12 - Personality

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

Characteristic style of behaving, thinking, feeling

Question 2

Personality self-reports

Answer 2

MMPI-2 is a clinical questionnaire used to assess psychological problems

Question 3

Projective techniques

Answer 3

Interpreting ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious aspects of personality. Rorschach test, thematic apperception test (see pictures and provide a story)

Question 4

5-factor model of personality (5 traits)

Answer 4

Open, conscientious, agreeable, extroverted, neurotic. Hierarchical structure - these represent one level of the hierarchy of traits. Each trait can be divided into facets.

Question 5

Behavioral genetics

Answer 5

Study what traits are inherited, what environment does. MZ and DZ studies indicate that genetics plays a role

Question 6

Psychodynamic approach to personality

Answer 6

There are forces that lie beneath awareness controlling behavior. Conflict between id, ego, and superego causes problems.

Question 7

Defense mechanism

Answer 7

Unconscious coping mechanisms to reduce anxiety from threat. Rationalization (reasonable explanation for unacceptable feelings), projection (attributing one’s own feelings to another)

Question 8

Freud’s psychosexual stages

Answer 8

Oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital

Question 9

Existentialist psychologists

Answer 9

Say that individuals are responsible, negotiating meaning and the reality of death. Angst. Free choice. Dealing with issues head-on

Question 10

Self-actualization

Answer 10

Moving towards realizing inner potential. Posited by Maslow (hierarchy of needs) -

Question 11

Maslow hierarchy

Answer 11

Physiological -> Safety -> Love/belonging -> Esteem -> Self-actualization

Question 12

Social cognitive approach

Answer 12

How somebody thinks about situations in daily life and behaves in response

Question 13

Trait vs state

Answer 13

Traits are more permanent than than states, which are transient

Question 14

Walter Mischel

Answer 14

Says that traits do not really predict behavior. Rather behavior is highly dependent on situational cues

Question 15

Personal constructs

Answer 15

Perspective reflected in goals. Outcome expectancies - assumption about consequence of future behavior. Locus of control - tendency to perceive control of destiny as internal or external

Question 16

Self-concept

Answer 16

Person’s explicit knowledge of own behaviors, traits, characteristics. Often in relation to others. Self-verification - seek evidence to confirm. Autobiographical memory.

Question 17

Self-narrative

Answer 17

The story we tell about ourselves

Question 18

Self-serving bias

Answer 18

Take credit for successes but downplay responsibility for failures to protect self-esteem.