Unit 3️⃣ Part 1️⃣

Question 1

What is Personality?

Answer 1

• Personality is made up of traits—characteristics that stay stable over time and make people different from each other.
• Some traits explain why we act a certain way (internal causes), while others are just descriptions of behavior.

Question 2

What is a Trait?

Answer 2

There are two ways to think about traits:

1. Traits as Internal Causes – They exist inside a person and influence behavior, even if they don’t always show.
   Example: Luisa loves to travel, so she travels a lot (unless something stops her, like money issues).
2. Traits as Descriptions of Behavior – Traits are just a way to describe what someone usually does.
   Example: Calling George “jealous” means he often acts that way, but we don’t assume why.

Question 3

How Do We Identify Important Traits?

Answer 3

There are three ways to figure out the most important personality traits:

1. Lexical Approach – The idea that if a trait is important, people will create words for it. The more synonyms a trait has across different languages, the more important it is.
2. Statistical Approach – Uses surveys and numbers to group traits into categories (e.g., Factor Analysis).
3. Theoretical Approach – Traits are chosen based on a psychological theory (e.g., a psychoanalyst would focus on childhood experiences).

Question 4

What are the three traits in Eysenck’s PEN Model?

Answer 4

Psychologist Hans Eysenck created a model with three key traits:

1. Psychoticism – Aggressive, impulsive, antisocial behavior.
2. Extraversion – Sociable, outgoing, loves being around people.
3. Neuroticism – Emotionally unstable, anxious, and prone to stress.

Key Idea:
Personality is partly biological—some traits are linked to brain activity and hormones.
Example: Introverts have a more active nervous system, so they avoid too much stimulation, while extroverts seek excitement.

Question 5

Which are the big five model?

Answer 5

A more popular system than Eysenck’s model. It has five main traits:
1. Openness to Experience – Creative, curious, willing to try new things.
2. Conscientiousness – Hardworking, responsible, organized.
3. Extraversion – Outgoing, social, loves attention.
4. Agreeableness – Kind, cooperative, avoids conflict.
5. Neuroticism – Emotionally unstable, anxious, moody.
Each trait has subcategories (called facets), which help explain personality in more detail.
Example: A person with high “Agreeableness” might be empathetic and trusting.

Question 6

What is the HEXACO model?

Answer 6

A newer model that adds a sixth trait to the Big Five:
- Honesty-Humility – Being fair, modest, and not manipulative.
People low in this trait tend to lie, cheat, and take advantage of others.

Question 7

Do personality traits change over time?

Answer 7

Some traits stay stable, but others change due to life experiences.
Example: A shy child might become more outgoing over time, but their core personality remains similar.
Changes happen gradually, and some traits (like conscientiousness) tend to increase with age.