Midterm 1

Question 1

In discussing the fact that so many different theories of personality exist, I suggested that:
a. our understanding of personality has evolved, and more recent theories are more complete and scientific than earlier theories.
b. each theory provides a different, but perhaps equally ‘true’, description of what personality is.
c. some theories are designed to be predictive, while others are designed to be postdictive, and the two types of theories are
necessarily different.
d. theories with nomothetic perspectives employ hypothetical constructs, while theories with idiographic perspectives employ
validated constructs.
e. all of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The relationship between the (1) idiographic and (2) nomothetic approaches to personality is analogous to the relationship
between:
a. (1) a researcher searching for aspects of personality that are common to all people and (2) a clinician trying to understand a
single individual.
b. (1) a clinician trying to understand a single individual and (2) a researcher searching for aspects of personality that are
common to all people.
c. (1) a theorist trying to describe personality on a large scale and (2) a researcher trying to understand only one aspect of
personality.
d. (1) the trait approach to personality and (2) the psychodynamic approach to personality.
e. (1) Freud’s approach to personality and (2) Jung’s approach to personality.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Personality theories tend to differ from other psychological theories in several ways. Which of the following is NOT one of the
ways I mentioned?
a. Personality theories tend to be inspired by clinical work, rather than going from theory to clinical practice.
b. Personality theories tend to be postdictive rather than predictive.
c. Personality theories tend to be more general and all-encompassing than other psychological theories.
d. Personality theories tend to have more hypothetical constructs than other psychological theories.
e. all of the above ARE way in which personality theories differ from other psychological theories.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In discussing the role of hypothetical constructs (HC) in science (and psychology in particular) , I suggested that:
a. HC are used only when phenomena covered by a theory cannot be precisely measured. Thus HC are used in psychology, but
not in physics or biology.
b. all branches of science - including physics and chemistry - use HC, since they assist us in organizing, understanding and
explaining complex phenomena.
c. we must be careful to remember that HC are explanatory fictions, and (perhaps like the id) do not necessarily have a real
physical existence.
d. both b and c
e. none of the above.

Answer 4

D

Question 5

In comparing the humanistic and behavioral approaches to personality we note that:
a. the humanistic approach is more likely to view personality from an idiographic perspective.
b. the humanistic approach places more emphasis on the role of internal factors (as opposed to environment) in the explanation
of behavior.
c. the behavioral approach is more likely to see past experiences rather than future goals as the causes of an individual’s
behavior.
d. all of the above
e. b and c only

Answer 5

D

Question 6

If we compare the different approaches to personality that we discussed, we find that:
a. more than other approaches, the humanistic approach take an nomothetic view of personality.
b. both the psychodynamic and trait approaches stress the role of situational factors in explaining an individual’s behavior.
c. the trait and type approaches are more likely than other approaches to stress the genetic or biological bases of personality.
d. both the existential and psychodynamic approaches tend to emphasize the role of negative instincts in motivation and
personality structure.
e. more than one of the above

Answer 6

C

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true of Freud’s theory of human motivation?

a. It argues that human motivation is hedonistic - based on the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of unpleasure, or pain.
b. It describes motivation using metaphors and concepts from biology (instinct) and physics (energy).
c. It includes two instincts: sexuality/procreation (Eros) and aggression/self-destruction (Thanatos).
d. It argues that libido is the energy associated with sexuality, and may also be the energy associated with aggressiveness.
e. all of the above are true of Freud’s theory of human motivation

Answer 7

E

Question 8

According to Freud, which of the following statements about libido is NOT true?

a. Libido is the energy which powers all of behavior, and is located in the unconscious part of the psyche.
b. Libido was initially identified as purely a sexual energy.
c. Libido is at its maximum amount at birth (or perhaps puberty), and is reduced day by day after that.
d. Libido is also called Eros.
e. all of the above are TRUE.

Answer 8

D

Question 9

The Id:

a. cannot distinguish reality from fantasy
b. uses reflex actions and wish fulfillment to satisfy bodily needs
c. engages in predicate thinking
d. recognizes nothing that is external to itself.
e. all of the above

Answer 9

E

Question 10

If we compare the primary process and the secondary process we find that

a. the former is characteristic of the Id, while the latter is characteristic of the Ego.
b. both have as their goal the fulfillment of Id impulses and the release of libido.
c. the former involves cathexes to internal images, while the latter involves cathexes to external objects.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only

Answer 10

D

Question 11

According to Freud, a cathexis occurs when:

a. the id or ego attaches libido to an internal image or an external object.
b. libido is transformed into a psychic or somatic symptom.
c. the ego raises a block against the entry of an id impulse or image into consciousness.
d. libido is transformed, and used to provide the energy for the operation of conscious ego functions
e. none of the above.

