were more likely to behave aggressively themselves, proving the impact of live models on behavior.

44
Q

How can Observational Learning lead to adaptive and maladaptive behaviors?

A

Adaptive behaviors are learned from positive models (e.g., patience), while maladaptive behaviors (e.g., anger) are learned from negative models.

45
Q

What is Modeling in observational learning?

A

Modeling is the process of learning behaviors by observing and imitating others. For example, children learn social norms by watching their parents or peers.

45
Q

What factors influence the effectiveness of a model in Observational Learning?

A

The effectiveness of a model depends on their status, expertise, and power, making people more likely to imitate high-status individuals.

46
Q

What is the Sociocognitive View of Personality?

A

The sociocognitive view emphasizes that social interactions and thought processes shape personality. It highlights how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in specific contexts create consistent personality traits.

47
Q

How do Expectancies shape personality according to the sociocognitive view?

A

Expectancies, or beliefs about what will happen based on past experiences, influence behaviors and can reinforce certain personality traits (e.g., avoiding social events due to previous negative outcomes).

48
Q

What role does society and culture play in shaping personality according to the sociocognitive view?

A

Society and culture influence personality by shaping experiences, which in turn affect traits. For example, increased anxiety in American society due to crime or terrorism has led to increased neuroticism.

49
Q

What are the key concepts from Lesson 20: Learning and Personality?

A

Key concepts include Classical and Operant Conditioning, Observational Learning, Modeling, and the Sociocognitive View, all of which explain how behaviors are learned and form personality traits.

50
Q

What is the main influence on personality according to the sociocognitive view?

A

Social interactions affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, creating consistent patterns that form personality.

51
Q

How do experiences shape beliefs, expectations, and goals in relation to personality?

A

Positive or negative experiences influence how people perceive similar future situations, which shapes their personality traits.

51
Q

What did Walter Mischel’s research reveal about traits and behavior?

A

Mischel showed that behavior is not always consistent across all situations; traits may vary depending on the context.

52
Q

What is Mischel’s cognitive-affective model of personality?

A

It explains how cognitive and emotional responses to different situations influence behavior, which can change based on the context rather than being consistent across all situations.

53
Q

What are “personality signatures” according to Mischel?

A

Consistency in behavior is found in if-then patterns, where a person acts differently based on specific situations (e.g., nervous in new situations but confident with friends).

53
Q

What is the “trait versus state debate”?

A

It is a debate about whether consistent personality traits or situational factors are more predictive of behavior.

54
Q

What is locus of control?

A

Locus of control refers to how people perceive control over life events—whether it comes from within themselves (internal) or from external forces (external).

55
Q

What is self-efficacy?

A

Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific tasks. People with high self-efficacy are more likely to persist in difficult tasks.

55
Q

How does locus of control differ from self-efficacy?

A

Locus of control is about whether people believe outcomes are controlled by internal or external factors, while self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to perform tasks successfully.

55
Q

What trend was observed in the locus of control among college students from 1960 to 2002?

A

College students have become increasingly external, feeling less in control of their lives.

55
Q

How do internals and externals differ in interpreting events?

A

Internals attribute outcomes to their own actions (e.g., “I should have prepared better”), while externals attribute them to external factors (e.g., “The roads were bad”).

56
Q

What is temperament and how is it influenced?

A

Temperament is the inclination to engage in certain styles of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It is largely influenced by genetics and tends to remain consistent across situations and the lifespan.

57
Q

What are the broad dimensions of temperament?

A

The broad dimensions of temperament are:

Sociability
Emotionality
Activity
Impulsivity

58
Q

What does Eysenck’s theory propose regarding personality?

A

Eysenck’s theory proposes that biological mechanisms underlie personality traits, particularly focusing on three dimensions:

  1. Extraversion
  2. Neuroticism
  3. Psychoticism
59
Q

How does social role theory explain personality differences between sexes?

A

Social role theory suggests that boys and girls develop different skills and beliefs based on societal roles, which can explain some of the personality differences between men and women.

60
Q

How does culture influence personality?

A

Personality differences arise based on cultural orientation:

  1. Collectivist cultures (e.g., Asian, Latin American) emphasize group harmony and interdependence.
  2. Individualist cultures (e.g., U.S., Great Britain) stress independence and personal achievement.
61
Q

What are the key types of learning that influence personality?

A

The key types of learning that shape personality include:

Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Observational learning

61
Q

What is the sociocognitive view of personality development?

A

The sociocognitive view emphasizes how social interactions shape thoughts and expectancies, which can become consistent personality traits over time.

62
Q

What is observational learning?

A

Observational learning is learning by watching others. People learn behaviors by observing models, and this learning can be influenced by the status or power of the model.

63
Q

What is locus of control?

A

ocus of control refers to how individuals perceive control over events:

  1. Internal locus of control: Belief that outcomes are a result of personal actions.
  2. External locus of control: Belief that outcomes are due to external forces (e.g., luck or fate).
64
Q

What is an example of operantly conditioned behavior in personality development?

A

If a child like Matt is reprimanded for being too impulsive and becomes more cautious, this change is an example of operant conditioning shaping personality.

64
Q

What is self-efficacy?

A

Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to succeed or perform specific tasks. Individuals with high self-efficacy persist more in challenging tasks than those with low self-efficacy.

64
Q

How do internals and externals differ in their response to success and failure?

A
  1. Internals: Increase their expectancies after success and lower them after failure.
  2. Externals: Lower their expectancies after success and raise them after failure, attributing outcomes to luck or chance.

Foundations of Psychology (7 decks)

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