Personality & Learning Flashcards
Personality
Relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influences the way an individual interacts with their environment and how they feel, think, and behave
Susceptible to change through adult learning experiences
Personality predicts things (important to know about)
Attribution
Process by which we assign causes or motives to explain people’s behaviour
Dispositional & situational
Interactionist approach/interactionism
Organizational behaviour is a function of dispositions and the situation
Most widely accepted theory today
Personality has most impact in weak situations (not clear how a person should behave)
Personality has less impact in strong situations (clear expectations about expected behaviour)
Trait Activation Theory
Personality traits lead to certain behaviours only when the situation makes the need for that trait salient
Fit: put the right person in the right job
Basic Model
Person/personality leads to thinking/feeling a certain way, leading to behaviour/performance
Dispositional approach
Can look at the person, the environment, or the interaction between them in producing behaviour
Trait
Person, individual difference, personality
Stage (situation)
Environment, situation
Trait X State
Person (P) x environment (E)
Five Factor Model of Personality
CANOE (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism/emotional stability, openness to experience, extraversion)
Efficient
Culturally robust
Heritability and stability
Factor analysis
Locus of Control
Individuals’ beliefs about the location of the factors that control their behaviour
High internals: opportunity to control their own behaviour resides within themselves
High externals: believe that external forces determine their behaviour
Self Esteem
Degree to which a person has a positive self evaluation
High: favourable self images
Low: unfavourable self images, uncertain about the correctness of their opinions, attitudes, and behaviours
Behavioural Plasticity Theory
People with LSE are more susceptible to external and social influences than those who have HSE
LSE people are more pliable
LSE people seek approval from others, do not react well to ambiguous situations
Positive Affectivity
Experience positive emotions and moods like joy and excitement and view the world in a positive light
Cheerful, enthusiastic, lively, sociable, energetic
Negative Affectivity
Experience negative emotions and moods like fear and anxiety and view the world in a negative light
Overall negative view of themselves and the world
Tend to be distressed, depressed, unhappy
Proactive Behaviour
Taking initiative to improve one’s current circumstances or creating new ones
Proactive Personality
Unconstrained by situational forces and act to change and influence their environment
Stable personal disposition
Persevere until they bring about meaningful change
Related to positive job outcomes
General Self Efficacy (GSE)
Individual’s belief in their ability to perform successfully in a variety of challenging situations
Motivational trait because reflects people’s belief of success not how they feel about themselves
Develops over lifetime
Experiencing many successes = high GSE and vice versa
Core Self Evaluations (CSE)
Multidimensional trait and broad personality concept that consists of several more specific traits
Individuals hold evaluations about themselves and their self worth or worthiness, competence, and capability
Made up of four traits: self esteem, general efficacy, locus of control, neuroticism (emotional stability)