Personality Psychology Flashcards
Personality
A person’s relatively consistent pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It is characterized by long-lasting patterns.
Personality Researchers Have Worked to Determine
1) What are the basic ways in which we differ?
2) How does our personality develop over time?
3) How does biology and experience influence our personality?
Sigmund Freud
Trained as a physician. Proposed personality is determined by unconscious drives which shape how we approach and interact with the world.
Sigmund Freud’s Main Contributions
1) Concept of our unconscious mind.
2) Psychosexual stages of development.
3) Defense mechanisms for alleviating anxiety.
3 Components of Personality
1) The Ego
2) The Superego
3) The Id
The Id
The largest part of personality that exists entirely within the unconscious. Helps us fulfill our basic needs to survive, to reproduce, and, when needed, to be aggressive. Operates based on the pleasure principle.
Pleasure Principle
To obtain pleasure and to avoid pain or discomfort.
The Superego
Not fully consciously aware of it. It represents our conscience (the ideal/best-case scenario).
The Ideal/Best-Case Scenario
What we ought to do based on what we have learned through parental values and society’s standards.
The Ego
Almost completely conscious. It enables us to balance the desires of the id with the ideals of the superego (allows us to resolve the constant conflict between the other 2 levels). It follows the reality principle.
The Reality Principle
Strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways.
Freud’s Personality Structure (As Characters)
1) Devil (Id)
2) Human (Ego)
3) Angel (Superego)
Anxiety
When the ego fails to resolve issues between the id and the superego.
Defense Mechanisms
Mental processes used to reduce anxiety. They manipulate/deny/distort reality, push anxiety out of awareness, and operate unconsciously. They can be healthy or unhealthy.
Types of Defense Mechanisms
1) Denial
2) Rationalization
3) Reaction Formation
4) Projection
Denial
Refusing to acknowledge unpleasant information ex. an addict who can’t see that they have a problem.
Rationalization
Generating excuses for our behaviour ex. fired person tells himself people don’t appreciate his “genius”.
Reaction Formation
Switch one impulse into its opposite ex. someone who feels inadequate creates a persona that is overconfident.
Projection
Attributing your own impulses to others ex. consciously thinking your partner is unhappy when really you are.
Personality Development Stages
1) Oral
2) Anal
3) Phallic
4) Latency
5) Genital
Oral Stage
From age 0 to 18 months. The theme is eating and feeling dependent. Seek stimulation through the lips and mouth. Children of this age need their parents for everything. If a child is over-fed/over-protected OR under-fed/neglected, they will develop issues with dependency.
Anal Stage
From age 18 to 36 months. The theme is expelling waste and exerting control. Potty training (or refusing to potty train) allows children to exert some control over their lives. Harsh OR liberal toilet training leads to anal retentive (obsession with cleanliness, order, and control) or anal expulsive (disorganized and slacker) personality.
Anal Retentive Personality
Obsession with cleanliness, order, and control.
Anal Expulsive Personality
Disorganized and slacker.
Phallic Stage
From age 3 to 6 years-old. The theme is genital organs and jealousy. Fascination with wanting to touch oneself (not necessarily in a sexual way, sometimes just out of interest and curiosity). Oedipus complex. A development of superego by boys connecting with their fathers (but only with males). Indicates jealousy and obsessions with power and sex.
Oedipus Complex
Boys desire their mothers and are jealous of their fathers.
Latency Stage
From age 6 to 11 years-old. The theme is diverted focus/external activities. Sexual impulses are subdued and energy is directed into producing social, academic, or cultural achievements.
Genital Stage
From age 12 to adulthood. The theme is sexual activities and maturity. Before this stage individuals are narcissistic and self-oriented. Develop into a mature, adult personality (as long as not fixated at earlier stages).
Criticisms of Freud
1) Too much parental influence.
2) Said children have no gender identity before the age of 6.
3) Sexist (ex. penis envy).
4) Untestable.
Pros of Freud
1) Existence of unconscious thought.
2) Importance of early development.
3) Influence of mind on body.
4) The talking cure.
Gordon Allport
Personality is made up of a number of continuous dimensions called traits. It is a characteristic that describes a pattern of thought or behaviour. A person may fall along any point in the continuum. Where they fall determines how they interpret, and in turn, respond to situations. Better predictors of behaviour than types (ex. Myers-Briggs lacks reliability and validity).
