Trait Approaches

Question 1

Four approaches

Answer 1

Single trait, many trait, essential trait, typological approach.

Question 2

Single trait

Answer 2

Identify all behaviors and life outcomes for one personality trait.
Ex: narcissism, self monitoring 

Question 3

Many trait approach

Answer 3

Attempts to identify all of the personality traits that predict a particular behavior or life outcome
Ex. Preschool personality traits, conservative adult
Delinquent children ~> what traits

Question 4

California Q set

Answer 4

Forced normal distribution

Question 5

The essential trait approach

Answer 5

Identify the set of traits that are generally most important for describing and predicting behavior
Ex: cattells 16 essential traits, eysencks giant 3, big 5 

Question 6

Eysencks giant 3

Answer 6

PEN
Psychoticism- aggressive, impulsive, self indulgent
Extroversion
Neuroticism

Question 7

Big 5

Answer 7

OCEAN

Question 8

The typological approach

Answer 8

Identifies groups of people with distinct combinations of personality characteristics. Qualitative rather than quantitative differences.
Ex. Myers brigs 

Question 9

Factor, facet, habit

Answer 9

Factor- extroversion
Facet- sociability
Habit- smiling or telling a joke

Question 10

Neo

Answer 10

Divides each of big five into six facets

Question 11

Meta traits

Answer 11

Stability and plasticity

Question 12

Stability

Answer 12

Conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism 
How much impulse control and self control you have.
Linked to serotonin

Question 13

Plasticity

Answer 13

Extroversion and openness
Engagement with the world and open to new experiences.
Linked to dopamine.

Question 14

State levels of personality

Answer 14

South East higher agreeableness
North east higher neuroticism
Openness higher in major cities bc there’s more diversity and openness is facilitated

Question 15

Appearance and big five

Answer 15

Agreeableness extroversion and openness

Question 16

Valid and invalid cue

Answer 16

Invalid- how stale a room seemed and neuroticism
Valid- variety of CDs and openness

Question 17

Pros of big five

Answer 17

Most traits conceptualized.
Quick and easy way to describe others.

Question 18

Cons of big five

Answer 18

Are they most essential? (HEXACO)
Descriptive not explanatory.
Empirically derived not theory based.
Oversimplified.

Question 19

Plaster hypothesis

Answer 19

Personality doesn’t change after 30

Question 20

Mean level change

Answer 20

Average score on a trait, increases or decreases with age

Longitudinal or cross sectional

Question 21

Rank order change

Answer 21

When ordering of individuals on a trait changes with age

Only use longitudinal 

Question 22

Maturity principle

Answer 22

Adults are changing, mostly positively

Question 23

Retest correlation

Answer 23

Rank order changes, if it stays the same rank order stability will be 1. If correlation is less than one then there has been a change

Question 24

Cumulative continuity principle

Answer 24

Rank order stability increases with age

Question 25

Volitional personality change

Answer 25

Many want to do something about parts of our personality, seeking to invoke change

Question 26

Five assumptions

Answer 26

1) parts of the mind 2) levels of consciousness 3) mental conflict 4) mental energy 5) mental determinism 

Question 27

Three parts of mind

Answer 27

ID, EGO, superego

Question 28

Mental conflict

Answer 28

Id impulses, super ego demands, and reality often conflict with another.

Question 29

Mental energy

Answer 29

All mental processes require mental energy (libido) 

Question 30

Mental determinism

Answer 30

All behavior has specific causes in the mind. No accidental behavior. Freudian slips = accidentally saying something but it is what you rly mean 

Question 31

Anxiety sources

Answer 31

Psychological anxiety: unmet demands and unresolved mental conflicts Realistic anxiety: actual threats in real world

Question 32

Defense mechanisms

Answer 32

Ego processes used to keep anxiety out of consciousness Denial repression intellectualization sublimation

Question 33

Denial

Answer 33

Refusing to acknowledge or accept new threatening info

Question 34

Repression

Answer 34

Forcefully, blocking, and anxiety provoking, thought from consciousness

Question 35

Intellectualization

Answer 35

Thinking about a threatening impulses or situation in a detached analytical way

Question 36

Sublimation

Answer 36

Transforming unacceptable impulses into a constructive behavior

Question 37

Oral

Answer 37

Infant is all ID. Dependent. Focus on mouth and pleasure.

Question 38

Anal

Answer 38

Toddler develops ego. Tries to control potty impulses. Control and obedience.

Question 39

Phallic

Answer 39

Gender identification. Superego. Morality. Penis and vagina

Question 40

Latency

Answer 40

No major psych issue

Question 41

Genital

Answer 41

Maturity. Genitals. Creation and enhancement of life.

Question 42

Eriksons stages

Answer 42

1)Trust v mistrust 2)autonomy v shame and doubt 3)initiative v guilt 4) industry v inferiority 5)identity v confusion 6)intimacy v isolation 7) generativity v stagnation 8) integrity v despair

Question 43

Psychic determinism

Answer 43

Accidents not actually accidents

Question 44

Limitations of Freud

Answer 44

Motives based entirely on physiological drives. We have other needs than sex and aggression. Difficulty to quantify and falsify. 

Question 45

REP test

Answer 45

Constructs revealed by how are you discriminate among things. Looking for things relevant to you when you look at people

Question 46

Flow

Answer 46

Complete absorption in an activity for its own sake. 

Question 47

Self actualization

Answer 47

The process of improving towards one’s maximum potential 

Question 48

Conditions of worth (Rogers)

Answer 48

Do this well, why ppl like you. Encourage personal growth. Unconditional positive regard. 

Question 49

Maslow hierarchy of needs

Answer 49

Needing to focus on other more basic concerns. Food, safety, belonging, esteem, self actualization. 

Question 50

Hedonia

Answer 50

Maximize pleasure, minimize pain

Question 51

Eudalmonia

Answer 51

Universal needs 1) autonomy 2) competence 3)relatedness

Question 52

Paths to happiness

Answer 52

Life of pleasure Life of engagement Life of meaning

Question 53

Hedonic adaptation

Answer 53

Ability to quickly adapt to changes