Psychology of Personality Flashcards
1
Q
Personality
A
- Characteristic ways in which we think, feel and behave
- relatively unchanging psychological characteristics & behaviours
2
Q
Psychoanalytic theory
A
- Freud
- ID: Primitive part and maximises pleasure,
- > is irrational, impulsive, self serving, unconscious
- Ego: Sets standards of behaviour
- > Directs the ID into the real world
- Superego: Voice of conscious and how we should behave
- > leads to positive and negative feelings
Contributions:
- Explains how personality differences occur through development
- Can explain how ppl with different personality types behave
- Explain defense mechanism and why people react differently to situations
Limitations:
- Not falsifiable
- failed to inc. impact of environment
- Lack empirical evidence
- Lacks consideration of culture
3
Q
- Fixation
A
: an emotional hangup, caused by frustration / over indulgence
4
Q
Humanistic Theories
A
- Based on assumption people are basically good
- Personality is a result of people trying to achieve their potential
- People grow from within and are motivated
5
Q
Maslow
A
- Hierachy of needs
- Gratification needs to be reached before preson moves up to nxt level
- Self actualisation:
- > Divine growth,
- > People are rare
- > Self aware, independent, self acceptance, creative
6
Q
Rogers
A
- people are naturally good
- An innate drive to maintain and enhance self
- People are healthy psychologically, flexible self concept and open to new experiences
- Contributions:
- > Explain different traits that make people all human
- > People want the same needs and wants
- > People’s personality change after they acquire certain levels
- > Can understand individual differences
Limitations:
- > Concepts too vague, difficult to investigate
- > Theory is optimistic, no evil taken into acc.
- > Not all people motivated for personal growth
- > Can’t be tested scientifically
7
Q
Fully functioning Person
A
- Unconditional, positive regard
8
Q
Trait Theories
A
- Categorise people on more than 1 dimension
- Can understand people’s individuality
9
Q
Traits
A
Unique and enduring characteristics that predispose them to behave in certain ways
- identified, measured and described
10
Q
Surface Traits
A
- Easily inferred from behaviour
- Superficial
11
Q
Source Traits
A
- Fundamental
- Represents the basic dimensions of personality
12
Q
Eyesenck Personality Definition
A
Defined personality as more or less stable
- An enduring organisation of a person’s character, temperament, intellect and physique that determines their unique adjustment to the environment.
13
Q
- Eyesenck Four Personality types
A
- > Introverted - neurotic (moody, anxious)
- > Extraverted - neurotic ( aggressive, impulsive)
- > Extraverted - stable (talkative, outgoing)
- > Introverted - stable ( passive, controlled)
14
Q
Mcrae and Costa
A
- Big Five Traits
- OCEAN
- > Openness to Experience
- > Conscientiousness
- > Extraversion
- > Agreeableness
- > Neuroticism
15
Q
Allport
A
- Developed 4500 trait like words and then analysed and grouped them
- Behavioural genetics:
- > studies of identicial twins
- > shows that genetics play a part in our personality and environment
Contributions:
- > Traits are stable, enduring characteristics
- > Testable theories
- > Widely accepted in psych.
- > Increased the growing research on the biological bases of behaviour
Limitations:
- > Traits are not personality
- > Does not tell us about nature / differences in personality
- > Does not take into account unconscious processes
