week 9 individual differences/ personality Flashcards
what is personality
psychophysical systems that determine characteristics, behaviour and thought
idiographic approach
focus on uniqueness of individuals
nomothetic approach
focus on key dimensions of personality that people share.
main approaches in studying personality
psychodynamics, behaviourism, social cogntive theory, humanistic, traits and psychometric theories.
(major approaches) psychodynamics
common defence mechanisms- displacement, repression, sublimation, regression
psychodynamics critique
- lack of academic rigour as not systematically tested
- lack of empirical evidence as theory is unfalsifiable. repressed memories have been shown not to work the way psychoanalysis says.
(major approaches) behaviourism in personality
Skinner 1977 - personality comes from interaction between the individual and the environment. theory of learning (conditioning) through reinforcement and punishment. only interested in observable stimulus response behaviours
behaviourism critique
low ecological validity for testing conditions. lack of explanation for what is happening inside a persons memory, thoughts and emotions.
(major approaches) social cognitive theory
reinforced observed behaviours incorporated into personality
social cognitive theory critique
-assumes environment changes MUST result in changes to an individual.
- does not consider emotion or motivation in the moment - only as past experiences learned from
(major approaches) humanistic
-free will
-human values
-subjective experience
-explored through qualitative methodologies - accessing internal experiences
-Maslow hierachy of needs
humanistic critique
-self actualisation is undefined and highly personal and it is difficult to study consciousness or emotion in ways recognised by science
(major approaches) traits and psychometric theories
treats are durable characteristics of a person that produce an effect on behaviour and types are collections of traits that occur together in some individuals
critiques of traits and psychometric theories
change due to life experiences, interpretation of factor analysis can be subjective.
Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I)
Where you prefer to get or focus your energy, preferring social or internal worlds
Sensing(S)–iNtuition(N)
The kind of information you prefer to gather and trust, being more objective or abstract
Thinking(T)–Feeling(F)
The process you prefer to use in coming to decisions
Judging(J)–Perceiving(P)
How you prefer to deal with the world around you, how quickly you come to decisions
OCEAN
- Openness to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Openness to experience
Those who score high are imaginative, creative, curious. Appreciate art, divergent thinking, negatively associated with right wing authoritarianism. primarily attracted to highly open people.
conscientiousness
Those who are conscientiousness are thorough, hard working, responsible. positively associated with longevity, educational attainment, job performance. negatively associated with criminality, smoking, unemployment. tend to follow social norms, feel guilt and shame when fail to meet others expectations.
extraversion
talkative, bold, energetic. positive emotionality, lots of mates, strive for independence and intimacy.
agreeableness
warm, kind and cooperative. negotiate rather than retaliate. help others. experience empathic concerns when they observe people in distress
neuroticism
nervous, discontented, tense. positively associated with cardiovascular disease, alcohol abuse. tend to feel self conscious and insecure and act impulsively when upset.