Answer 11

A

Question 12

Concerning the Ego Freud argued that:

a. its internal processes and activities are powered by an energy source (thanatos) that is different from libido.
b. it interacts with the world through processes Freud called secondary predicate thinking.
c. it is made up of two parts; the conscious ego, and the unconscious ego-ideal.
d. its primary function is to prevent the release of sexual energy by the Id.
e. none of the above.

Answer 12

E

Question 13

According to Freud, the Superego:

a. experiences moral anxiety when morally unacceptable ideas or images enter the conscious ego.
b. includes the ego-ideal, the internal representation of behaviors for which the child has been rewarded by parents.
c. is usually formed just before the onset of the Oedipus Complex.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only.

Answer 13

B

Question 14

Freud’s views on anxiety imply that:
a. an individual who never experiences neurotic anxiety (but who can experience other types) will have no need for defense
mechanisms.
b. an individual planning an immoral action that she knows will never be detected or punished will experience moral anxiety
but not neurotic anxiety.
c. a newborn child, who has no ego, cannot experience reality anxiety, but CAN experience neurotic anxiety.
d. the first experience of moral anxiety should occur earlier in life than the first experience of neurotic anxiety.
e. none of the above

Answer 14

B

Question 15

According to Freud’s view of castration anxiety, we would expect that:
a. a boy with unusually strong castration anxiety as a child would be more likely to have a phallic dominant personality as an
adult than a boy with weak castration anxiety.
b. the stronger a boy’s castration anxiety, the weaker would be his defensive identification with his father.
c. the weaker a boy’s castration anxiety, the more sexual libido he would leave attached to his mother.
d. the strength of castration anxiety depends primarily on the extent to which Father (in addition to Mother) has served as a
source of pleasure for the child.
e. none of the above.

Answer 15

C

Question 16

We can understand the importance of the Oedipus complex only by considering where libido is cathected before and after its
(normal) resolution. For example, we noted that:
a. for both boys and girls, the complex begins with a cathexis of sexual libido to Mother.
b. after its resolution in boys, most sexual libido has been displaced away from Mother, though some remains cathected to her.
c. after its resolution in girls, most sexual libido has been displaced away from Father, and some aggressive libido remains
cathected to Mother.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only

Answer 16

D

Question 17

If we compare the nature and resolution of Oedipus Complex in males and females we find that, according to Freud:
a. for both boys and girls, the complex begins with an cathexis to Mother.
b. the boy wants to eliminate Father to possess Mother, while the girl wants to eliminate Mother because she is a rival for
Father’s attention.
c. the boy may displace his desire for Mother onto his wife or female partner, while the girl may displace her wish for Father
onto a wish for a male baby.
d. all of the above
e. a and c only

Answer 17

E

Question 18

According to Freud’s views on the stages of psychosexual development:

a. the child enters the anal stage at about 2 years of age.
b. the child’s sexuality remains narcissistic until the genital stage.
c. the child is in the latency stage longer than he or she is in the phallic stage.
d. the child is in the oral aggressive stage longer than she is in the oral incorporative stage.
e. None of the above

Answer 18

C

Question 19

In The Silence of the Lambs Hannibal Lecter is a serial killer who dismembered and ate his victims. As a brilliant former
psychiatrist, he eagerly spends time absorbing the life history of FBI agent Clarice Starling. He is an avid reader, enjoys listening
to classical music, and longs for a chance to take in a view more interesting than the walls of his basement cell. Based on this
information, it seems most reasonable that Lecter’s personality results from a fixation of libido:
a. late in the oral stage
b. early in the anal stage
c. early in the phallic stage
d. late in the oral stage
e. none of the above.

Answer 19

E

Question 20

In psychoanalytic theory, repression is a function of ____ which is designed to ___ , and results in _____.

a. the conscious ego …. avoid neurotic anxiety …. blocked expression of an id impulse
b. the unconscious ego …. avoid neurotic anxiety … reality anxiety.
c. the superego …. punish the ego for collaborating in an unacceptable expression of libido … guilt or anxiety.
d. the id …. disguise the true nature of an id impulse …. neurotic anxiety
e. none of the above.

