Theories of Personality Flashcards
_________________ is an individual’s unique constellation of consistent behavioural traits.
Personality
A ___________________ is a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations.
Personality trait
Robert McCrae and Paul Costa state that there are five “higher-order” traits that are known as the Big Five. What are they?
Extraversion
Neuroticism
Openness to experience
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
_____________ include a variety of theoretical models derived from the work of Sigmund Freud.
Psychodynamic theories
____________________ is based on 3 assumptions. Personality is governed by unconscious forces that we cannot control.
Childhood experiences play a significant role in determining adult personality.
Personalities are shaped by the manner in which individuals cope with sexual urges.
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
The _________ is “the primitive, instinctive component of personality that operates according to the pleasure principle.”
Id
The __________ is “the decision-making component of personality that operates according to the reality principle.”
Ego
The ______________ is “the moral component of personality that incorporates social standards about what represents right and wrong.”
Superego
The _____________ – material “one is aware of at a particular point in time.”
Conscious
The ______________ – “material just beneath the surface of awareness that can be easily retrieved.”
Preconscious
The ________________ – material “well below the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exerts great influence on one’s behavior.”
Unconscious
__________________ – “largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from painful emotions such as anxiety and guilt.”
Defense mechanisms
______________ involves keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious.
Repression
______________ involves attributing ones own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.
Projection
____________ involves diverting emotional feelings (usually anger) from their original source to a substitute target.
Displacement
______________ involves behaving in a way that is exactly the opposite of one’s true feelings.
Reaction formation
_______________ involves a reversion to immature pattern of behaviour.
Regression
______________ involves the creation of false but plausible excuses to justify unacceptable behaviour.
Rationalization
______________ involves bolstering self-esteem by forming an imaginary or real alliance with some person or group.
Identification
Jung’s Analytical Psychology also focused on the role of the unconscious. However, he argued that the unconscious is comprised of two layers:
The first one is the the __________________, which is similar to Freud’s unconscious layer
Personal unconscious
Jung’s Analytical Psychology also focused on the role of the unconscious. However, he argued that the unconscious is comprised of two layers:
The second one is the ___________________, a storehouse of latent memory traces inherited from people’s ancestral past that is shared with the entire human race
Collective unconscious
_____________ – emotionally charged images and thought forms that have universal meaning
Archetypes
____________ –trust what is certain and concrete, details
Sensing (S)
____________ are specific and literal, detail descriptions
evidence through one of the five senses
matter‐of‐fact people
Present info step-by-step
Sensors
______________–trust inspiration and inference
Intuition (N)
____________ look beyond the facts and evidence for meanings, possibilities, connections, and relationships
Value imagination and innovation
Use metaphors and analogies
Relying on gut feeling vs experience
Intuitives
____________ – Make decisions using logical analysis
Thinking (T)
______________ make decisions impersonally, based mainly on objective data
Naturally see flaws and are critical
Consider it more important to be truthful than tactful
Thinkers
________________ – You make decisions by applying person-centered values
Feeling (F)
_____________ are empathetic, compassionate, and sensitive people
Like to please others; what they feel is right
May be seen as overemotional, illogical, and weak
Consider important to be tactful and truthful
Feelers
______________ — “a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study observable behavior.”
Behaviorism
Behavioral theorists view personality “as a collection of _______________ that are tied to various stimulus situations.”
Response tendencies
Behavioural theorists focus on personality development, and how children’s response tendencies are shaped by _____________, _________________, and ___________________.
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning
Pavlov’s ___________________ is “a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus.”
Classical conditioning
________________ is the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response tendency.
Extinction
Skinner’s _________________ is “a form of learning in which voluntary responses come to be controlled by their consequences.”
Operant conditioning
________________ – “occurs when a response is strengthened (increases in frequency) because it is followed by the arrival of a pleasant stimulus.”
Positive reinforcement
__________________ – “occurs when a response is strengthened (increases in frequency) because it is followed by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus.”
Negative reinforcement
___________________ – “occurs when a response is weakened (decreases in frequency) because it is followed by the arrival of an unpleasant stimulus.”
Punishment
____________________ is unique in that it requires that we:
Pay attention to others’ behavior
Understand the consequences that follow others’ behavior
Store this information in memory
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura stressed the importance of ________________ – “one’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviors that should lead to expected outcomes.”
Self-efficacy
High _______________ is associated with confidence whereas low __________________ creates doubt in one’s abilities.
Self-efficacy, self-efficacy
__________________ – “a theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their free will and their potential for personal growth.”
Humanism
_________________ is based on the following ideas:
Humans have an innate drive toward personal growth.
Humans exercise free will over their actions; they are not pawns of their environment.
Humans are conscious and rational beings who aren’t dominated by unconscious needs.
Humanism
Personality contains only one construct, the self, or __________________ – “a collection of beliefs about one’s own nature, unique qualities, and typical behavior.”
Self-concept
If our ideas about ourselves match our actual experiences, our self-concept is _______________ with reality.
Congruent
If our ideas about ourselves do not match reality, this disparity is called _________________, which undermines our well-being.
Incongruence
If parents make their affection _______________ (given only if the child’s behavior meets their expectations), children do not feel worthy of love and develop an incongruent self-concept.
Conditional
If parents give affection _______________, children feel worthy of affection no matter what and develop congruent self-concepts.
Unconditionally
_______________________: human motives are organized into a hierarchy of needs – “a systematic arrangement of needs, according to priority, in which basic needs must be met before less basic needs are aroused.”
Maslow’s Theory of Self-Actualization
Humans have an innate drive toward personal growth and the highest need is the ______________________ – the fulfillment of one’s potential.
Need for self-actualization
Maslow called people with extremely healthy personalities “_____________________” because of their commitment to continued personal growth.
Self-actualizing persons
Some characteristics of __________________________:
Accurately tuned in to reality
Open, spontaneous, appreciative
Enjoy rewarding relationships
Thrive on their work and enjoy their sense of humor
Have more “peak experiences”
Balanced personality
Self-actualizing people
____________________ – “a personality trait marked by an inflated sense of importance, a need for attention and admiration, and a sense of entitlement.”
Narcissism
___________________________ is based on the following assumptions:
Human cognition is unique in that it allows us to be aware of our own mortality.
This creates great anxiety, which can be reduced by cultural worldviews that promote self-esteem and faith.
These constructs give people a sense of order, context, and meaning.
Reminding people of their mortality (mortality salience) leads to increased self-esteem as an anxiety buffer.
Terror Management Theory
______________________ “involves putting personal goals ahead of group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group memberships.”
Individualism
_____________________ “involves putting group goals ahead of personal goals and defining one’s identity in terms of the groups to which one belongs.”
Collectivism
