Theories of Personality - Exam 4

Communal narcissists are arrogant about certain things (e.g., their helpfulness, relationships skills), but they do not actually excel in these areas.

True

One study (Griskevicius et al 2010) induced people to feel different emotions, including awe by recalling a time they looked out an expansive view. They found that…

Those induced to feel awe (as opposed to other emotions) were more likely to be able to tell a good argument based on strong scientific evidence from a weak argument based on opinion and emotion.

All awe experiences are positive. In other words, you cannot be in awe of something terrifying or horrible.

False

Awe is defined is a feeling we have when…

We are in the presence of something vast and that transcends our current understanding of the world

Research has shown that awe can lead to more helping behavior.

True

Research has shown that awe can make us feel more connected to other people.

True

The three traits of the Dark Triad tend to be positively correlated with one another. Remember positive means, if you are high on one, you tend to be high on the other. It does not necessarily mean good.

True

Which of the following is MOST associated with impulsivity and outward aggression?

Psychopathy

Individuals who are high on the Dark Triad are more likely to engage in mate poaching and have partners who do the same.

True

Which of the following are NOT ways to help enter a flow state?

All of the above can help a person enter a flow state

(remove all distractions, such as phones, etc from the work environment; set a time for working on the task to help you immediately focus; work during times of the day when you have the most energy)

Machiavellianism is linked to using both hard (threats) and soft tactics (flattery) to manipulate others.

True

Both psychopathy and Machiavellianism are more strongly associated with indirect aggression.

False

Narcissism is more strongly associated with direct aggression, rather than indirect.

False

Jane has a savoir complex. She believes that she is kinder than anyone else she has encountered. She recently bragged on social media about volunteering at a soup kitchen, but her friend was actually there and responds to her status by saying, "Funny, I did not see you there." Jane may be a…

Communal narcissist

Which of the following have been theorized as contributors to the POSSIBLE increase in narcissism in recent generations?

All of the other options are correct

(parents that praise their kids excessively and way that makes comparison to others, social media, cultural messages in tv shows, movies, books, songs, have shifted to a emphasis on self, frame, and attention seeking)

One study (Stellar et al., 2015) showed that increases in awe were most associated with decreases in an indicator of health problems. What was that indicator?

Lower inflammation, as measured by interleukin 6 (IL-6)

One study (Sturm et al., 2022) had some people take an awe walk and others take a regular walk for eight weeks. The results were…

All of the options are correct

(Those that took the awe walk had selfies where they took up less space in the picture; Those that took the awe walk had larger smiles; Those that took the awe walk self-reported better mental health)

An example of temporal vastness would be like…

Thinking about how old the universe is

Psychopathy is linked to using mostly hard (threats) tactics to manipulate others, whereas narcissism is linked to using mostly soft (flattery) tactics to manipulate others.

True

One study (Anderson et al., 2018) showed that dispositional awe was correlated with better academic outcomes, specifically…

Better work ethic, engagement, and self-efficacy in school

An example of conceptual vastness would be like…

Thinking about how complex Einstein's general theory of relativity is

An example of physical vastness would be like…

Thinking about how large the Earth is

Agentic narcissists are arrogant about certain things (e.g., intelligence, hard work, talent), but they do not actually excel in these areas.

True

One study involved participants who had already completed a measure of grandiose (agentic) narcissism report to the lab. There, they had their photo taken before and after they removed all their make-up, accessories, shave, and pull their hair back. The participants' before and after photos were then rated for their attractiveness. Those who were high on narcissism…

Showed the largest decreases in how they were rated on attractiveness

At what age do kids tend to develop a sense of self?

18 - 24 months

In one study of narcissism (Paulhus, 1998), the researchers studied how people perceived grandiose (agentic) narcissists over time across multiple meetings. Which of the following is an accurate description of the results:

At the first meeting, the narcissists were the most liked, but after several meetings, they were the least liked

Which of the following is MOST associated with manipulation/exploiting others?

Machiavellianism

Which of the following would be an example of indirect aggression?

All of the above are examples of indirect aggression

(purposely not inviting a person to events to ostracize them; Spreading vicious rumors about someone; trying to turn others against a person

Which of the following was not a reason for procrastination that we discussed?

