Personality Theories Flashcards

1
Q

Alfred Adler

A

Psychodynamic theorist best known for the concept of the inferiority complex. Thought that striving towards superiority drives personality (good = when striving is socially oriented, bad = when striving is selfish)

Also studied the effect of birth order on personality

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2
Q

Gordon Allport

A

Trait theorist best known for the concept of functional autonomy

Determined three basic types of traits:

  1. Cardinal (traits around which a person organizes his/her life)
  2. Central (major characteristics that are easy to infer)
  3. Secondary (more personal traits, limited in occurence)

Also distinguished between idiographic (individual case studies) and nomothetic (groups, commonalities) approaches to personality

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3
Q

Albert Bandura

A

Behaviorist known for his social learning theory. Did modeling experiment using Bobo dolls to come up with theory of vicarious reinforcement

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4
Q

Sandra Bem

A

Suggested that masculinity and femininity were two separate dimensions

Linked with the concept of androgyny

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5
Q

Raymond Cattell

A

Trait theorist who used factor analysis to study personality and determined 16 basic traits as the building blocks of personality (continuous in all of us)

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6
Q

John Dollard and Neil Miller

A

Behaviorist theorists who attempted to study psychoanalytic concepts within a behaviorist framework

Also known for work on approach-avoidance conflicts

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7
Q

Erik Erikson

A

Ego psychologist whose psychosocial stages of development encompass the entire lifespan

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8
Q

Hans Eysenck

A

Trait theorist who proposed two main dimensions on which human personalities differ (“Two-Factor System”):

  1. Introversion-extroversion
  2. Emotional stability-Neuroticism
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9
Q

Anna Freud

A

Founder of ego psychology - studied the conscious ego’s relation to the world, the unconscious, and the superego

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10
Q

Sigmund Freud

A

Originator of the psychodynamic approach to personality

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11
Q

Karen Horney

A

Psychodynamic theorist who focused o the role of unconscious anxiety. Suggested there were three ways to relate to others:
1. Moving toward
2. Moving away
3. Moving against
Theorized that neurosis was related to using only one of these strategies rigidly

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12
Q

Carl Jung

A

Psychodynamic theorist who broke with Freud over the concept of libido

Suggested the unconscious could be divided into the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, with archetypes being in the collective unconscious

Also proposed two attitudes towards life: introversion and extroversion (individuals have both, but one is dominant)

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13
Q

George Kelly

A

Based personality theory on the notion of “individual as a scientist” who hypothesized the behavior of important people in one’s life based on knowledge, perception, and relationship with the person

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14
Q

Otto Kernberg

A

Object-relations theorist

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15
Q

Melanie Klein

A

Object-relations theorist

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16
Q

Kurt Lewin

A

Phenomenological personality theorist who developed field theory

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17
Q

Margaret Mahler

A

Object-relations theorist

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18
Q

Abraham Maslow

A

Phenomenological personality theorist known for developing a hierarchy of needs and for the concept of self-actualization

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19
Q

David McClelland

A

Studied need for achievement

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20
Q

Walter Mischel

A

Critic of trait theories of personality who asserted that behavior is determined by the situation more than personality (Person-Situation Debate)

Also studied will power/delayed gratification with the marshmallow test

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21
Q

Carl Rogers

A

Phenomenological personality theorist

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22
Q

Julian Rotter

A

Studied locus of control

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23
Q

William Sheldon

A

Attempted to relate somatotype to personality type

24
Q

D. W. Winnicot

A

Object-relations theorist

25
Q

Herman Witkin

A

Studied field-dependence (highly influenced by others and the environment) and field-independence (less influenced by others and the environment) using the rod-and-frame test

26
Q

Somatotypes

A

William Sheldon

  1. Endomorph: soft and spherical; pleasure-seeking, social
  2. Ectomorph: thin, fragile; inhibited, intellectual
  3. Mesomorph: muscular, athletic; energetic, aggressive
27
Q

Dorothea Dix

A

Reformed asylums in the US

28
Q

Personality Theories

A
  1. Psychodynamic
  2. Behaviorist
  3. Phenomenological
  4. Trait/type
29
Q

Defense Mechanisms

A
  1. Repression (unconscious forgetting)
  2. Suppression (conscious forgetting)
  3. Projection (attribute to others)
  4. Reaction formation (opposite behavior)
  5. Rationalization
  6. Regression (earlier stage of development)
  7. Sublimation (transform into acceptable behavior)
  8. Displacement (taking out on something else)
30
Q

