Biological, Genetic and General influences on Personality Flashcards
(28 cards)
four humours of personality
calm (phlegmatic)
very cheerful (sanguine)
depressive (melancholy)
angry (choleric)
what are the humours of personality
early thought by ancient greek thinkers (hippocrates and galen)
personality patterns or temperament are dependent on various fluids in one’s body known as humours
calm personality
phlegmatic
due to an excess in phlegm
very cheerful personality
sanguine
excess in blood in the body
depressive personality
melancholy
black bile
angry personality
choleric
yellow bile
hormones which may influence personality
testosterone
oxytocin
cortisol
cloninger’s theory
firing of neurons is the basis of emotion, thought and behaviour
three key neurotransmitters part of cloninger’s theory
-dopamine
-serotonin
-norepinephrine
dopamine
facilitates response to pleasurable, exciting stimuli
serotonin
inhibits response to harmful, unpleasant stimuli
norepinephrine
inhibits response to stimuli that have previously been associated with pleasure
dopamine personality dimension
novelty seeking
(excitability, impulsiveness, extravagance, disorderliness)
serotonin personality dimension
harm avoidance
(worry/ pessimism, fear, shyness, fatigability)
norepinephrine personality dimension
reward dependence
(sentimentality, warm communication, dependence)
gray’s theory
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST)
explains how people react to rewards and punishments and how these reactions are linked to personality traits
brain systems part of gray’s theory
-behavioural activation system (BAS)
-behavioural inhibition system (BIS)
-fight or flight system
behavioural activation system (BAS)
brain region responsible for receiving signals from the nervous system which indicate that rewards are being experienced
‘go’ system: encourages pursusit of rewards, communicating the pleasurable and exciting nature of rewards
stronger or more sensitive BAS system =
stronger pursuit of reward
related to impulsivity, excitability, and seeking pleasure
very similar to Cloninger’s novelty-seeking dimension
behavioural inhibition system (BIS)
brain region responsible for receiving signals from the nervous system which indicate that punishments are being experienced
‘stop’ system: encourages avoidance of punishments, communicating painful and frightening nature of punishments
stronger or more sensitive BIS system =
stronger avoidance of punishments
related to feeling anxious, avoiding pain and danger
similar to Cloninger’s harm avoidance dimension
fight or flight system
brain regions responsible for motivating extreme reactions
in response to extreme threatening situations
strong fight or flight system
more ready to fight or flee in case of emergency
extreme reactions: aggressive response or leaving very hurriedly
researchers suggest a negative association between Cloninger’s reward dependence dimension, but there is not yet empirical evidence showing such association
eysenck theory of introversion
lots of stimulation (regulated by ARAS - Ascending Reticular Activation System) sent to the brain, one feels over-aroused and thus avoids stimulation leading to an introverted personality