Answer 20

E

Question 21

Unconsciously, Jeff has aggressive impulses toward his father. He defends against these unacceptable impulses with a
combination of displacement and projection. We would not be surprised to find that Jeff:
a. believes that his boss hates him and is out to get him fired.
b. finds male authority figures sexually attractive.
c. is constantly competing with his male friends, especially those who resemble his father.
d. treats his father with great respect and affection.
e. none of the above describes a combination of displacement and projection

Answer 21

A

Question 22

If we compare Freud’s idea of libido with Jung’s we find that:

a. both believed that libido was energy connected to, or in the service of, instincts.
b. unlike Freud, Jung saw libido not as an energy source, but as a force that guided the individual in the direction of self actualization.
c. both agreed that libido is primarily a sexual energy.
d. unlike Freud, Jung saw libido as a general life force rather than as a primarily sexual energy.
e. both a and d

Answer 22

E

Question 23

If we compare Jung’s collective unconscious with Freud’s id, we find both similarities and differences. Which of the following is
NOT a valid comparison of the id and collective unconscious?
a. They are similar in that both represent the biological basis of human nature and personality.
b. They are different in that the contents of the id can be altered by personal experience, while the contents of the collective
unconscious cannot.
c. They are similar in that we are not usually consciously aware of the contents or operations of either the id or collective
unconscious.
d. They are similar in that the contents of both id and collective unconscious appear in or influence art and religion.
e. all of the above are VALID comparisons

Answer 23

E

Question 24

Which of the following statements about archetypes is NOT TRUE, according to Jung?
a. They influence the ways in which we perceive the world around us, and how we organize, conceptualize and categorize our
experiences.
b. They have no content, but are only forms, waiting to be filled with our own personal experience.
c. They should not be confused with instincts, which play a very different role in our conscious experience of the world around
us.
d. Some archetypes attract to themselves (or become the core of) parts of our own personality that are not acceptable to our
conscious awareness.
e. all of the above statements are TRUE according to Jung

Answer 24

C

Question 25

Which of the following statements is NOT true of the personal unconscious as Jung described it?

a. At birth, the personal unconscious does not exist, or if it does, it has no contents.
b. It contains ideas, impressions, and memories that have been repressed by the Ego as unacceptable to consciousness.
c. It contains the individual’s complexes.
d. Information in the personal unconscious cannot move into consciousness.
e. all of the above are TRUE of the personal unconscious.

Answer 25

D

Question 26

Although Freud actually originated the term complex, Jung made the concept a central part of his theory, arguing that:
a. complexes are sets of thematically related ideas, images, feelings and memories.
b. at the core of all (or most) complexes is an archetype.
c. complexes can be either negative (drawing energy away from more useful or adaptive behavior) or positive (providing
sources of inspiration or drive).
d. all of the above
e. a and b only

Answer 26

D

Question 27

In Jung’s theory, the Persona:

a. is the conscious manifestation of the archetype of individuation.
b. is the archetype of individuality.
c. is that part of the Ego that resides in the personal unconscious.
d. must be inflated before it can assist us in developing our full potential.
e. none of the above.

Answer 27

E

Question 28

According to Jung, the Anima:
a. (as an archetype) is the image or understanding of femaleness possessed only by males.
b. (as an archetype) is projected by females onto their relationships with males.
c. (as a complex) contains those ‘masculine’ aspects of a female’s personality that she finds consciously unacceptable.
d. (as a complex) contains those ‘feminine’ aspects of a male’s personality that he has consciously accepted as part of his
personality.
e. both a and d

Answer 28

A

Question 29

Which of the following statements about the Shadow is NOT TRUE according to Jung?

a. As an archetype or instinct, it includes some of our most primitive and basic tendencies as a species.
b. It tends to be projected onto an individual’s relationships with individuals of the same sex.
c. As a part of personality, it consists of those aspects of our personality that we consciously consider ‘Other’.
d. It must be eliminated from the Self if the individual is to develop fully and positively.
e. all of the above are TRUE

Answer 29

D

Question 30

Jungian analysis has determined that Joan has a Self complex. According to Jung, which of the following statements about Joan
is UNTRUE (or least likely to be true)?
a. Joan has no other complexes in her personal unconscious.
b. Joan has achieved unification and balance in his or her personality.
c. Joan no longer has archetypes.
d. Joan is likely to be over the age of 40.
e. All of the above are equally likely to be TRUE

Answer 30

C

Question 31

According to Jung, the relationship between individuation, the transcendent function and the Self is such that:
a. the Self, which is another term for the transcendent function, arises after individuation has been overcome.
b. the Self can only be actualized through the combined (though opposite) processes of individuation and the transcendent
function.
c. individuation involves actualizing the Self, and occurs only after the transcendent function has reduced the dominance of the
Persona.
d. individuation is the highest goal of personality development. It is achieved only when the operation of the transcendent
function raises the Self to consciousness.
e. none of the above

Answer 31

B

Question 32

Traci’s conscious is oriented toward the outer world, and her unconscious is dominated by sensing, According to Jung’s typology,
Traci’s conscious personality would be that of:
a. a feeling introvert
b. a sensing extravert
c. an intuiting introvert
d. a thinking introvert
e. none of the above

Answer 32

E