Psychology of Personality: Chapter 15

What are the three mechanisms of social interaction?

selection, evocation, and manipulation

Selection

Personality characteristics of others influence whether we
select them as dates, friends, or marriage partners.

Personality characteristics play a role in…

types of situations we select to enter and stay in

Evocation

Ways in which features of personality elicit reactions from others

manipulation

Personality is linked to ways in which we try to influence or
manipulate others.

complementaru needs theory

postulates that people are attracted to those who have different personality dispositions than they have

attraction similarity theory

postulates that people are attracted to those who have similar personality characteristics to them.

complementary needs theory can be explained using the saying…

opposites attract

attraction similarity theory can be explained using the saying…

birds of a feather flock together

What theory has overwhelming support in regard to attraction?

attraction similarity theory

Assortative mating

people that are married to people similar to themselves

Most people consider the “ideal” romantic partner personality to be…

someone who is slightly higher on extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability than they are

What is the key to marital happiness?

Having a partner who is agreeable, emotionally stable, and open, regardless of whether the partner departs in specific ways from what one wants.

People who are married to agreeable partners are…

more satisfied with their sex lives and view their spouses as more loving, affectionate, a source of shared laughter, and a source of stimulating conversation

Different scores between the partner’s personality and one’s ideal for that personality did not…

predict happiness

Positive correlations between spouses are due to…

social preferences based on personality characteristics of those who are selecting

mate value

whether one succeeds in selecting a mate whose personality embodies qualities most people want

Those mated with high-mate-value individuals tend to…

be happier in their relationship than those mated with lower mate value individuals

violation of desire theory

breakups should occur more when one’s desires are violated than when they are fulfilled

Those who fail to select partners who are similar,
agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable tend to…

break up more often than those who succeed in selecting
such mates.

Shyness

tendency to feel tense, worried, or anxious during social interactions

During adolescence or early adulthood, shy people tend to…

avoid social situations, resulting in a form of isolation

Shy women are less likely to

go to a gynecologist and are less likely to bring up contraception with their potential sexual partners

What does shyness affect?

whether a person is willing to select risky
situations in the form of gambles

What has a substantial impact on the selective entry into or avoidance of, situations?

personality

People who are more empathic are more likely to…

volunteer for community activities.

Those high on psychoticism seem to choose…

volatile and spontaneous situations

Those high on Machiavellianism prefer…

face-to-face situations.

People high on Extraversion tend to…

select more friends

People high on Agreeableness tend to be…

selected more often by others as friends

High sensation seekers have been found to…

more frequently choose to enter risky situations

Evocation

Ways in which features of personality elicit reactions from
others

Once we select others to occupy our social environment…

a second class of processes is set into motion.

Hostile attributional bias

Tendency to infer hostile intent on the part of others in the
face of uncertain behavior from them

Aggressive people evoke

hostiity from others

What is the first form of evocation?

People can perform actions that cause emotional repsonses in a partner

What is the second form of evocation?

Person can clicit actions from others that in turn upset the original elicitor

Why do aggessive people treat others aggressively?

because they expect others to be hostile

People treated aggressively tend to aggress back and thus…

hostility is evoked from others by an aggressive
person

What study was done by Buss 1991a?

Role of personality on evocation of anger and upset in married couples

What did the study done by Buss 1991a assess?

personality characteristics of husbands and wives

What were the results of the study done by Buss 1991a?

The strongest predictors of spouse’s anger are low aggreeableness and emotional instability

Being liked by others is linked with…

higher levels of adjustment, mental health, and academic performance

Jealous induction

Intentionally flirting with someone else in order to make one’s partner jealous or upset

Agreeableness, the sociable component of extraversion, and the honesty–humility factor evoke…

Likability and pleasure in others

People low on agreeableness and honesty–humility evoke…

Pain in others

Expectancy confirmation

A phenomenon whereby people’s belief about the personality characteristics of others cause them to evoke in others actions that are consistent either the initial belief

What is expectancy confirmation known as?

Self-fulfilling prophecy

If we assume someone to have certain personality traits…

with their personality traits

…we perceive their behaviors and actions in line with their personality traits

What is the first perspective of the process of manipulation?

Are some individuals consistently more manipulative than others?

What is the second perspective of the process of manipulation?

Given that all people attempt to influence others, do stable personality characteristics predict the sorts of actions that are used?

Snyder and Swann (1978)

People’s beliefs led them to behave in an aggressive manner toward an unsuspecting target, which made the target behave in a more aggressive manner, confirming initial beliefs.

What is a taxonomy?

the identification and naming of groups within a particular subject field

How was the taxonomy of manipulation developed?

Through a two-step procedure

What is the first step of the taxonomy?

Nominations of acts of influence

What is the second act of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation?

Factor analysis of self-reports and observer-reports of the previously nominated acts

What are the eleven tactics identified through the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation?

Charm, coercion, silent treatment, reason, regression, self-abasement, responsibility invocation, hardball, pleasure induction, social comparison, monetary reward

Example of charm in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I try to be loving when I ask her to do it

Example of coercion in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I yell at him until he does it

Example of the silent treatment in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I don’t respond to her until she does it

Example of reason in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I explain why I want him to do it

Example of regression in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I whine until she does it

Example of self-abasement in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I act submissive so that he will do it

Example of responsibility invocation in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I get her to make a commitment to doing it

Example of hardball in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I hit her so that he will do it

Example of pleasure induction in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I show her how much it will be to do it

Example of social comparison in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I tell him everybody is doing it

Example of monetary reward in the procedure of taxonomy of tactics of manipulation

I offer her money so that she will do it

Men and women perform similar tactics of manipulation with the exception of…

Regression (whining and crying)

Some manipulation tactics depend on…

The goal of the tactician

People who score high in dominance tend to…

Use coercion and responsibility invocation

People low in dominance tend to use…

Self-abasement and hardball tactics

Highly agreeable people tend to use…

Pleasure induction and reason

People who are disagreeable tend to use…

Coercion and the silent treatment

People with the personality disposition of conscientiousness tend to use…

Reason

Emotionally manipulative people tend to use…

A variety of tactics with the most common being regression

People high on intellect-openess tend to use…

Reason, pleasure induction, and responsibility invocation

People low on intellect-openness tend to use…

Social comparison

Machiavellianism

Manipulation strategy of social interaction and a personality style that uses other people as tools for personal gain

People who score high on Machiavellianism (“high Machs”) select…

situations that are loosely structured and untethered by rules that restrict the deployment of exploitative strategy.

High Machs (machiavellians) tend to evoke…

specific reactions from others, such as anger and retaliation for having been exploited.

High Machs (machiavellians) tend to…

influence or manipulate others in predictable ways, using tactics that are exploitative, self-serving, and deceptive.

Those high on narcissism are…

exhibitionistic, grandiose, self-centered, and interpersonally exploitative.