Module 47 - Contemporary Research on Personality Flashcards
(24 cards)
Personality:
An individual’s unique constellation of traits.
Trait:
A characteristic pattern or a disposition to feel and act a certain way.
Factor Analysis:
Used to evaluate relationships among the immense list of
personality traits.
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Traits that tend to group together are called factors or trait dimensions (Extrovert-Introvert).
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Hans and Sybil Eysenck (based on studying people in 35 countries) suggested that personality could be reduced to two factors or dimensions, extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability.
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Extroverts:
Lower levels of arousal in brain, especially frontal lobe.
Brain-imaging procedures show that extraverts seek stimulation because their normal brain arousal is relatively low.
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Introverts:
Higher ANS reactivity in social situations (more likely to be anxious)
May avoid stimulation.
d
Personality Inventories
Personality inventories are questionnaires (often with true- false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge a wide range of traits at once.
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The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests.
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Empirical Approach: Started with clinical groups (depressed, anxious) and normal group.
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The Big Five Factors Today’s trait researchers believe that earlier trait dimensions, such as the Eysencks’ personality dimensions, fail to tell the whole story. So, an expanded range (five factors) of traits does a better job of assessment (CANOE) Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism Openness Extraversion
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How well do traits predict behavior?
Traits may be weak predictors of specific behaviors (extraverts may not talk to every stranger)
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raits predict:
1) success in school. High conscientiousness predicts better grades.
2) Success in marriage: Similarities in agreeableness, emotional stability and openness predict stability of marriage (and sexual satisfaction)
3) Music preference. Open to experience more likely to like Jazz, blues, and folk music
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Bandura (1986, 2001, 2005): personality is result of the interaction between person and social context.
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Reciprocal Determinism
3 way interaction between: internal factors (thoughts and feelings), behavior, and environmental factors (social situations)
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3 ways Individuals and Environments Interact:
1. Different people choose different environments
Music you listen to,TV you watch, friends you have, career path (job) you choose etc.
The environment in turn, then affects (shapes) you
2. Our personality determines how we react to situations.
Anxious people react differently than relaxed people to situations (approaching stranger)
3. Our personalities shape situations.
Our personality could affect the way other people treat us (reap what we sow, intentionally or not)
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Social Cognitive Perspective
Behavior emerges from an interplay of external and internal influences.
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Personal control: Whether we (think we) control the environment or the environment controls us.
Major topic in social-cognitive perspective
Do you think success in life results from hard work or by chance (fate).
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External locus of control refers to the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate.
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Internal locus of control refers to the perception that we can control our own fate.
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People with Internal locus of control:
achieve more in school, act independently, have better health (generally), less likely to be depressed, cope with stress better.
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Learned Helplessness: Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and depression following exposure to repeated situations over which you have no control.
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Learned Helplessness
When unable to avoid repeated adverse events an animal or human learns helplessness.
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Gaining Control: Extremely important for sense of well being.
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