(In)Stability of Personality

Question 1

Person vs Situation Debate/Personality Paradox

Answer 1

We have believed for a long time that people are consistent in their personality traits but research suggests we behave according to situation

Question 2

Situationism

Answer 2

The idea that the situation is the strongest determinant of behaviour, not our individual personality traits

Question 3

Interactionism

Answer 3

Situation and personality do not operate separately, but collaborate

Question 4

The principle of interactionism

Answer 4

people will react differently to the same situation because of their individual personality traits

Question 5

Situation-Behaviour Signatures (if…then…)

Answer 5

We are not inconsistent - we have highly specific response patterns to situations e.g. rude to teacher but not peers
This tells us a lot about who someone is

Question 6

Bem’s Triple Typology

Answer 6

Aimed to create meaningful categories for people

1. Types of people
2. Types of behaviours
3. Types of situations

Can be used to generate if…then… statements

Question 7

Situational specificity

Answer 7

How specific situations make someone act out of character
Example: easygoing person becomes very neurotic during exam season

Question 8

Strong vs Weak Situations

Answer 8

Strong - situations which produce similar behaviour in most people
Weak - behaviour differs across individuals

Question 9

Strong & Weak Personalities

Answer 9

Strong - less easily influenced by situational factors
Weak - more easily influenced by situational factors

Question 10

Selection

Answer 10

The situations we ‘select’ to enter into are dependent on our personality traits
e.g. shy - less likely to go to parties

Question 11

Selection - Affective Forecasting

Answer 11

how effectively we predict what our emotions will be to a future situation

Question 12

Impact bias

Answer 12

we overestimate the length and intensity of our feelings

Question 13

Personality & Selection

Answer 13

Different personality types make different predictions about feelings and consequently select different situations to avoid/enter
- Highly extraverted - positive predictions = more likely to enter certain situations
- Highly neurotic - negative predictions = more likely to avoid certain situations

Question 14

Evocation

Answer 14

The reactions our personality traits elicit from others
- Our personality traits influence the environment around us

Question 15

Manipulation

Answer 15

Influencing others - not necessarily negative
Different personality types - different types of manipulation

1. Charm tactics
   
   1. e.g. giving compliments
2. Silent treatment
   
   1. e.g. ignoring someone
3. Coercion
   
   1. e.g. making demands and threats

Question 16

Epstein - Aggregation

Question 17

Types of Rank Stability

Answer 17

Rank order stability
Mean level stability

Question 18

Rank order stability

Answer 18

Stability within a group or at the same rate as your group
High rank order stability - group increases at the same rate
Rank order instability/rank order change - different rates
Applied to personality - traits and roles within a group like extraversion, dominance

Question 19

Mean level stability

Answer 19

Maintaining traits over time despite changes to the situation, age, status etc.

Question 20

Changes over time

Answer 20

Infancy - temperament