1 - Personality Trait Theories

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on personality psychology.

Textbook definition of personality

The set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organised and relatively enduring and that influence his or her interaction with, and adaptation to, the intrapsychic, physical and social environments.

Name the five multi-domains of personality.

Psychodynamic, Cognitive-social learning, Humanistic-Existential, Biological/Evolutionary, Dispositional Trait

What are the three levels of Personality Analysis?

Human nature, Individual and group differences, Individual uniqueness

Intrapsychic definition

A focus of fundamental internal human instincts or needs that shape individuals' thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, sometimes outside of conscious awareness.

According to Freud, what two innate instincts motivate human behavior

Drive for life (pleasure) and drive for destruction (aggression)

What are the three parts of the mind's structure, according to Freud?

Id, Ego, Superego

Name core needs that have received attention from researchers in relation to motives and personality.

Achievement, power, affiliation, and autonomy

Social-cognitive learning definition

A focus on the cognitive and social processes that shape the different outcomes individuals respond to in their environments (or the goals they strive to attain).

What is the focus of the Cognitive approach?

Learning the association between (direct) behaviour and outcomes

What is the cognitive-social learning approach?

Learning through watching others succeed or fail at tasks, and in reflecting on consequences of possible actions

What are the three ways self-efficacy is enhanced?

Mastery experiences, Vicarious experiences, Social persuasion

Humanistic-existential domain definition

A focus on processes that enable people to flourish and be their best selves (humanistic), and to find meaning in their lives (existential).

According to Maslow's Holistic-Dynamic Theory (1970), what motivates humans?

Humans are motivated by a propensity for self-actualisation

List Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Physiological, Safety, Love/belonging, Esteem, Self-actualization

Personality as an Evolved Mechanism

Personality is an adaptive mechanism to promote survival and reproduction.

According to Buss (1991), what are the core adaptive personality dimensions?

Surgency (or extraversion), Agreeableness, Emotional stability, Conscientiousness, Openness

Trait approach to personality

Focus on how individuals centrally differ from each other.

List the properties of a personality trait

Temporal stability, Cross-situational consistency, Internal (biological) basis, Predictive validity, Minimal overlap of characteristics within traits, Inter-individual differences

What are the five ways to evaluate the biological underpinning of traits?

Physiological substrate, Hereditary or genetic contribution, Similar traits in non-humans, Cross cultural evidence, Temporal stability

What are the different views on the causality of personality traits?

Internal and causal and Descriptive summaries.

What are the key questions in the Trait approach?

How many personality traits are there?, How are personality traits structured and organised?, What are the origins of personality traits?, What are the correlations and consequences of personality traits on human behaviour?

What is situationism?

Explaining behaviour in terms of situational differences.

Interactionism formula

B = f(P X S)

What are the three methods for questionnaire development to measure personality traits?

Lexical approach, Statistical approach, Theoretical approach

List the Issues with self-report questionnaires

Carelessness when answering questions, Faking or concerns social desirability, Barnum statements