Study Unit 9 Flashcards
Personality traits
- relatively stable and enduring patterns of behavior, thoughts and feelings that are relatively consistent across a wide variety of situations and contexts
- describe the most basic characteristics that distinguish one person from another
Costa and McCrae’s Five factor model
Neuroticism
Basic definition: emotional instability vs emotional stability
Characteristics: contrasts anxiety, moodiness, and sensitivity towards negative stimuli with positive coping abilities and even temperedness
Extraversion
Basic definition: outgoingness vs introversion
Characteristics: contrasts warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, excitement-seeking and positive emotions with passivity and reserve
Openness to experience
Basic definition: curiosity and interest in variety vs preference for sameness
Characteristics: contrasts openness with fantasy, aesthetics, curiosity, feeling, actions, ideas, and values with shallowness and lack of perceptiveness
Agreeableness
Basic definition: compliance and cooperativeness vs suspiciousness and antagonism
Characteristics: contrasts trust, sincerity, altruism, compliance, modesty, kindness with hostility, selfishness and distrust
Conscientiousness
Basic definition: discipline and organization vs aimlessness and negligence
Characteristics: contrasts competence, order, dutifulness, self-discipline, deliberation, achievement, and striving with carelessness, negligence, and unreliability
The five factor theory (FFT)
- main component is basic tendencies which comprises of the five personality traits
- influenced solely by biological factors, which include genetic factors and brain structures
- these basic tendencies then manifest as characteristic adaptions in order to suit particular cultural, social or developmental contexts
- manifests as goals, attitudes, self-schemas, personal strivings, personal myths etc.
- these are mental structures that develop as the person interacts with the environment
- characteristic adaptions interact with external influences to produce an objective bibliography
- this is the specific and potentially observable manifestations of personality such as behaviors, thoughts and feelings
- accommodation is the interaction between basic tendencies and environmental influences
- assimilation is the interaction between characteristic adaptions and situational influences
Changing of personality traits in adulthood
- neuroticism declines until middle adulthood and increases after 80
- extraversion decline during emerging adulthood, remains stable in young adulthood through middle age, and drops in later years
- openness to experience shows increases in emerging adulthood, stability in middle adulthood and a decrease in older adulthood
- agreeableness remains stable until 50, and then increases with age
- conscientiousness increases in young and middle adulthood, peaks between 50-70 and then declines
- as individuals grow older, they seem to increase in traits related to social interest and communion (fellowship) and to decrease in traits related to agency (activity) and zestful (lively) approach to life
- mean level trait changes are much more common in young adulthood before the age of 30 than in middle age
- increases in agreeableness and decreases in extraversion
Forces that contribute to personality trait stability and change
- attributed to intrinsic maturational processes rather than to external influences
- acknowledge a limited role for environmental factors, but only if mediated through biological processes
- personality change is manifested in characteristic adaptions (goals, personal strivings, relationships patterns, and acquired skills) rather than in change in personality traits as such
Erikson’s theory on development during adulthood
Young adulthood (21-35 years)
- Intimacy vs isolation
- establishing a mutually satisfying relationship with another person
- need to learn how to compromise without losing their sense of independence
- the opposite is a state of isolation marked by self-absorbance, and the inability to achieve true mutuality with another person
Middle adulthood (36-50)
- Generativity vs stagnation
- redirecting the focus on your own self-interests towards contributing to society through child-rearing, work and community involvement
- stagnation is remaining focused solely on oneself or others of the same age group
Late adulthood (50+ years)
- Integrity vs despair
- developing a sense of satisfaction with your life, and being able to accept the positive and negative attributes and events from one’s life
- attaining the virtue of wisdom
- those in state of despair feels regrets and ponders on all the roads not taken
Characteristic of an adult relationship: Intimacy
- refers to establishing a closeness with another person through self-disclosure about one’s thoughts, feelings and experiences
- must be reciprocal in nature
- people who are emotionally unresponsive or have a low self esteem have a fear of intimacy
- individuals first have to establish a concrete sense of identity before they can achieve intimacy with another person, otherwise they will fear intimacy or find their identity within another person
- genital relationship: young adults form relationships based on sexual intimacy without emotional intimacy
- the lower the level of intimacy in a marriage, the higher the level of loneliness
Characteristic of adult relationship: Love
- the deep and complex emotion characterized by a deep affection towards another person
- physiological effects of falling in love: sweaty palms, racing heart, flushed cheeks, loss of appetite
- hormonal effects: release of dopamine that effects the genitals and sweat glands. Testosterone increases sexual desire. Release of oxytocin when people snuggle up or bond socially.
