theory of personality and individual differences Flashcards
how can one describe the term personality?
comes from ‘persona’ meaning ‘mask’
stable concept but also evolves as we mature and gain new experiences
summarise essence of individual which is consistent over situations and time
what does the study of individual differences actually study?
the ways in which people are psychologically similar and psychologically different
brief origins of personality psychology?
traced back to greek philosophers
interest in individual differences split off psychology from philosophy
briefly explain what phrenology is?
Franz Gall claimed lumps on the skull reveal character traits and mental abilties
what are the 2 main camps in modern personality psychology and which approaches branch out from them?
- scientific - trait, behaviorists and social learning theorists
- clinical - psychoanalysts, humanists and existentialists
briefly describe the psychoanalytic approach to personality?
unconscious mind & motivations
resolving internal conflict
focus on childhood trauma leading to fixations shaping personality in adulthood
briefly describe the trait approach?
conceptualising and measuring how people differ
continuum of trats and behaviours
briefly describe the biological/evolutionary approach?
anatomy, physiology, inheritance and evolution
inherited predispositions
briefly describe the phenomenological/humanistic approach?
conscious experience of the world
personal responsibility and self acceptance
qualitative methods as focused on subjective experience
briefly describe the learning approaches?
behaviourism, social learning theory and cognitive personality theory
learning helps to adapt behaviour view rewards and punishment
briefly describe the cognitive approach?
role of perception and memory
different ways in which people process information
what 4 factors to look at when evaluating a philosophical theory?
- coherence
- relevance
- comprehensiveness
- compellingness
what are the 6 factors which make a theory useful?
- generates hypotheses and research
- falsifiable
- integrates existing data
- suggests practical answers to day-to-day problems
- internal consistency
- simplicity/parsimony
which 2 cultural contexts exist and what personalities are associated with this?
individualistic
- individual needs and competition
- have ‘i’ orientation
- autonomy and equality
collectivist
- cooperation and groups
- ‘we’ orientation
- tradition and hierarchy
when are situational variables / personality traits best suited to predicting behaviour?
in regards to the person-situation debate
personality traits - predict patterns of beh. across situations and time
situational variables - predict beh. in specific situations
what is the Forer/Barnum effect?
example of data supporting this?
people accept vague and general personality descriptions as uniquely applicable to themselves
even if questionable/false if deemed positive/flattering enough
as shown by average of 4.2/5 when rating how accurate personality description was about them
what are psychometrics?
and what is including in psychological psychometric testing?
psychometrics - theory and methods of psychological measurement
include intelligence testing, measurement of personality traits and vocational testing
a few background facts about Sigmund Freud?
work? studies? published?
- specialised in treatment of nervous disorders
- studied hypnosis and the ‘talking cure’ which he used in his own work and is now the basis of psychological therapy
- published the interpretation of dreams in 1900 introducing concept of unconscious
- developed first comprehensive theory of personality
what are the 6 key assumptions of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory?
- psychic determinism - everything in person’s mind and actions has specific cause
- unconscious instinctual urges - driven by unconscious animalistic urges
- structure of mind - divided into 3 (ego, id, superego)
- psychic conflict - personality characteristics determined by how person overcomes conflicts between id, ego and superego
- psychic energy - must be expressed and 2 drives of eros/libido - life & sexual instincts and thanatos - death instinct
- psychoanalytic therapy - relieve conflicts by providing insight into unconscious
what is involved in the topographic model of personality?
3 levels of awareness (ego floating in all 3):
- conscious - current awareness
- preconscious - below surface of consciousness but accessible (superego)
- unconscious - not voluntarily accessed (id)
what are the parts of the structural model of the mind/personality?
- id
- ego
- superego
describe the id?
primitive irrational mind
based on pleasure principle
unconscious
describe the ego?
rational part of the mind
based on the reality principle
negotiates compromise between the id and superego
describe the superego?
the moral part of the mind (the conscience)
embodiment of parental and social values