SU4 - Personality Psychology Flashcards
Define Personality
Psychological qualities that continually defines a person’s behaviour across different situations and time.
Four Theories of Personality.
Traits
Psychodynamic
Humanistic
Social-Cognitive
What is Traits Theory/Dispositional Theory?
3 T-s
Describe people based on:
Temperament
Traits
Type
Traits - Measures and describes personality traits
Temperament - Biological foundation influencing trait development
Type - Categorizing people into distinct groups
What is the Five Factor Theory?
Describes five broad dimensions of personality traits.
What are the 5 broad dimensions used in Big 5?
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism
Openess to Experience
Describe Extraversion
How outgoing and sociable a person is.
Describe Agreeableness
How cooperative and compassionate a person is.
Describe Conscientiousness
Being organized, responsible, and goal-oriented.
Describe Neuroticism
Tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anxiety, sadness, and anger.
Describe Openess to Experience
Willingness to try new things, their imagination, and their intellectual curiosity.
Pros of Traits Theory
Structured: Clear personality framework.
Predictive: Forecasts behavior/outcomes.
Cons of Traits Theory
Lacks explanation: Doesn’t explain root cause of traits.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy: Risk of stereotyping.
Static: Doesn’t account for change.
Define Psychodynamic Theory
What about Behaviour?
Behaviour is driven by unconsious motive and personal motivation.
Describe the Ego, SuperEgo and ID.
Id:
* “The Want-It-Now” part.
* Basic desires, no rules.
Ego:
* “The Reality Check” part.
* Balances wants with what’s possible.
Superego:
* “The Moral Guide” part.
* Internal rules and conscience.
Id says “Do it!”
Superego says “Don’t!”
Ego tries to find a middle ground.
Describe Conscious, Preconscious, Unconscious.
Conscious: What you’re thinking now.
Preconscious: What you can think of.
Unconscious: What you don’t know you know.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Repression
“Forgetting” something really upsetting.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Denial
Pretending something didn’t happen, even though it did.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Projection
Blaming someone else for your own bad feelings.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Displacement
Taking your anger out on someone or something safe, instead of the real problem.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Regression
Acting like a kid again when you’re stressed.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Rationalisation
Making up excuses to justify your bad behavior.
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Sublimation
Turning bad impulses into good, productive things (like painting when angry).
Ego Defence Mechanism:
Reaction Formation
Acting the complete opposite of how you feel, to hide how you feel.
Jung’s Collective Unconsious.
Breakdown to 3.
Personal Unconscious: Instincts
Collective Unconscious: Common experience and symbols shared across people
Archetype: Image of collective unconscious (Mother = Caring)
Horney’s Neurotic Needs
Behavior or coping strategies that people develop when they feel insecure, anxious, or unsafe
Neurotic needs:
* Towards Others
* Against Others
* Away from Others
Pros of Psychodynamic Theory
- Awareness of unconscious mind.
- Focus on why certain personality traits are developed.
Cons of Psychodynamic Theory
- Difficult to prove scientifically.
- Suspicious evidence gathering: Biased, manupulative.
Define Humanistic Theories
Psychological approach that focuses on the positive side of human nature — like growth, potential, and self-awareness.
Humanistic Theories believe that mental disorders are due to unhealthy ____ ?
Situations
Self Actualisers are ____ personalities by satisfying self actualising needs.
Healthy
Self Actualisers are ____ & ____ but know their limits.
Free & Spontaneous
Explain Carl Roger’s Fully Functioning Person
Self-concept is positive and congruent (same) with reality.
Self-perception is honest and aligned with their real experiences, not distorted by trying to meet others’ expectations.
i.e.: other’s perception is aligned with perception of self.
Experiences are driven by ____ field. Negative experience hurts ____ .
Phenomenal; Self-Esteem
Name 2 Positive Regards
Conditional, Unconditional
Conditional and unconditional love.
Describe Conditions of Worth.
Criteria that affections will be given.
Pros of Humanism Theories.
- Importance of self and mental health.
- Why certain traits are developed.
Define Socio-Cognitive Theories
Social environment influences cognition and personality.
Cons of Humanism Theories.
- Don’t explain self-actualisation is natural or nurtured.
- Overemphasis on SELF.
- Don’t explain why some don’t seek self-actualisation.
Steps in Learning from Observation
- Watch others
- Accquire information
- Identify and perform behaviours
- Develop clear sense of own identity
What 3 factors can influence and change one another in Reciprocal Determinism?
Cognism, Behaviour, Environment.
What are the 2 Locus of Control? Give an Example too.
Internal and External.
Leave it to me or Leave it to Fate
Family Systems Theory emphasises on?
Interaction within peer group/family.
Pros of Socio-Cognitive Theories.
- Focuses on observable, measurable outcomes.
- Emphasise on external influences on personalities.
Cons of Socio-Cognitive Theories.
- Downplay emotion and unconcious process.
- Not comprehensive in explaining personalities.
- Don’t explain genetic variation in people.
