Week 10: Personality, Stress & Emotions

Question 1

Define Personality

Answer 1

The complex set of psychological qualities of an individual that influence a variety of characteristic behaviour patterns across different situations and over time.

Question 2

Define a Personality TYPE

Answer 2

Distinct pattern of personality characteristics used to assign people to categories and discriminate against them. For example, a first born child is said to have certain characteristics.

Question 3

Define Personality TRAITS

Answer 3

Enduring qualities or attributes that predispose individuals to behave consistently across situations. Such as Intelligence or Honesty.

Question 4

Name the three steps in the Allport Personality Difference Theory

Answer 4

1. Stimulus Situation: Going to a party/Meeting people.
2. Trait: Shyness.
3. Response: Avoidance/Withdrawal, Blushing and Awkward Gestures.

Question 5

Name and describe the Five Factor Model or the Big Five

Answer 5

Developed by McCrae and Costa (1999)

1. Conscientiousness: Careful, Dependable, Self-Disciplined.
2. Agreeableness: Courteous, Good-Natured, Empathic, Caring.
3. Neuroticism: Anxious, Hostile, Depressed.
4. Openness to Experience: Imaginative, Creative, Curious, Sensitive.
5. Extroversion: Outgoing, Talkative, Sociable, Assertive.

Question 6

Define the Theory of Expectation

Answer 6

The extent to which people believe their behaviours in particular situations will bring about rewards.

• Developed by Julian Rotter.

Question 7

Define the Locus of Control (LOC)

Answer 7

A personality trait thought to distinguish between those who attribute responsibility for events to themselves (Internal) or to external factors.

1. Internal Locus of Control: I control my own destiny.
2. External Locus of Control: Others control my destiny.

Question 8

Define Emotions

Answer 8

An emotion is a complex psychological state that involves three direct components:
1. A Subjective Experience: The situation is the stimulus.

2. A Psychological Response: Autonomic NS affects Heart Rate and Brain.
3. A Behavioural/Cognitive Response: How we interpret other people’s behaviours.

Question 9

Emotion vs Mood

Answer 9

Emotions are:

• Typically Short Lived (Minutes or Hours).
• Relatively Intense.
• Serves a motivational function.

Moods are:

• Longer in duration (May last several days).
• Less intense than emotions.
• Often no clear trigger event.

Question 10

Define a Stressor

Answer 10

Unpredictable/unalterable events that can alter our normal reaction to everyday events.

Question 11

Describe the consequences of stress

Answer 11

1. Walter Cannon (1915)- Fight or Flight Response: A primitive response that quickly increases heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and serum cholesterol.
2. Selye (1936)- The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Ageing and disease are caused by chronic exposure to stress.
3. Taylor (2000)- Tend and Befriend: Proposed that oxytocin is involved in a female specific “tend and befriend” behavioural response to stress.
   - In response to threat, oxytocin motivates women to seek out social support to help respond to a challenge and ameliorate the negative impact of stress.

Question 12

Describe Personality

Answer 12

• We develop our own system for defining personality.
• Our analysis of others is based on personality.
• Comes from the Greek word ‘Persona’, meaning mask.