Personality within Psychology Flashcards
Define psychology
The scientific study of mind and behaviour
What is the goal of psychology?
To understand, predict, and control human behaviour
Personality traits are needed to predict ________, thus the study of personality is essential to a ___________
- Behaviour
- Scientific psychology
Personality is essentially interested in ________ between people, while other domains in psychology are more interested in _______ between people
- differences
- similarities
What are the three levels of personality traits?
- Cardinal traits
- Central traits
- Secondary traits
Define cardinal traits
A trait that is a eminent characteristic or ruling passion so outstanding that it dominates one’s life
Define central traits
the 5-10 most outstanding characteristics around which a person’s life focuses
Define secondary traits
traits that are not central to personality yet these characteristics are stable and define that person
Define determinism
where humans do not control their destiny; development of personality is a mechanical process
Define freewill
where humans can become whatever they want, and it is responsible for their destiny and development; humans make conscious choices
Define pessimism
the mindset that people are doomed to live miserable, conflicted, troubled lives
Define optimism
the mindset that human beings can change and grow into psychologically healthy, happy, functional creatures.
What is causality?
behaviour function of past experiences
What is teleology
Behaviour function of future goals and aspirations
What are the five things a good theory requires in order to be viable?
- generated research
- organizing data
- guided action
- internal consistency
- parcimony
Generate Research
A good theory has a roadmap that guides research. Without this roadmap, much less discoveries would be made and much less would be known
Research in a good theory must:
- be verifiable (can approve/disprove it via things like observation)
- generate descriptive research (labeling, measurement, categorization) and hypothesis-driven research
- use reliable measures that produce the same results repeatedly
- use valid measures, which measures what it’s SUPPOSED to measure
Organizing Data
Good theory (puzzle) should organize what is known about personality (pieces)into an intelligible framework and integrate new information (also pieces) into its structure
Guide Action
A good theory has practical tools that provide practitioners with a roadmap that will help them with making day to day decisions; a good theory needs to do something practical
Internal consistency
- components of a good theory must be compatible ` same terms = same meaning
- logical taxonomy (classification system)
- must include operational definitions (definition of concepts in terms of specific operations to be carried out by an observer
- Theory should not offer opposite answers to the same question
Which part of the ROGIP acronym is arguable the most important and why?
Internal consistency because it impacts guided action and research generating
Parcimony
A good theory must should be simple - it should avoid complicated concepts and esoteric language
When it comes to the concept of humanity, six dimensions that cover individual differences are:
F - Freewill vs Determinism
O - Optimism vs Pessimism
C - Causality vs Teleology
U - Unconsc. vs Consc.
S - Social vs Biological
U - Uniqueness vs Similarity
When it comes to ratings in the Concept of Humanity, do you want a rating that is higher, lower, or in the middle?
In the middle (ie. want a bit of optimism and pessimism)
Determinism
Humans do not control their destiny; development of personality = a mechanical process
Freewill
Humans can become whatever they want »_space;> responsible for their destiny and development; humans make conscious choices
Pessimism
people are doomed to live miserable, conflicted, troubled lives
Optimism
humans can change and grow into psychologically healthy, happy, functional creatures
Causality
Behaviour function of past experiences
Teleology
behaviour function of future goals and aspirations (teleo means future)
Similarities vs uniqueness
people share many common characteristics vs each person is really unique
What are the four types of theories that impact personality theory?
- Psychological Dynamic
- Learning theories
- Humanistic Theories
- Dispositional theories
Psychological Dynamic theories
Dynamics forces (forces clashing, incompatibilities) -> conflicts from past experiences/unconscious -> anxiety -> How to deal with it -> Strategy 1 = personality A…Strategy 2 = personality B… etc.
Who are the 8 contributors to psychological dynamic theory?
- Freud’s psychological analytic theory
- Erikson’s post-Freudian Theory
- Adler’s individual psychology
- Jung’s Analytical psychology
- Sullivan’s interpersonal psychology
- Honey’s psychological analytic social theory
- Fromm’s humanistic theory
- Klein, Dollard & Millard’s extensions
Learning Theories
People are different because they;ve been exposed to different environments + conditioning; individual differences stem from each person’s unique history of reinforcement and punishment
personality is learned, is more flexible and changing
cognitive factors affect the way one interprets reality»_space;> this affects learning and behaviour and shapes personality
Who are the 3 contibutors to learning theory?
- Skinner’s behavioural analysis
- Bandura’s social-cognitive theory
- Rotter & Mischel’s Cognitive-social learning theories
Humanistic Theories
-overall focus on health personality/positive view of people
- self-actualization (Maslow…natural tendency to become better persons; specific personality traits associated with different levels of self-actualization)
- self-concept (Rogers…being consistent or not with oneself leads to individual differences; the more consistent means the more they’re able to be themself)
List 4 contributors to humanistic theories
- Kelley’s psychology of personal constructs
- Maslow’s holistic dynamic theory
- Roger’s person-centered theory
- May’s Existential psychology
Dispositional (Trait) Theories
- Use of statistical methods (induce data from what their personality is) as opposed to large and vague theories (hypothetico-deductive, scientifically poorer as it is less objective)
- much more limited in scope/concentrate on specific personality traits
- Are interested in social measures of traits and focus on genetic basis of personality
The 3 contributors to Dispositional theories are:
- Allport
- Cattell & Eysenck
- Big 5
When it comes to personality theory, ___________ theories is the strongest in scientific quality
dispositional
