Topic 9 - Personality

Question 1

What are 4 central facets in personality according to cognitive-social theories?

Answer 1

Learning, beliefs, expectations and information processing

Question 2

According to cognitive-social theories for a behaviour to occur what 6 things must occur?

Answer 2

1. person must encode the situation as relevant
2. Endow the situation with personal meaning or value
3. Believe performing the behaviour will lead to desired outcomes
4. Believe they have the ability to perform it
5. Have the ability to carry out the behaviour
6. Regulate ongoing activity in a way that leads towards fulfilling the goal

Question 3

what are personal constructs?

Answer 3

mental representations of the people, places, things and events that are significant to a person - substantially influence people’s behaviour.

Question 4

What is behaviour-outcome expectancy?

Answer 4

a belief that a certain behaviour will lead to a particular outcome.

Question 5

What is self-regulation?

Answer 5

refers to setting goals, evaluating performance and adjusting behaviour to achieve these goals in the context of ongoing feedback.

Question 6

What is a major limitation of Freud’s psychodynamic theory?

Answer 6

Inadequate basis in scientifically sound observation.

Question 7

What is Freud’s topographic model?

Answer 7

Freud’s model that divided mental processes into three types: conscious, preconscious and unconscious mental processes.

Question 8

Define Freud’s conscious, preconscious and unconscious mental processes.

Answer 8

Conscious = rational, goal directed thoughts at the centre of awareness

Preconscious = not conscious but could become conscious at any point

Unconscious = irrational, organised along associative lines and repressed.

Question 9

What is analytical aka Jungian psychology?

Answer 9

he theory of mind that emphasises the importance of the individual psyche and the pursuit of wholeness for each individual. Jungian psychology incorporates both experience from the outer world and from the inner world of fantasies, symbols and dreams.

Question 10

What do object relation theories focus on?

Answer 10

interpersonal disturbances and the mental processes that underlie the capacity for relatedness to others.

Question 11

What are projective tests and what are they for?

Answer 11

present participants with an ambiguous stimulus and ask them to give some kind of definition to it, to ‘project’ a meaning into it.

Personality assessment

Question 12

What are two examples of projective tests?

Answer 12

Rorschach inkblot test and thematic apperception test (TAT)

Question 13

What is the life history method in personality assessment?

Answer 13

Testing that aims to understand the whole person in the context of his or her life experience and environment.

Question 14

What are the 5 stages of Freud’s developmental model?

What are the key elements of each stage?

Answer 14

Oral (0-18mo) - independence

Anal (2-3) - compliance, orderliness, cleanliness

Phallic (4-6) - personality development through identification, oedipus complex

Latency (7-11) - repression of sexual impulses

Genital (12+) - mature sexuality & capacity for emotional intimacy

Question 15

What are the id, suprego and ego?

Answer 15

Id: the reservoir of instincts or desires.

Superego: conscience.

Ego: the structure that tries to balance desire, reality and morality.

Question 16

What is primary process thinking in Freud’s structure model and which of the structures is it associated with?

Answer 16

wishful, illogical and associative thought.

Id

Question 17

What is secondary process thinking in Freud’s structure model and which of the structures is it associated with?

Answer 17

Rational, logical, goal-directed.

Superego

Question 18

Which principles are associated with the id and ego?

Answer 18

Id = pleasure principle

Ego = reality

Question 19

Define pleasure principle (Freud’s structure model)

Answer 19

seeking immediate satisfaction and gratification. Little to no consideration of long term ramifications.

Question 20

Define reality principle (Freud’s structure model).

Answer 20

recognising that the immediate desire for pleasure needs to be offset against the reality of what the consequences might be.

Question 21

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 21

unconscious mental processes aimed at protecting the person from unpleasant emotions (particularly anxiety) or bolstering pleasurable emotions.

Question 22

Define traits.

Answer 22

emotional, cognitive and behavioural tendencies that constitute underlying personality dimensions on which individuals vary.

Question 23

What is Eysenck’s theory?

Answer 23

Eysenck identified three overarching psychological types, or constellations of traits: extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism

Question 24

Define the five factor model.

Answer 24

personality can be reduced to five factors - openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism - each of which includes several lower order factors or facets.

Question 25

What is the HEXACO model of personality?

Answer 25

comprises six factors - Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience. Each factor includes four lower order facets.

Question 26

Define person-by-situation interactions.

Answer 26

ways in which people express personality dispositions only under specific circumstances.

Question 27

What is 1 strength of the trait approach?

Answer 27

Measurements of traits that help assess the heritability or consistency of personality.

Question 28

What are 2 limitations of the trait approach?

Answer 28

the reliance on self report and factor-analytic methods.

Question 29

What is the interactionist approach to personality?

Answer 29

view causality as multidirectional, with personality, economics and culture mutually influencing one another.

Question 30

What is the culture pattern approach to personality?

Answer 30

sees culture as an organised set of beliefs, rituals and institutions that shape individuals to fit its patterns.