personality psychology

Question 1

relatively enduring

Answer 1

refers to the consistent, long-term characteristics that define a person’s thought, feelings, behavior pattern, and interaction with environment and others. These traits, such as those in the Five Factor Model, remain stable over a lifetime and across generations.

Question 2

Personality

Answer 2

the enduring characteristics and behavior that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.

Question 3

psychoanalytical approach

Answer 3

personality revolves heavily around the influence our past experiences have on shaping our unconscious minds, which in turn impacts the development of our personalities.

Question 4

Deterministic

Answer 4

It refers to the idea that free will is an illusion, and we have little to no control over the way we act.

Question 5

Conflict fixation

Answer 5

characterized by the conflict’s ongoing symbolic manifestation, results from a failure to find a solution. A fixation is defined as an individual’s persistent and obsessive focus on pleasure-seeking that is seen at an early stage of psychosexual development.

Question 6

Understanding Personality

Answer 6

Personality encompasses traits and patterns influencing how individuals think, feel, and behave.
Personality is the collection of unique traits shaping how individuals perceive and interact with their world.
It significantly influences personal and professional relationships, emotional responses, and behaviors.

Question 7

fixation

Answer 7

Failure to resolve conflicts leads to fixation, resulting in persistent pleasure-seeking behaviors linked to early developmental stages.

Question 8

Id

Answer 8

Unconscious and instinctual desires (selfish impulses).

Question 9

Superego

Answer 9

Conscience and morality.

Question 10

Ego

Answer 10

Mediator between id and superego, balancing internal conflicts and external demands.

Question 11

Conscious

Answer 11

Present thoughts and awareness.

Question 12

Preconcious

Answer 12

Thoughts that can be recalled.

Question 13

Unconcious

Answer 13

Drives and memories outside of awareness.

Question 14

neurosis

Answer 14

A coping strategy to manage unresolved, repressed emotions from past experiences

Question 15

Psychosocial Development

Answer 15

Personality develops through social conflicts at various life stages.
Emphasized lifelong personality changes shaped by social interactions rather than sexual origins.

Question 16

Object-Relations Theory

Answer 16

Internalized representations of human interactions.

Question 17

Humanistic Approach

Answer 17

Emerged in the 1950s as a response to psychoanalytic theories that disregarded positive human traits like self-determination and self-actualization.
Founders include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.
Focuses on conscious, reasoned thought and the capacity to self-regulate biological desires while striving to realize full potential.

Question 18

Self-Actualization

Answer 18

Traits: Self-awareness, compassion, intelligence, and a focus on problem-solving.
Characteristics: Acceptance of flaws, a childlike sense of awe, and an ability to see life as an adventure.
Only 1% of people truly achieve self-actualization.

Question 19

Client-Centered Therapy

Answer 19

Based on unconditional positive regard.
Encourages clients to express themselves openly without judgment.
Therapists respect clients’ histories and offer empathy and support.

Question 20

Self-Concept

Answer 20

Consists of the real self (actual experience) and the ideal self (aspirations).

Question 21

Conngruence

Answer 21

Harmony between the real self and ideal self leads to well-being.

Question 22

incongruence

Answer 22

A mismatch between self-concept and reality causes anxiety.

Question 23

Social Learning Theory

Answer 23

Emphasizes interdependence of environment, cognition, and behavior.
Behavioral patterns are developed through observation and reciprocal interactions.

Emphasizes that individuals learn by observing others’ behavior and the consequences of that behavior, not just through direct experience

Question 24

Attribution Theory

Answer 24

Describes how people interpret events and how these interpretations affect their reactions and personality

Question 25

Epictetus (Stoicism):

Answer 25

Feelings like joy and suffering stem from rational judgment. Moral judgment and choices result from interpretations of events, not the events themselves. Cognitive theory extends this, focusing on information encoding, retrieval, and belief formation as foundations of personality.

Question 26

Social Desirability Bias

Answer 26

Participants may give favorable responses (e.g., denying drinking and driving).

Question 27

Acquiescent Responding

Answer 27

Participants agree without considering the question.

Question 28

Extreme Responding

Answer 28

Overuse of high or low ends of scales undermines validity (e.g., overly extreme ratings on controversial topics like abortion).

Question 29

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Answer 29

Developed by Hathaway & McKinley (1942) to measure adult personality and psychopathology. Consists of 567 true/false questions. Revised as MMPI-2 in 1989 to address biases and improve accuracy.

Question 30

Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Answer 30

Created by Myers (1962) to categorize individuals into one of 16 personality types. Based on four dichotomies: Extraversion vs. Introversion Sensing vs. Intuition Thinking vs. Feeling Judging vs. Perceiving.

Question 31

Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)

Answer 31

Developed by Raymond Cattell (1949), with several revisions over time. Measures 16 traits, such as dominance, emotional stability, and openness to change.

Question 32

Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI)

Answer 32

Created by Costa & McCrae (2008) to measure the Big Five personality traits: Neuroticism Extraversion Openness to Experience Agreeableness Conscientiousness.

Question 33

Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI)

Answer 33

Developed by Eysenck & Sybil (1964) to measure two primary dimensions of personality: Neuroticism vs. Stability Extraversion vs. Introversion.

Question 34

Behavioral Observation

Answer 34

Involves direct recording of observable behaviors at specific times or settings. Data collection is statistical, focusing on the frequency, duration, or intensity of behaviors. Useful for identifying patterns associated with conditions like OCD or ADHD

Question 35

Behavioral Assessment

Answer 35

A structured approach to evaluating a person’s behavior in various settings. Combines direct observation with subjective data (e.g., thoughts, feelings, anxieties). Aims to understand the interaction between behavior, thoughts, and environment.

Question 36

Critical Episodes

Answer 36

Focuses on documenting key instances of behavior to support specific assessments. Example: A supervisor might label an employee as melancholy based on observed incidents of crying.

Question 37

Frequency and Consistency Monitoring

Answer 37

Tracks how often certain behaviors occur over a specified period. Example: Monitoring how often an individual washes their hands after a handshake.

Question 38

Hawthorne Effect

Answer 38

Subjects may alter their behavior if they know they’re being observed. Bias: Observers may unintentionally influence or misinterpret behaviors.