- oxytocin also increases aggression
Theories on who we fall in love with
1. Equity theory:
-people form relationships when they believe that which they will get out of the relationship is equal to the effort they put in.
- People calculate the costs and benefits of interacting with someone. Equitable relationships last while inequitable ones break up.
-Contradictory to what happens in genuine relationships where sacrifices often need to be made.
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The assortative mating theory:
- choosing love partners based on similar characteristics
- people tend to be attracted to those who hold similar attitudes, values and beliefs then them
- the personalities of the people involved in a relationship influences marital happiness, since it is required to spend a lot of time with each other and coordination of daily tasks and dealing with problems
- personality differences may result in conflict
Sternberg’s triangular model of love
Passion
- strong physical attachment and intense emotion one feels towards another person
- creates feelings of excitement and euphoria
- without the other two components, it may also lead to feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and jealousy
- often short-lived
Intimacy
- development of reciprocal trust, openness, and acceptance of each other
- honest exchange of feelings without fear of rejection
- essential for a relationship to grow and develop
Commitment
- a conscious decision to maintain the love relationship, and to care and support one another
Types of love (7)
- Liking (intimacy)
- Infatuation (passion)
- Empty love (commitment)
- Romantic love (passion and intimacy)
- Fatuous love (passion and commitment)
- Compassionate love (intimacy and commitment)
- Consummate love (passion, intimacy and commitment)
Characteristic of adult relationship: Attachment (Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby)
- strong affectionate bond to another person
- attachment styles during infancy (secure, avoidant, anxious-ambivalent, avoidant-disoriented) affect how people construct internal working models which are representations of themselves and others
- Secure IWM: feel good about themselves and others, with no fear of abandonment
- Preoccupied IWM: positive view of others but not themselves. Need others to validate their self-worth but simultaneously fear abandonment and become overly dependent on their partner
- Dismissing IWM: positive view of themselves but not others. Experienced avoidant attachment during childhood. Are compulsively self-reliant and believe they don’t need to be in a committed relationship
- Fearful IWM: negative view of themselves and others. Confusing, unpredictable mix of neediness and a fear of intimacy. More likely to have a history of disorganized-disoriented attachment history
Advantages of marriage
- more physically and psychologically healthy
- live longer
- source of intimacy, friendship, love, sexual fulfilment, companionship and emotional support
- opportunities to grow emotionally
- economic and financial advantages
- regarded as the best institution in which to raise children
Types of marriages
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The vitalized relationship
- both partners experiences high degrees of marital satisfaction -
Financially focused relationship
- bound by material and financial goals, but experiences dissatisfaction otherwise -
Conflicted relationship
- experience dissatisfaction with their partner with regards to communication and emotional availability but enjoy external aspects such as leisure-time activities -
Harmonious relationship
- satisfied with internal aspects of the partner, but experiences dissatisfaction with regards to leisure-time activities -
Traditional relationship
- partners experience a lot of stress but are satisfied regarding family and religious values -
Balanced relationship
- generally satisfied with all aspects of marriage -
Devitalized relationship
- both partners experiences dissatisfaction regarding all aspects of marriage
5 Stages of dealing with divorce
Stage 1: Blaming the spouse
- blames his or her spouse for all the past, present and future problems of his or her life
Stage 2: Mourning the loss
- acknowledging the end of the relationship
- future appears hopeless or meaningless
Stage 3: Anger
- anger is directed not only towards the spouse, but all ‘women’ or ‘men’
- a sense of righteousness attached to their anger
Stage 4: Being single
- they start to trust themselves to make their own decisions and be independent. Their self-image increases
Stage 5: Re-entry
- person starts to again feel in control of their own life and settles into their new reality
- are able to make long-term plans and commitments
