Personality

Question 1

Type theory

Answer 1

Since Hippocrates, people placed into categories, often based on physical appearance. 1800s: phrenology.
William Sheldon: somatotypes
- endomorph (short, plump): pleasure-seeking, social behavior
- mesomorph (muscular, athletic): energetic, aggressive
- ectomorph (skinny, fragile): inhibited, intellectual

type theories have mostly given way to trait theories

Question 2

Gordon Allport

Answer 2

ideographic approach - attempt to capture an individual’s unique characteristics rather than the nomothetic approach (large numbers of people used to study the commonalities of personality)

proprium/propriate function (his version of the ego) acts based on traits it develops through experience

Question 3

Allport’s traits

Answer 3

relatively stable characteristics of behavior. people have a cardinal trait that is always consistent, central traits, then secondary traits that may conflict with each other

used a lexical approach to gather ~5000 traits

Question 4

Raymond Cattell

Answer 4

used factor analysis in data reduction of Allport’s 5000 traits. he found 16 bipolar source traits - 16 personality factors

Question 5

Big Five

Answer 5

superfactors - 5 dimensions encompassing all of personality

Openness to experience, curiosity
Conscientiousness
Extroversion, enthusiasm
Agreeableness
Neuroticism, nervousness

Question 6

Where does personality come from?

Answer 6

Dispositionists: internal determinants of behavior (twin studies: personality is 40-50% heritable)
Situationists e.g. behaviorists: circumstances determine behavior
Interactionists: currently at the forefront - combination

Question 7

Seymour Epstein & Walter Mischel

Answer 7

criticize both trait and type theory, saying people don’t act consistently. consistency paradox e.g. minister being a closeted adulterer

With Nancy Cantor, Mischel proposed the cognitive prototype approach, in which cognitive behavior is examined in social situations. he thought consistency of behavior comes from cognitive processes rather than personality traits

Question 8

Kay Deaux

Answer 8

women’s successes are attributed to luck, while men’s are attributed to skill. this suggests gender is a social construct that colors interpretations. women make these same attributions - lower self-esteem

Question 9

Sandra Bem

Answer 9

Bem Sex Role Inventory
androgynous individuals have higher self-esteem, lower anxiety and more adaptability than highly masculine or feminine peers

Question 10

Matina Horner

Answer 10

females fear success and its repercussions such as resentment and rejection

Question 11

Alice Eagly

Answer 11

interaction between gender and social status with regard to how easily an individual might be influenced or swayed

Question 12

Eleanor Maccoby and Carol Jacklin

Answer 12

females have greater verbal ability and males have greater visual/spatial ability

Question 13

Meyer Friedman & Ray Rosenman

Answer 13

Type A personality - most common in middle to upper class men.

Grant Dahlstrom linked Type A to heart disease and other problems.

Question 14

Authoritarianism

Answer 14

disposition to view the world as full of power relationships. domineering/submissive depending on their position in the situation. measured by F-scale (Fascism scale)

Question 15

George Kelley

Answer 15

personal constructs determine personality and behavior

Question 16

Julian Rotter

Answer 16

external locus of control: events are the result of luck - too much: helplessness

internal locus of control: events are the result of own actions. too much: self-blame

Question 17

implicit theories about personality

Answer 17

assuming an individual’s disposition based on their actions

Question 18

Barnum effect

Answer 18

tendency to agree with personality interpretations that are provided

Question 19

large mirrors

Answer 19

tend to make people more self-aware (see ourselves how others see us)

Question 20

self-awareness vs. self-consciousness

Answer 20

self awareness is a state (temporary condition)

self consciousness is a trait (how often one becomes self aware)

Question 21

self esteem

Answer 21

50% perceive themselves accurately, 35% narcissistically

Question 22

Costa and McCrae

Answer 22

personality changes very little after 30

Question 23

TAT

Answer 23

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Henry Murray asserted that people would project their own needs onto ambiguous story cards