Unit 1 prt1 Flashcards
What is the definition of personality according to Allport?
“Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to the environment.”
How does Eysenck define personality?
“Personality is the more or less stable and enduring organization of a person’s character, temperament, intellect, and physique, which determines his unique adjustment to his/her environment.”
How do Larsen & Buss define personality?
“Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments.”
What are psychological traits?
Traits describe how people differ from each other in behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
What are the three key functions of personality traits?
1) Describe behavior, 2) Explain behavior, 3) Predict behavior.
What are psychological mechanisms?
Processes that involve input (sensitivity to information), decision rules (thought patterns), and output (behavior).
How stable is personality over time?
Traits are relatively stable but can be influenced by life experiences and environment.
What is the difference between a trait and a state?
A trait is a long-term tendency (e.g., being generally anxious), while a state is a temporary feeling (e.g., feeling anxious before an exam).
What are the four ways personality interacts with the environment?
1) Perception – How we interpret situations (e.g., two people may see the same event differently). 2) Selection – Choosing environments and relationships (e.g., career choices). 3) Evocation – How our traits elicit reactions from others (e.g., an extroverted person attracts social interactions). 4) Manipulation – How we intentionally influence others (e.g., a tidy person making their messy roommate clean up).
What are the three levels of personality analysis?
1) Human Nature – Traits shared by all humans (e.g., desire for social connection). 2) Individual and Group Differences – Traits that vary among individuals or groups (e.g., extraversion, cultural differences). 3) Uniqueness of the Individual – Traits that make someone completely unique.
What is the difference between grand theories and contemporary research?
Grand theories explain universal aspects of personality (e.g., Freud’s theory), while contemporary research focuses on group and individual differences.
What are the five criteria for evaluating personality theories?
1) Comprehensiveness – Does it explain many aspects of personality? 2) Heuristic Value – Does it inspire new research? 3) Testability – Can its predictions be tested scientifically? 4) Parsimony – Is it simple and avoids unnecessary complexity? 5) Compatibility & Integration – Does it align with existing scientific knowledge?