Persona

A

Archetype that is a mask for social demands

31
Q

Anima/Animus

A

Archetype: femininity in males and masculinity in females

32
Q

Shadow

A

Archetype: relating to instincts and socially unacceptable desires

33
Q

Self (archetype)

A

Striving for unity - is the intersection between the personal and collective unconscious

34
Q

Object Relations Theory

A

Melanie Klein,
D. W. Winnicott
Margaret Mahler
Otto Kernberg

The process of developing a psyche in relation to others in the environment during childhood.

35
Q

Psychoanalytic Treatments

A

Psychoanalysis = uncovering repressed material and resolving conflicts from psychosexual development

  • Free association
  • Dream interpretation
  • Resistance
  • Transference (and be aware of counter transference)
36
Q

Martin Seligman

A

Studied learned helplessness theory of depression by shocking dogs (related to external locus of control)

37
Q

Behavioral Therapy

A

Belief that the symptoms are the disorders (not resulting from underlying issue). Maladjustment and abnormal behaviors are learned through interactions with others and the environment (faulty coping patterns are reinforced)

38
Q

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A

Try to change disordered/irrational thoughts

  • Beck’s cognitive therapy for depression
  • Albert Ellis’ rational emotive therapy
39
Q

Humanists

A
AKA phenomenological theory
Emphasize internal processes and what distinguishes us from animals
- Kurt Lewin
- Maslow
- George Kelly
- Carl Rogers
- Victor Frankl
40
Q

Field Theory

A

Kurt Lewin
Personality divided into systems - under optimal conditions the systems are well articulated and function in an integrated fashion.

41
Q

Hierarchy of Needs

A

Maslow

Physiological needs
Safety
Love
Esteem
Self-actualization
42
Q

Humanist/Existential Therapies

A

Find meaning in life by making one’s own choices. Belief that disorders stem from depersonalization, loneliness, lack of meaningful existence.
Includes empathy, unconditional positive regard, affirmation, exploration of thoughts and feelings because people inherently strive towards self-actualization

43
Q

Client-Centered Therapy

A

Carl Rogers
Non-directive therapy focusing on finding congruence between ideal self and real self (“self-concept”). Includes:
- unconditional positive regard
- freedom to choose own bx

44
Q

Victor Frankl

A

Belief that mental illness stems from lack of meaning in life

45
Q

Trait/Type Personality Theories

A

Trait: Ascertain fundamental dimensions of personality/stable characteristics
Type: Characterize people according to types of personality

46
Q

Type A vs Type B Personality

A

Type A: Competitive and compulsive

Type B: Laid back and relaxed

47
Q

Functional Autonomy

A

Gordon Allport

A behavior may become an end goal itself regardless of its original purpose (i.e. hunting)

48
Q

Locus of Control

A

Julian Rotter

A cognitive factor that affects learning and personality development. Related to the beliefs about the power we have over our own lives

Internal vs external, related to self-esteem (attribute success to internal locus, failures to external)

49
Q

Machiavellianism

A

A personality trait: someone who is manipulative and deceitful

50
Q

Androgyny

A

Sandra Bem

State of being both very masculine and very feminine

51
Q

Archetype

A

Carl Jung

A pattern that exists in the collective unconscious across cultures and societies

52
Q

Reciprocal Determinism

A

Social-Cognitive Theory

Environment alone does not determine behavior. The environment, behavior, and cognitive processes all interact and influence each other

53
Q

Self-Efficacy

A

Social-Cognitive Theory

Our level of confidence in our own abilities. Is developed through our social experiences

54
Q

Temperament

A

Biologically based - regards how a person reacts to the world. Includes two dimensions:

  1. Reactivity (how we respond to new/challenging stimuli)
  2. Self-regulation (how well we control that response)
55
Q

Paul Costa and Robert McCrae

A

Five Factor Model (big five) = most popular theory in personality today

56
Q

Big Five Personality Traits

A

Costa and McCrae

Stable over lifespan. Shown to exist across cultures. Thought to have a substantial biological component

OCEAN:
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism