Topic 11 part 2 Flashcards
Biological & evolutionary approach
Are we born with a personality
- important components are inherited
- Twins studies
- Certain traits are more heavily influenced b y heredity than others
- But unlike that any single gene linked to a specific trait
- Nature & nurture
Trait approches
Belive that people have certain traits
- the degree to which an given trait applies can be quantified
Godron Allport
Found 4500 words in the English language to describe people and organized them into three categories
- Cardinal traits
- Single characteristics that direct most of a person’s activities
- Central traits
- Major characteristics of an individual
- Secondary traits
- Characteristics that affect behavior in free situation, less influence
Cattel & Eysneck
Factor analysis
- A stastical method for identifying relationships among a large number of varibes to revel patters
Catteral suggested 16 pairs of source traits
- Developed 16 personality factor quentionaire
Eysnekc found three major dimensions
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Psychoticism
- Could evaluate and predict behavior accurately in a variety of situations
Big five
Openness
- Imagination of feelings, actions, ideas
Conscientiousness
- Compenticence, self - discipline, thoughtfulness, goal driven
Extroversion
- Sociality, assertiveness, emotional expression
Agreeableness
- Cooprotative, trustworthy, good-natured
Nerutocism
- A tendency toward unstable emotions
Each trait is scored on continuum form hight to low
How stable are personality traits
stable over time
Over time, people become more dominant, agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable
We vary the expression of our traits by situation
Individualist
Value independence, competition, personal achievement
Mainly western nations like the US, …
More personality oriented personality traits
Collectivist
Value social harmony, respectfulness, and group needs over individual needs
Asia, Africa, South America
More personality-oriented personality traits
Does birth order impact personality
Firstborns scored slightly higger on intelligence tests than later borns
Decline in self reported intellect for late born
No lasting effect of birth order on; extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, consciousness, imagination
Learning approches
We are what we learned
Personality is a collection of learned behavior patterns
Similarities caused by patterns of reinforcement
Humans are infinitely changeable
Social Cognitive approaches
Emphasizes interaction b/2 individuals & environment in shaping personality
- People learn behaviors through watching others
- Reciprocal determinim
Personality shaped by interaction b/2 behavior, cognition & environment
- Behavior –> personal factors –> environment influences
- For someone shy and avoid social settings
Self-efficacy
Belie in one’s ability to succeed in a specific situation - plays a role in shaping & influencing personality traits over time
- High self-efficacy leads to confidence and low results in anxiety or giving up
How do we develop self efficancy
- Pay close attention to our prior successes & failures
- Direct reinforcement & encouragement from others
Humanistic approaches
Human nature is basically good
Exceptional people share several common traits
- Creativity, realistic thinking, concern for others
Carl Rogers
All people have a need of slef actualization
- People develop the need for positive regard - the desire to be loved & respected
- Grow dependent on others - see & judge ourselves through the eyes of others
- THe discrepancy between “ideal self” & “true self” - anxiety and dissatisfaction - can be overcome via conditinal positive regard
Unconditional positive regard
like feeding your fish every day, no matter what happens. you accept it without judgement, encouraging growth
Conditions of worth
Like feeding your fish only when it perfomes a specific trick or looks a certain way
- Leads hungry and uncertain fish - feeling unloved when don’t meeting expectations
Congruence
The fish feels in harmony
- what you see in it matches what if actually feels
- A content and happy fish that feels authentic
Incongurance
The fels conflicted - what you want to express doesn’t align with ow you feel inside
- Leading to stress and unhapinnes because of the mismatch
