Chapter 12 - The Nature of Personality Flashcards
(15 cards)
define personality
personality refers to an individual’s unique constellation of consistent behavioural traits.
What is the concept of personality used to explain (2 things)?
1) consistency: the stability in a person’s behaviour over time and across situations
2) distinctiveness: the behavioural differences among people reacting to the same situation
define ‘personality trait’
A personality trait is a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations.
**adjectives such as: honest, dependable, moody, impulsive, suspicious, anxious, excitable, domineering, and friendly describe dispositions that represent personality traits.
what is factor analysis?
in factor analysis, correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables.
**If the measurements of a number of variables (in this case, personality traits) correlate highly with one another, the assumption is that a single factor is influencing all of them. Factor analysis is used to identify these hidden factors. In factor analyses of personality traits, these hidden factors are viewed as very basic, higher-order traits that determine less basic, more specific traits.
What did Raymond Cattell conclude from his factor analytic work (in regard to personality traits)?
Based on his factor analytic work, Cattell concluded that an individual’s personality can be described completely by measuring just 16 traits.
The 5-factor model of personality traits (“Big Five”)
based on factor analyses, Robert McCrae and Paul Costa found that most personality traits are derived from just five higher-order traits:
1 - extraversion
2 - neuroticism
3 - openness to experience
4 - agreeableness
5 - conscientiousness
extraversion
people who score high in extraversion are characterized as outgoing, sociable, upbeat, friendly, assertive, and gregarious. they also have a more positive outlook on life and are motivated to pursue social contact, intimacy, and interdependence.
neuroticism
people who score high in neuroticism tend to be anxious, hostile, self-conscious, insecure, and vulnerable. they also tend to exhibit more impulsiveness and emotional instability than others.
openness to experience
openness is associated with curiosity, flexibility, imaginativeness, intellectual pursuits, interests in new ideas, and unconventional attitudes. people who are high in openness also tend to be tolerant of ambiguity.
agreeableness
those who score high in agreeableness tend to be sympathetic, trusting, cooperative, modest, and straightforward. agreeableness is also correlated with empathy and helping behaviour.
conscientiousness
conscientious people tend to be diligent, well-organized, punctual, and dependable. conscientiousness is associated with strong self-discipline and the ability to regulate oneself effectively.
gender differences in average scores on the Big Five traits
-females tend to score slightly higher than males on agreeableness and on neuroticism.
-studies also find sex disparities in conscientiousness, with women scoring somewhat higher than men.
**these gender differences probably reflect the operation of both genetic and environmental influences.
Correlations between the Big Five traits and personal tendencies/important life outcomes
school/work success
-higher grades in college are associated with higher conscientiousness, mainly because conscientious students tend to work harder.
-openness to experience may foster creative achievement in the arts.
-extraversion and conscientiousness are positive predictors of occupational attainment, whereas neuroticism is a negative predictor.
-agreeableness is negatively associated with income, especially among men.
relationships
-neuroticism elevates the probability of divorce, whereas agreeableness and conscientiousness reduce it.
-agreeableness is a predictor of prosocial behaviour—that is, a willingness to help others in need—probably because it fosters empathy for those in need.
health
-neuroticism is associated with an elevated prevalence of physical and mental disorders and increased mortality, whereas conscientiousness and agreeableness are correlated with the experience of less illness, and conscientiousness is associated with increased longevity.
the Big Five and job success
a recent study concluded that the absolute levels of various traits may not be as important as how well individuals’ traits fit with the demands of a specific job.
when there was a good fit between individuals’ scores on the Big Five traits and the personality traits required for specific jobs (as rated by experts), people enjoyed greater job success, as measured by increased income.
what are the 4 different personality theories
1 - psychodynamic perspectives
2 - behavioural perspectives
3 - humanistic perspectives
4 - biological perspectives
