personality, mood, emotion - understanding patient behaviour

the self: define

• self concept

• self esteem

• self image

• personality

• trait theories

Self concept: 

• Beliefs about ourselves + our characteristics 

• Relatively stable, but disability, ageing can lead to a change  

Self esteem: 

• How worthy we feel, tied to self concept  

• Affected by success/failure 

• Rises through adulthood, declines around retirement  

Self image: 

• How we present ourselves – behaviour + appearance  

• Actual vs ideal image  

 

Personality  

• Internal factors that make up self  

• Relatively stable over time  

• Account for indv differences  

• Trait theories – personality consists of number of underlying factors  

Trait theories  

• Everyone has all traits (to greater or lesser extent) 

• Traits normally distributed (post ppl have moderate secors, extreme scores are rarer) 

• Traits are biological in nature (extroverts have low cortical arousal so seek out stimulating experiences, opposite for introverts) 

what are the 4 eysenck’s traits

introverts

extraverts

stable

emotional/neurotic

explain the 3 personality types

ABC

Type A: 

• Competitive, ambitious, impatient, aggressive  

• Higher risk of coronary heart disease  

Type B: 

• Relaxed, non-competitive  

Type C: 

• Nice, hard working, suppress emotion  

• Higher risk of cancer  

how do these personalities change over time

• openness

• conscientiousness

• extroversion

• agreeableness

• neuroticism

Openness: desire to try new experiences declines slightly  

Conscientiousness: ability to handle tasks + organise improves  

Extroversion: need to seek social support declines slightly for women, changes little in men  

Agreeableness: warmth, generosity and helpfulness make biggest improvements in 30/40s 

Neuroticism: worry and sense of instability decrease for women, not men  

what are 4 components of emotion

Components of emotion  

Physiological: 

• Limbic system (ANS + endocrine) 

• Frontal cortex  

Cognitive: 

• Apraisal, labelling 

Behaviour: 

• Actions, gestures, posture 

• Expressions  

Conscious feeling: 

• Experienced emotion  

how does regulating emotions change with age

• Appears older people experience less intense emotions  

• MRI evidence suggests older adults are better at regulating emotions  

• Favour positive stimuli 

• Better at ignoring negative stimuli 

• Favour suppression over reappraisal  

what is mood

• characteristics of low and high mood

• is it temporary or permanent

State of mind  

• Relatively temporary  

• Influenced by internal and external factors  

Low mood  

• Tearful, hopeless, negative – depression? 

High mood 

• Elation, high energy, poor judgement – mania?

• what is motivation

• what are internal and external factors affecting it

Motivation 

• Process that initiates, maintains goal centered behaviours  

• Involves biological, emotional, social, cognitive forces that activate behaviour  

Internal factors – curiosity, personal fulfilment, altruism, needs 

External factors – financial incentives, prestige  

what are some factors that influence external factors

- Sick role 

• May encourage deference  

White coat syndrome  

• Patients may act anxious, timid in consultations compared to home  

Illness/disease 

• Can alter approach to life  

• Myocardial infarction can make you make lifestyle changes  

Injury  

• Visible injuries may reduce self esteem and confidence  

• what is fundamental attribution error

• what is self attributing bias

Fundamental attribution error  

• Overestimate internal factors 

• Underestimate external factors in behaviour of others  

Self serving attribution bias 

• Attribute our positive behaviour internally  

• Attribute our negative behaviour externally  

abnormal behaviour

• what is it

• many examples

What is abnormal behaviour?? 

• Social judgements of normality are vague, subjective and influenced by cultural norms  

• Clinical judgements of normality are based on specific criteria listed in ICD-10 

• BUT – historic changes to this list 

• Differences based on race, gender, sexual orientation  

Abnormal behaviour?? 

• Compulsions  

• Obsessions 

• Delusions 

• Hallucinations 

• Paranoia 

• Phobias 

Characteristics necessary for ideal mental health: 

• Positive view of self  

• Capability for growth and development  

• Autonomy and independence  

• Accurate perception of reality  

• Positive friendships and relationships  

• Able to meet demands of environment  

• BUT – cant achieve all at once  

hierarchy of needs