Trait Theories
What are the most basic human traits (ie. the most fundamental ways in which we differ?).
Lexical Hypothesis
Important differences in human behaviour will become encoded in language. Allport found almost 18,000 trait words. Researchers found that these fit into 5 broad categories.
Factor Analysis
Statistical technique that groups a large set of variables into smaller groups based on how they correlate with one another.
The Big Five
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Openness
Receptive to new ideas and experiences. Open, curious, and imaginative OR conventional and traditional.
Conscientiousness
Degree of discipline and organization. Self-disciplined and organized OR careless, late, and impulsive.
Extraversion
Preference for social interaction and lively activity. Energetic, sociable, outgoing, and assertive OR reserved, quiet, and easily stimulated.
Agreeableness
Trusting and selfless concern for others. Helpful, trusting, cooperative, and kind OR critical, harsh, and high conflict.
Neuroticism
Negative emotionality/affectivity. Anxious, moody, and self-conscious OR calm, relaxed, and emotionally stable.
HEXACO
Honesty and Humility
Emotionally
eXtraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Openness
Self-Esteem
A person’s appraisal of their value. Global feelings of self-worth (I think I am a person of worth, at least on an equal basis with others).
Low Self-Esteem
Typically around the midpoint/neutral point. Prioritize self-protection (decrease dependence).
Sociometer Theory
Self-esteem is a gauge of perceived social value. The degree to which one feels valued by others (when included/accepted → high self-esteem and when excluded/rejected → low self-esteem).
Trait Self-Esteem
Am I the type of person who is valued by others? Low trait self-esteem is associated with low perceived value regardless of situational cues. Affects willingness to risk closeness and vulnerability (dependence).
High Self-Esteem
Prioritize connection (increase dependence).
Heritability
The proportion of variation among individuals, in a given population, that can be attributed to their differing genes. Is population-specific, depends on the degree of environmental and genetic variation in the population.
100% Environmental
0
50/50
0.5
100% Genetic
1
Identical Twins (MZ)
Single egg fertilized by single sperm then splits. Share 100% of their genes.
Fraternal Twins (DZ)
Separate eggs fertilized by separate sperm. Share about 50% of their genes (like normal siblings).
Adoption Studies
Seeing if adopted children are more similar to their biological parents or their adoptive parents.
Heritability of Personality
1) Identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins.
2) Adoptees are more similar to biological parents than to adoptive parents.
3) Identical twins raised together are no more similar than those raised apart.
4) Traits are usually between 0.4 to 0.6.
5) Shared family environment has very little impact.
Gene-Environment Correlations
Genetic similarity can produce similar environments (people can select their environment, change their environment, and evoke certain reactions from other people based on who they are). Your genes are shaping your environment.
Gene-Environment Interactions
Effects of genes vary depending on the environment. The environment is impacting your gene expression.
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
Controls the amount of stimulation that reaches the cortex.
Introverts
Allows a lot of stimulation. Easily overwhelmed leading to being withdrawn.
Extraverts
Allows little stimulation. Bored leading to seeking stimulation.
Situationism
Differences in behaviour are determined by the situation rather than the traits a person possesses.
Person and Situation Interactions
We form beliefs about our actions and their consequences in different situations which leads to predictable behaviour specific to the situation. Personality as a stable pattern of IF-THEN situation-behaviour relationships.
Self-Report
Self-ratings of characteristics, thoughts, feelings, or behaviours ex. surveys. Easy to collect, large quantities of information, and internal access BUT involves deception, bias/lack of self-insight, and memory distortion.
Informant-Report
Ratings of characteristics and behaviours by people who know the target well. Maybe less bias, large quantity of info, and multiple sources BUT some bias, limited access to internal mental life, and less information.
Self-Other Knowledge Asymmetry Model (SOKA)
When a trait is low in observability (ie. inwardly expressed), self-ratings are more valid than informant ratings. When a trait is strongly evaluative (ie. socially desirable or undesirable), self-ratings are less valid than informant ratings.
Observation
Direct observation of behaviour in a natural (ex. classroom) or artificial (ex. lab) setting. Much more objective BUT hard to interpret, difficult, and expensive.
Biographical/Archival
Data from existing records (ex. court records, letters, phone bills, medical records, and etc.). Important/real life outcomes BUT imprecise (causes of life events are complex).
