Introduction to Personality Psychology

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and vocabulary from the lecture notes on personality psychology.

Barnum Effect

The tendency for people to relate personally to vague, general statements about personality.

Traits

Characteristic patterns of behavior or dispositions to feel and act.

MMPI

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a psychological assessment tool for personality and psychopathology.

Hypochondriasis

A psychological condition characterized by an excessive preoccupation with the possibility of having a serious illness.

Social introversion

A trait characterized by a preference for solitude and quietness over social interactions.

Eysenck's dimensions of personality

A theory that identified three broad personality factors: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.

Extraversion

A personality trait characterized by sociability, talkativeness, and outgoingness.

Neuroticism

A trait associated with emotional instability and a tendency to experience negative emotions.

Reciprocal determinism

A concept by Bandura that states behavior is influenced by personal factors and the environment.

Locus of control

The extent to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them.

External locus of control

The belief that outcomes are determined by external forces beyond one's control.

Self-preservation bias

The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.