Low agreeableness

Which of the following would be an example of direct aggression?

All of the above are examples of direct aggression

(calling someone stupid to their face, punching someone, pushing someone)

Which of the following is NOT an example of procrastinating?

You started your term paper the day it was due, because you had overfilled your life with projects/responsibilities, so it was the first opportunity you had to work on it.

Flow experiences are beneficial because…

All of the above are benefits of flow experiences

(they involve positive emotion and are rewarding experience; they improve the quality of work; they improve your work efficiency, meaning you get more accomplished in less time)

Which of the following has research shown that self-esteem directly and positively impacts/causes?

better mental health

Tips for gratitude letters/cards

A - Altruistic intent - “they did it because they care.”

B - Benefit - get specific/detailed about how awesome the benefit is 

C - Cost - consider what person had to give up to provide the benefit (e.g., time, energy, sleep, comfort, money)

Procrastination (personality trait)

the frequent tendency to postpone taking actions on something (when you have the opportunity to do it) in favor of doing something else first even though you know you will be worse off for delaying

What is Gratitude ?

1. When you notice something positive

2.  acknowledge that the source of it is at least somewhat outside of the self (e.g., God, another person, or luck) 

My top 5 character strengths

1. Self Regulation

2. Honesty

3. Fairness

4. Judgment

5. Prudence

self-regulation

regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions

honesty

speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; taking responsibility for one’s feeling and actions

judgment

Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence carefully

fairness

treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance

prudence

being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.

Main Features of The Dark Triad

• Psychopathy - an impulsive style of aggression; lack of remorse when hurting others

• Machiavellian - calculated and covert manipulation/ exploitation of others; sneaky

• Narcissism - extreme selfishness and a sense of superiority

flow

a very positive state where a person feels a perfect balance between the challenges of the situation and their skills to cope with the challenges.

9 characteristics of flow

1. Clear goals

2. Challenge-skill balance

3. Action-awareness merging – your actions are automatic.  You find yourself doing the next step without ever consciously deciding to.

4. Unambiguous feedback – you know you are doing a good job

5. Full concentration on task

6. Sense of control

7. Loss of self-consciousness

8. Losing track of time

9. The act of doing the task is rewarding

Benefits of flow

•Positive experience, so good for well-being

•Leads to more productivity (more output)

Leads to better quality work (better output)

Strategies to improve flow

•Set a time limit for working on the task

•Take advantage of times of the day when you know you tend to have energy and be in a positive mood.

•Get rid of all distractions.

–Go to a place where you will not be interrupted by people needing things from you

–Turn off phones, etc.

Benefits of Gratitude

❖Mental and physical health

❖Stress reduction

❖Better sleep

❖Relationship satisfaction

❖Possible like to fewer financial problems

❖Higher GPA

❖Kindness/Helping behavior

❖Fewer regrets when you lose someone

ways to boost gratitude

Gratitude journal

Write gratitude letters/card

Meta-analysis of these interventions has shown that these have many benefits.

How Parents Promote Gratitude

❖Model gratitude by thanking your children for things that they do and thanking others in front of them.

❖Discuss with children what you are thankful for and how it benefits you.

❖Give them experiences that foster gratitude.

❖Volunteer work w/individuals who are less fortunate.

❖Reward displays of gratitude, but SMALL rewards like praise, so no overjustification effect

sadism

 engaging in aggression because it is enjoyable to the person

phubbing

ignoring someone in a social situation in favor of playing on the phone instead ("snubbing" + phone). 

1. Grandiose narcissism is associated with a more extraverted, socially bold, self-centered, egotistical, vain, and cocky personality

Agentic narcissism

Agentic (see themselves better than others that mostly affect them, intelligent, most talented, most attractive)

Communal narcissism

(Saint like complex, seem themselves better than other people with regard to traits that help others; “I'm most helpful, “no one's as good a listener as me”, “no one gives good advice like me”

Vulnerable narcissism

linked to lower extraversion and assertiveness and more neuroticism, anxiety, and depression.