W6 + W7: Personality

Question 1

Eysenck’s super traits

Answer 1

PEN

Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism

Question 2

Psychosexual stages

Answer 2

Oral stage, Anal stage, Phallic stage, Latency stage, Genital stage

Question 3

Psychosexual stage - Oral

Answer 3

Birth to 1 year

Focus on the mouth; pleasure derived from sucking, biting, and oral exploration

Question 4

Psychosexual stage - Anal

Answer 4

1 to 3 years

Focus on the anus; pleasure derived from controlling and releasing bowel movements during toilet training

Question 5

Psychosexual stage - Phallic

Answer 5

3 to 6 years

Focus on the genitals; increased awareness of gender identity and development of sexual curiosity

Question 6

Psychosexual stage - Latency

Answer 6

6 to puberty

Sexual feelings are repressed; focus on social and intellectual activities

Question 7

Psychosexual stage - Genital

Answer 7

Puberty onwards

Reawakening of sexual interests; focus on mature sexual relationships and reproduction

Question 8

What is an important caveat to Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychosexual development?

Answer 8

Since the theory is part of the psychoanalytic theory, it cannot be replicated or falsifiable

Question 9

Sigmund Freud’s structural model

Answer 9

Id (Unconscious), Ego (Preconscious), Superego (Conscious)

Question 10

Summarise Sigmund Freud’s structural model (Id, Ego, Superego)

Answer 10

Id: operates at the unconscious level, driven by primitive instincts and seeks immediate gratification

Ego: operates at the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels, mediates between the Id and external reality, employs rationality and problem-solving

Superego: operates at the conscious and unconscious levels, represents internalised moral standards and societal norms, includes the individual’s sense of right and wrong

Question 11

Summarise Sigmund Freud’s structural model (unconscious, preconscious, conscious)

Answer 11

Unconscious: contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are repressed or not readily accessible to conscious awareness

Preconscious: information that is not currently in awareness but can be readily accessed

Conscious: the level of awareness that includes thoughts, perceptions, and feelings that are currently in the individual’s awareness.

Question 12

Carl Rogers considered problems with personality to arise from what?

Answer 12

The different in perception of self, ideal self and self-concept, so they change their behaviour or self-view to avoid the painful reality of this gap

Question 13

Temperament

Answer 13

Biologically-based tendencies that influence an individual’s emotional and behavioural responses

Question 14

Temperament - Inhibition to the unfamiliar

Answer 14

• Cautions and hesitant behaviour in response to novel or unfamiliar situations or stimuli
• Individuals high in inhibition –> more reserved, shy and avoidant of unfamiliar people, places or activities
• Often associated with heightened sensitivity to perceived threats and a slower approach to new experiences

Children with this attribute were more fearful about a range of common situations at age 7.5

Question 15

Temperament - Impulsivity

Answer 15

• Tendency to act o immediate desires or urges without considering potential consequences
• High impulsivity may display impulsive behaviours (e.g. acting without forethought, seeking immediate gratification, engaging in risk-taking behaviours)
• Often associated with lower levels of inhibitory control and a preference for immediate rewards over delayed gratification.

Those described as impulsive at age 3 are more likely to be diagnosed with an anti-social personality at age 21 (Moffit etal)

Question 16

What’s ARAS ?

Answer 16

Ascending Reticular Activating System

Part of the brain

Eysenck proposed that variations in traits like extraversion could be attributed to variances in levels of cortical arousal within the Ascending Reticular Activating System (ARAS), a neural pathway in the brain.