8-Personality

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

Characteristic patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour in a person. Includes psychological mechanisms behind these patterns whether they are hidden or not.

definition is very broad

Question 2

Approaches to studying personality

list 5

Answer 2

1. Psychoanalytical
2. Behavioural
3. Cognitive
4. Trait
5. Biological

Question 3

Who coined the psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 3

Sigmund Freud

Question 4

Psychoanalytical theory

Answer 4

The mind is composed of three parts:

Id:
- drive: basic instincts, wants pleasureno morality
- where: unconscious
- develops: first, from birth
Superego: need to be/do good
- drive: conscience, do the right thing, your morals
- where: unconscious, small amount is conscious
- develops: formative years, starting age 4
Ego:
- drive: satisfy both the id and ego
- where: most conscious of the three
- develops: throughout life

The balance between these 3 dictates personality

Question 5

Psychosexual stages theory

basic idea

Answer 5

• childhood has a major influence on personality
• 5 stages total, with specific challenges and awareness gained
• Fixations: Unconscious mind can get stuck in a stage, which will change personality, these changes lead to fixations that are characteristic to the stage they were stuck in
• most people have a fixation

Question 6

Defense mechanisms

definition + list

Answer 6

Freud believed that the desire to avoid anxiety drives behaviour.

Definition: Automatic mental strategies which help relieve anxiety by disguising or distracting from stressors.

1. Denial
2. Repression
3. Rationalization
4. Projection
5. Sublimation

there are more but these have held up the best

Question 7

defense mechanism

Denial

define + example

Answer 7

Denying the validity of thoughts or information presented.

eg: believing that your bad mark on the test was just a glitch in avenue

Question 8

defense mechanism

Repression

define + example

Answer 8

Pushing thoughts or experiences to the unconscious mind.

eg: forgetting a traumatic experience

Question 9

defense mechanism

Rationalization

define + example

Answer 9

Using “logical” arguments to rationalize past behaviour, avoiding more beneficial arguments. Thought occurs AFTER the behaviour.

eg: you ate 6 cookie dough mochi’s, “I just really needed something sweet after all this studying and I must’ve been super hungry”

Question 10

defense mechanism

Projection

define + example

Answer 10

Believing others are the root cause of your feelings instead of acknowledging a different source and using this to rationalize your behaviour.

eg: I don’t like that person, they must be a bad person therefore it’s not my fault I’m rude to them.

Question 11

defense mechanism

Sublimation

define + example

Answer 11

Considered the one healthy/mature coping mechanism

Finding outlets for unconscious impulses that are more socially acceptable.

eg: going for a run to relieve stress instead of yelling at others

Question 12

What is the biggest problem with psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 12

It is immeasurable and therefore unfalsifiable

Question 13

Behavioural theory

Answer 13

• Believe we start as blank slates
• Learning processes shape our personalities (rewards and punishments throughout life can shape our future behaviours)

Question 14

Cognitive theory

Answer 14

• individuals also learn through observation and change their behaviour based on a model
• our behaviour is also influenced by the rewards and punishments we see others recieving

Question 15

Trait Theory

definition of trait + basics of trait theory

Answer 15

Trait: a personality characteristic that is stable and consistant for one person but varies between people

• Personality is the combination and interaction between multiple traits

Question 16

Big 5 theory

explain theory + list 5

Answer 16

each trait has a high and low score

- openness: creativity and adventure
- conscientiousness: thoughtfulness and diligence
- extraversion: sociability, assertiveness, excitement seeking
- agreeableness: ability to put other’s needs above their own
- neuroticism: emotional stability and resilience (low score)

high scores are typically good, but extreme scores can be problematic

Question 17

Why is the big 5 theory so widely accepted?

Answer 17

can accurately describe people across many cultures and backgrounds

Question 18

How do the big 5 traits vary with time?

Answer 18

• extraversion: higher in kids, stable difference relative to peers
• conscientiousness: low in kids, lower in teens, climbs across lifespan

Question 19

Flaws with the trait approach

Answer 19

• ignores how traits vary with situation (eg: school vs home)
• does not adress HOW differences in traits emerge

Question 20

Biological theory

describe

Answer 20

Considering how neuroanatomy, genetics and evolutionary theories influence and contribute to personality.

Question 21

What role does the amygdala play in personality?

Answer 21

Shy and pessimistic individuals have especially active amygdala’s

Question 22

What is one aspect of the frontal lobe that influences personality and how?

Answer 22

lateralization of the frontal lobe

a more active left brain is linked to higher emotional stability, optimism and anger

a more active right brain is linked to higher neuroticism

Question 23

How does dopamine influence personality?

Answer 23

higher levels indicate higher plasticity

higher plasticity –> extraversion and openness

Question 24

How does serotonin influence personality?

Answer 24

higher levels relate to higher stability

higher stability –> conscientiousness and agreeableness
lower stability –> neuroticism

Question 25

What to be wary of with the correlative biological findings

Answer 25

do not assume these are causative relationships eg: left brained individuals behave like x vs a person behaves like x which leads to higher activity in the left hemisphere high dopamine leads to extraversion vs extroverts enjoy activities that increase dopamine

Question 26

How does the biological approach relate to the big 5?

Answer 26

- Research suggests that the big 5 all have a **strong genetic component** - *openness is the most heritable and agreeableness is the least* - | does not exactly mean there are genes for the big 5

Question 27

# assessing personality Self report | description + pros and cons

Answer 27

**asking an individual questions** do determine their traits pros: *easy* to administer, fun cons: *purpose behind questions* can be obvious, people want to *be percieved as good* and may be *unaware of their own traits*

Question 28

# assessing personality Behavioural assessments | description + pros and cons

Answer 28

Use a person's **behaviour** to determine their traits pros: can be more *accurate* cons: can ignore *situational factors* (eg: person was very tired the day of the assessment)

Question 29

# assessing personality Myers Briggs test | description + pros and cons

Answer 29

**4 traits form a four letter code** resulting in *16 personalities* that are thought to have *unique outlooks on life* pros: fun cons: **low reliability and validity**

Question 30

# assessing personality MMPI (Multiphasic Minnesota Personality Inventory) | description

Answer 30

**True-false self report tool,** questions not written to find specific traits, instead they were created using statistical predictors of traits