Week 8: Ch.11: Self, Identity, & Personality

Question 1

Big 5 Personality Trait Theory

Answer 1

Five clusters of personality traits that reflect an inborn predisposition that is stable throughout life

1. Openness
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extroversion
4. Agreeableness
5. Neuroticism

(p. 413)

Question 2

Categorical Self

Answer 2

A classification of the self based on broad ways in which people differ, such as sex, age, and physical characteristics, which children use to guide their behavior

Question 3

Global Self-Esteem

Answer 3

An overall evaluation of self-worth

Tends to decline starting around 11 and hits a low at 12 to 13

Question 4

Ideal vs Real Self

Answer 4

Ideal Self: A sense of self that is characterized by traits that one values

Real Self: Who an individual is, their personal characteristics

The match between the real self and the ideal self influences well-being

Question 5

Identity

Answer 5

A coherent organized sense of self that includes values, attitudes, and goals to which one is committed

Question 6

Identity Achievement

Answer 6

The identity state in which after undergoing a period of exploration a person commits to self-chosen values and goals

Active problem solving style, high self-esteem, feelings of control, high moral reasoning, and positive views of work and school

Question 7

Identity Diffusion

Answer 7

Has neither committed to an identity nor explored alternatives

Avoidance, tending to not solve personal problems in favor of letting issues decide themselves, academic difficulties, apathy, alcohol and substance use

Question 8

Identity Foreclosure

Answer 8

Has committed to an identity without having explored multiple possibilities

Avoidance of reflecting on identity choice; not open to new information, especially if it contradicts their position; rigid and inflexible
No exploration but commitment

Question 9

Identity Status

Answer 9

The degree to which individuals have explored possible selves and whether they have committed to specific beliefs and goals, assessed by administering interview and survey measures, and categorized into four identity statuses
Researchers classify individuals’ progress in identity development into four categories

Question 10

Life Review

Answer 10

The reflection on past experiences and one’s life, permitting greater self-understanding and the assignment of meaning to their lives

Question 11

Possible Selves

Answer 11

Future-oriented representations of self-concept into the future; who an individual might become, both hoped for and feared, that guides and motivates choices and behaviors.
This is a motivator of behavior from early adulthood into older adulthood

Question 12

Psychosocial Moratorium

Answer 12

In Erikson’s theory, a period in which the individual is free to explore identity possibilities before committing to an identity
(usually during adolescence)

Consider one’s beliefs, personalities

Young people who successfully engage in this process emerge with a sense of identity

Unsuccessful resolution results in confusion and withdrawal from peers and loved ones

Question 13

Self-Concept

Answer 13

The set of attributes, abilities, and characteristics that a person uses to describe and define him or herself

Question 14

Self-Esteem

Answer 14

The general emotional evaluation of one’s own worth

Question 15

Self-Recognition

Answer 15

The ability to identify the self, typically measured as mirror recognition (“rouge test”)

Whether the infant recognizes themselves in the mirror is dependent on cognitive development, especially the ability to engage in mental representation and hold images in one’s mind

Question 16

Social Comparison

Answer 16

The tendency to compare and judge one’s abilities, achievements, and behaviors in relation to others

Question 17

Theory of Mind

Answer 17

The capacity to understand the mental states of others

Allows us to think about what is going on in the minds of other people
We use that information to understand other people’s behavior

Perception, Belief, Desire, Emotions