Intro to TOP Flashcards
Widely believed to come from the Latin word,
“persona” referring to a theatrical mask worn by
Roman actors in Greek dramas to project a
role/false appearance
Personality
is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and
unique characteristics that give both consistency and
individuality to a person’s behavior
Personality
contribute to individual differences in behavior,
consistency of behavior over time, and stability of behavior
across situations
Traits
are unique qualities of an individual that
include such attributes as temperament, physique, and
intelligence
Characteristics
a set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical
deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses
Theory
can never fill all the requirements of an adequate theory
Single assumption
can neither generate meaningful hypotheses nor
possess internal consistencyq
Isolated assumption
Is used by the researcher to formulate
hypotheses.
Logical deductive reasoning
A hypothesis must be this to be useful
Testable
Comes from the Greek terms “philo” meaning love and “sophia”
meaning wisdom (love of wisdom)
Philosophy
Pursues wisdom via thinking and reasoning
Philosophy
nature of knowledge
Epistemology
DOESN’T ENTIRELY CONCERN
ITSELF WITH VALUES/HOW TO
LIVE ONE’S LIFE, CONCERNED WITH
SCIENTIFIC/IMPERICAL
EVIDENCE, USES IF-THEN STATEMENTS
Theory
PRINCIPAL CORE IS
LEARNING VALUES, IS NOT CONCERNED WITH
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
Philosophy
refers to making guesses or
predictions about something without
having definite evidence or proof
Speculation
is the branch of study
concerned with observation and
classification of data and with the
verification of general laws through
the testing of hypotheses
Science
an educated guess or prediction
specific enough for its validity to be
tested through the use of the
scientific method
Hypothesis
a scientific investigator can derive
testable hypotheses from a useful
theory and then test
Testable hypothesis
a classification of things according to
their natural relationships.
* can evolve into theories when they begin
to generate testable hypotheses and to
explain research findings
Taxonomy
Primary function of scientific theory
is to describe and
explain how the world works
- focused on the importance of early
childhood experience and on relationships
with parents as guiding forces that shape
personality development - view sees the unconscious mind and
motives as more powerful than the
conscious one - share a concern with the dynamic forces
that determine our behavior
Psychodynamic theory
- primary assumption of this approach is that people strive toward meaning, growth, well-being, happiness, and psychological health.
- emphasize on the ability of humans to choose
for themselves and to lead their own lives - assume that not only are
we driven by a search for meaning, but also
that negative experiences are part of the
human condition and can foster psychological
growth - Both place high importance on the individual’s
experiences and subjective view
Humanistic-Existential Theories (Positive
Psychology)
- The only theory that does not explain
personality - argue that the unique and long-term
tendencies to behave in particular ways
are the essence of our personality - Traits serve the function of making
certain behaviors more likely in some
people
Dispositional theory
- Behavior, thought, feelings, and
personality are influenced by differences
in basic genetic, epigenetic, and
neurological systems between
individuals
Biological-Evolutionary Theories
