Individual Differences

Question 0

Define ‘personality’.

Answer 0

• No definition agreed on by all psychologists
• must take many things into account (eg genetic inheritance) (complicated)
• Sargent; ‘subtotal of outward behaviour’
• Allport (1961); ‘a dynamic organisation, inside the person of psychobiological systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings’

Question 1

What is meant by the ‘individual differences’ approach or ‘differential psychology’? What is one of the key areas of this approach?

Answer 1

The study of the differences in how how people think, feel and act, of which one of the key concepts is personality

Question 2

Where is the word ‘personality’ derived from?

Answer 2

• Greek ‘persona’ = ‘mask’
• therefore how we show ourselves outwardly
• ‘self’ / ‘looking-glass self’ (impression we think we’ve made on others/ how we believe others view us)
• look for evidence for how we think of ourselves (schema) eg - racists don’t think they’re racist / tune in more readily to others responding in way that fits our schema

Question 3

Social influences in personality development

Answer 3

• idea that environment predicts personality / look at what’s expected of a social situation and act accordingly
• Zimbardo / Milgram

Question 4

Dispositional influences in personality development

Answer 4

• more constant / enduring feature / tendency that transfers from one situation to another
• eg; ‘he’s happy no matter what happens’

Question 5

Plato (430BC)

Answer 5

• philosopher
• one of earliest references to personality tendencies (in ‘The Republic’
• appetites (quite unambitious/ focus is basic needs like food) eg labourers/ farmers
• spiritual element (strong moral sense/ conscience/ justice) eg police
• rational element (strong logic/ intellect) eg politicians
• all have 3 both dominate in 1 - suggested society split according to which we fit under
• based on observation/anecdotal - not scientific/psychological

Question 6

Hippocrates’ Humoral Theory

Answer 6

See notes

Question 7

Lavater (1700s) - physiognomy

Answer 7

Linked parishioners personality with their facial features

Question 8

Define ‘physiognomy’.

Answer 8

The idea that personality is linked to the bone structure and in particular one’s facial appearance or countenance

• Apparent in books like Jane Eyre/Charles Dickens
• Still do it! (Eg; lookalike a shady character…)

Question 9

Physiognomy - Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)
(‘Father of criminology’)
“Born criminal” theory - Bio. Determinism

Answer 9

• Italian prison doctor
• Claimed that the ideas of physiognomy can be applied to identify criminal tendencies

see notes for study