Paper 2: Personality

Question 1

What is personality?

Answer 1

Personality can be defined as the collection of distinctive characteristics of an individual which are specific to them

Question 2

What is a trait?

Answer 2

A trait can be defined as an enduring quality that characterises an individual.

Question 3

What is trait theory?

Answer 3

Cattell (1965)

Trait theory of personality proposes that behaviour is innate and enduring, with individuals being predisposed to act in a certain way to specific situations

• nature debate
• environment doesn’t have any effect on personality or behaviour

Question 4

How can trait personality be summarised by an equation?

Answer 4

Behaviour = Function of personality

Question 5

What is social learning theory of personality?

Answer 5

Social learning theory proposes that behaviour is determined by previous observation and the learning of how to behave in a variety of social situations.

• behaviour can be modified through the observation of another performer
• nurture debate
• environment effects personality and behaviour

Question 6

How can social learning theory be summarised by an equation?

Answer 6

Behaviour = function of the environment

Question 7

How can social learning be enhanced?

Answer 7

Social learning is enhanced if the model being observed:

• shares the same characteristics as the observer
• has high status
• observer is motivated to learn

Question 8

Examples of social learning taking place?

Answer 8

Young player diving in football to win a free kick because they saw a role model do it on TV

Question 9

What is the interactionist theory of personality?

Answer 9

Lewin

Interactionist theory proposes that an individual’s behaviour is governed by the relation between their personality and the situation’s environment.

Question 10

How can the interactionist theory of personality (Lewin) be demonstrated with an equation?

Answer 10

Behaviour = Function of (Personality x Environment)

Question 11

What is Hollander’s concentric ring theory?

Answer 11

An interactionist approach to theory of personality

Psychological Core:
- unchanging and describes the underlying and enduring attitudes of an individual

Typical responses:
- The psychological core affects the typical responses that the individual will exhibit in specific situations

Role-related behaviours:
- changeable, describes how an individual may act differently in varying situations and the social environment they find themselves in