Define Personality:
A unique and consistent group of attributes that determine how we think, feel and behave - when alone and when with others.
OR
A relatively stable set of characteristics that influence the way we think, feel and behave
What is a personality theory?
An approach to describing and explaining the origins and development of personality, focusing on the similarities and differences between individuals.
Name the Psychosexual stages in order:
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latent
- Genital
What are 3 fixations of the oral stage?
- Issues with dependency
- problems drinking , eating, smoking
- thumb sucking
What are three fixations of the Phallic stage?
- relationship issues
- become vain, over ambitious
- a girl might want to dominate a man
What is a characteristic of the Latent stage?
- little or no sexual motivation
What is the age range for the Anal stage?
- 1-3 years
Name the two Psychosexual stages with no fixations
- latent
- genital
When are defence mechanisms used?
- when id and super ego can’t deal with conflict.
Name a famous Humanistic Theorist
Carl Rogers.
What are the underlying premises of Rogers Humanistic Theory?
- All people are born good
- All individuals strive to reach their full potential throughout their lives (self-actualisation)
Rogers believes personality is the….
Total of all the experiences throughout a person’s life.
Rogers believed that a well-adjusted personality and happy individual is someone whose…
Self image, ideal self and true self all match.
What does the Q sort test measure?
Congruency, or how well your self-image, ideal self and true self match.
Does Rogers believe the role of other people is important for self-actualisation? Explain.
Yes, significantly - others can assist us through being genuine, accepting and empathetic.
Give two criticism of the humanistic theory
. Offers simplistic and romantic ideas about personality, few of which can be measured scientifically
. Unrealistic because it doesn’t recognise people’s capacity for evil
. Encourages self-fulfilment - child could become self-indulgent and self-centered if parents only focus on self-fulfilment
Give two strengths of the humanistic theory
. A positive approach to understanding personality
. Give a complete (not necessarily accurate) picture of how a healthy personality develops, which fills in the gaps in other theories
What is a personality trait?
A personality trait is a lasting personality characteristic that determines an individual’s behaviour.
What are the three structures of personality?
Id, ego and superego
What is the conscious mind?
Everything that we are aware of. Is an aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally.
What are the three levels of the mind?
The conscious mind, the preconscious mind and the unconscious mind.
What is the preconscious mind?
Represents ordinary memory we are not consciously aware of this information at any given time, we can bring it into consciousness when needed.
What is the unconscious mind?
Feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. Such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. We suppress these feelings and they can only be accessed through dreams, hypnotism and free association.
What is the Id and by which principle does it operate?
Is entirely unconscious and includes the instinctive and primitive behaviours. Operates on pleasure principle.
