Chapter 10

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

an individual’s unique pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persist over time and across situations

Question 2

Major influences on personality

Answer 2

Biological/genetic, environmental, sociocultural, psychodynamic, humanistic, and combinations

Question 3

Biological/genetic

Answer 3

temperament, traits influenced by genes (nature)

Question 4

Environmental (experience)

Answer 4

learning, parents, peers, situation, chance events influence traits (nurture)

Question 5

Sociocultural

Answer 5

norms influence what traits are valued, notion of “self/personality,” shape behaviors (diversity)

Question 6

Psychodynamic

Answer 6

unconscious dynamics influence motives, guilts, conflicts, and defenses

Question 7

Humanist approaches

Answer 7

people can exercise free will to determine who they can be (change)

Question 8

Combinations

Answer 8

personality is multiply determined

Question 9

Objective personality tests

Answer 9

Standardized tests - forced choice or multiple choice formats
Strength - relatively easy to administer and score/analyze results
Limitations - rely entirely on self report, familiarity with the test affects response

Question 10

Projective (Rorschach) tests

Answer 10

inkblot test, Strengths (proponents) - difficult to fake “correct” response. Responses are not random. Believe responses uncover unconscious aspects of personality, which are projected onto the ambiguous stimuli, that can’t be detected by objective tests
Limitations (critics) - difficult to score/analyze responses; greater subjectivity in interpretation—who decides what the person’s reports mean?

Question 11

Freud’s theory

Answer 11

Much of mental life is unconscious, mental processes can be in conflict, personality patterns start in childhood experiences, personality involved learning to self regulate

Question 12

5 psychosexual stages

Answer 12

Oral stage
Anal stage
Phallic stage
Latency stage
Genital stage

Question 13

Oral stage

Answer 13

1st year, mouth—oral gratification;weaning

Question 14

Anal stage

Answer 14

2-3 years; anus, toilet training

Question 15

Phallic stage

Answer 15

3-5/6 years; genitals, Oedipus (in boys) and Electra (in girls) complexes—successful resolution is the child’s identification with the same sex parent

Question 16

Latency stage

Answer 16

5/6 - adolescence; sexual interest repressed, focused on other things (school)

Question 17

Genital stage

Answer 17

adolescence to adulthood; genitals, reawakening of sexual desires

Question 18

Id

Answer 18

Pleasure principle, wanting to pursue our unconscious urges and desired

Question 19

Ego

Answer 19

Self-reality principle

Question 20

Superego

Answer 20

Ego ideal, our moral guardian telling is what is right and wrong

Question 21

Freud and the human psyche

Answer 21

Saw the human mind as a battlefield

Question 22

Opposing instincts

Answer 22

life (Eros; libido; sexual) and death (Thanatos; aggressive) instincts—inborn instinctual sexual and aggressive urges. Aggressive urges can be directed outwardly toward others or inwardly toward oneself (suicide) critics of Freud’s postulation of a death instinct view it is an example of how even a genius can have a bad day

Question 23

Psychopathology: disease of the mind

Answer 23

Result primarily from early, unconscious childhood sexual conflicts that are real or imagined

Question 24

Psychoanalysis

Answer 24

Dream interpretation and free association (client speaks freely about whatever comes to mind)—the “talking cure”—to get a deep, hidden, and emotionally troubling unconscious conflicts, memories, wishes, and urges. Then works through them, guided by the psychoanalyst, to improve one’s psychological wellbeing.

Question 25

Carl Jung

Answer 25

Personal vs. collective unconscious

Question 26

Personal unconscious

Answer 26

individual’s repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and underdeveloped ideas

Question 27

Collective unconscious

Answer 27

the part of the unconscious that is inherited and common to all members of a species. Experiences we have in the world are the result of these inherited, inner predispositions to experience the world in particular ways

Question 28

Extrovert

Answer 28

focus on external world; very social; energized by social situations and activities, being around many other people

Question 29

Introvert

Answer 29

focus more on own thoughts, feelings; not very social; energized by solitary pursuits, time spent alone or perhaps with a good friend

Question 30

Alfred Adler

Answer 30

Superiority vs. inferiority complex

Question 31

Superiority complex

Answer 31

believe you are better than others

Question 32

Inferiority complex

Answer 32

fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that results in emotional and social paralysis

Question 33

Freud

Answer 33

Negative view on women - (women have an underdeveloped superego and are envious of men—experience penis envy— only a guy would propose this

Question 34

Karen Horney

Answer 34

Contrary to Freud (perhaps he should have had her last name), proposed that nonsexual factors play a larger role than sexual ones in personality development Proposed womb envy in men (men envious of women—can bear/nurse offspring) to counter Freud’s postulation of penis envy to women (women envious to men)

Question 35

Erikson’s 8 stage theory

Answer 35

Lifespan approach - personality develops across all stages of life, and not just the childhood years Each stage is associated with its own crisis that must be resolved for continued healthy development in the later stages

Question 36

Humanistic theories

Answer 36

“third-forcing psychology” Emphasizes the potential for growth and positive change Reaction against the other two “forces” or perspectives within psychology at the time, Maslow and Rogers

Question 37

Abraham Maslow

Answer 37

Hierarchy (pyramid) of needs - lowest to highest Physiological - food, water, sex)... to safety (security/stability), belongingness/love, esteem (from and self and from others) Self actualization - achieving the highest human potential, (Gandhi, Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt. Self-actualized people are, for example, concerned about other people and societal problems, not just themselves

Question 38

Carl Rogers

Answer 38

Fully functioning person - an individual whose self concept closely resembles their inborn potentials Helped along with unconditional positive regard, which is good for children— parents need to love their children no matter what, instead of… Conditional positive regard - will only love one’s child only if they behave a certain way. That is, the parent places conditions of worth on the children, which is not good for children

Question 39

Trait theories

Answer 39

people differ according to the degree to which they possess certain personality traits

Question 40

Personality traits

Answer 40

dimensions or characteristics on which people differ in distinctive ways that guide their behavior in various situations (aggressiveness, conscientiousness)

Question 41

OCEAN

Answer 41

Openness - to experience/culture/intellect (curious, insightful, introspective) Conscientiousness - reliable dependable, and ethical Extroversion - outgoing, talkative, assertive Agreeableness - kind, trusting, and compassionate Neuroticism - anxious, tense, unstable

Question 42

Cognitive -social learning theories

Answer 42

Our cognitions (thoughts), learning, and environment, especially the social environment (Bandura’s and Rotter’s theories)

Question 43

Bandura's theory

Answer 43

expectancies guide our evaluation of a situation. We then act according to our own performance standards. When we meet our own standards, we develop our self efficacy: An attitude that our effort will be successful—we can do what needs to be done, accomplish what needs to be accomplished

Question 44

Rotter's theory

Answer 44

Optimism - explanatory style (better for us) - appear to be more careful in their choices, serves as a protective factor—being optimistic has positive effects on physical and mental health Pessimistic - explanatory style (worse for us) - higher risk taking behavior, negative effects on physical and mental health