Personality Flashcards
(23 cards)
Levels of consciousness
Unconscious; consists of deeply hidden memories and thoughts that cause urges and impulses
Pre conscious; easily retrievable thoughts and memories just under conscious thought
Consciousness; everything we are aware of at a time
Freud - Anxiety
Occurs when there is conflict within the psyche ego defences (repression, displacement) deal with anxiety
Psychosexual Stages
Developmental stages each with a particular sexual focus Oral Stage (0-1 years) Anal Stage (0-3 years) Phallic Stage (3-6 years) Latency Stage (6-12 years) Genital Stage (12+)
Trait Theory - Allport
1897 - 1967
A trait is a generalised neurophysic system that makes environmental stimuli similar and guides consistent behaviour
Cardinal Trait
An overriding trait that dictates all actions
eg Mother Theresa’s selflessness
Central Trait
A tendency to think a certain way
eg. optimistic, honesty
Secondary Trait
Appears in certain social situations
eg. quiet at school, extroverted in public
Trait Theory - Eysenk
1916 - 1997
Personality is a stable, enduring organisation of character, temperament and intellect, which determines their adjustment to their environment
Eysenk - Personality Factors
1985
Extraversion - Introversion
Stability - Instability
Psychotism (antisocial tendencies)
extraverted and stable = carefree, leader
extraverted and unstable = aggressive
Humanistic Theories Overview
The belief that people are good and strive to reach their potential, resulting in personality
Carl Rogers Self Theory
1902 - 1987
Personality develops through striving to achieve our potential, making the most of our skills
Carl Rogers - Concept of self
To be well adjusted, there must be a good match between the true self, self image and real self
Carl Rogers - Fully Functioning Person
Is open to experiences, lives in the present, trusts instincts, responsible, experiences unconditional positive regard
Abraham Maslow - Heirarchy of Needs
1908 - 1970
To achieve self actualisation, we must satisfy lower order needs (basic, psychological, self fulfilment)
Projective testing
The patient is required to interpret “meaningless” stimuli
- Thematic Appreciation Test
- Rorchach Ink Blot Test
Thematic Appreciation Test
1943
Consists of 10 drawings, the patient must explain scenarios leading up to, during, and following the event
It reveals feelings about social relationships (Alvarado 1994)
Rorstach Ink Blot Test
1920
5 black and white, 5 coloured cards that the patient must interpret, and their answers are then interpreted
Advantages of Projective Testing
Difficult to fake answers
Able to gauge body language
Ink blot test is effective in detecting psychosis (Gallen 1996)
Disadvantages of Projective Testing
Psychologists own personality can be projected into the results
Most people are diagnosed as mentally disturbed (Wood et al 2003)
Variability and reliability is poor
Non Projective Testing
Self Reports; a personality profile is developed through responses to questions
Includes trick questions to check honesty
0-10 Rating scale
Advantages of Self Reports
Objective Easily compared Can eliminate faking Group testing Simple scoring
Disadvantages of Self Reports
Structured questions can inhibit deeper feelings
The questions are obvious - easy to provide socially acceptable questions
Focussed on trait and behaviours that don’t predict behaviour
Freud - parts of the psyche
the id - irrational, pleasure seeking; completely unconscious
the ego - rational, develops around 2 due to environmental exposure; on all levels of consciousness
the super-ego - moralistic, develops around 5, blocks unacceptable urges from the id
