PSY202 Personality

week 7

What is Personality?

Pattern of psychological characteristics that differentiate us from others and lead us to act consistently across situations. 

How does Genetics play a role in Twins’ Personalities?

There is a greater similarity between identical twins’ personalities than fraternal twins’.

How does an Unshared Environment play a role in Twins’ Personalities?

There are imperfect correlations which means that there are other factors that play a role in the development of personalities (parental attitudes, classroom environments…).

How does a Shared Environment play a role in Twins’ Personalities?

Identical twins have very similar personalities regardless if raised apart or together (Minnesota Twin Study).

Are Adopted children more similar to their Biological or Adopted parents?

Due to Neuroticism, Sociability, and Genetics they are more similar to their **Biological Parents**.

What role do Genes play in Personality traits?

Specific Genes lead to Neuroticism and Extraversion.

What influence does Birth Order have on Personality?

Children who are born later are more likely to favour revolutionary scientific ideas compared to first borns.

What are the three core assumptions of the Psychoanalytic Theory?

* Psychic Determinism
* All psychological events have a cause and don’t happen at random
* Symbolic Meaning
* Everything has a symbolic meaning
* Unconscious Motivation
* we make explanations for our actions/words

What is Unconscious Motivation?

* What contains memories/urges that are forbidden or dangerous
* Also controls dreams (Manifest VS. Latent)

What are Manifest Dreams?

tHWhat is remembered of a dream.

What are Latent Dreams?

What the symbolic meaning of a dream is.

According to __The Structure of Personality__, what are the three agencies?

ID, SUPEREGO, EGO

What is the ID?

Very basic instincts that are based on pleasure (the pleasure principle).

What is the SUPEREGO?

Our sense of morality determine what is wrong or right, partially conscious or unconscious (the idealistic principle).

What is the EGO?

Causes us to act with reason and conform to the laws, being aware of these laws and in the conscious mind (the reality principle).

What are the Defence Mechanisms?

Denial, Displacement, Repression, Projection, Reaction Formation, Sublimation, and Regression.

Denial.

* Refusal to accept stimuli leads to anxiety

Displacement.

* Taking out anger about stimuli on another target

Repression.

* Pushing down the feelings of anxiety in the unconscious

Reaction Formation.

* Acting in the opposite way of how you are actually feeling as a form of coping

Projection.

* Being unable to accept feelings and projecting them onto others

Sublimation.

* Channelling anger or anxiety into socially acceptable activities

Regression.

* Returning to a younger age psychologically, usually one that is safe and gives comfort as a form of coping

What is Psychosexual Development?

* Conflicts, memories, and urges in the unconscious mind come from experiences in childhood (emerging sexual pleasure)

What is Fixation?

The inability/failure to move through stages (Oral is the failure to move though the first stage).

What are the 5 Stages of Psychosexual Development?

1. Oral Stage (birth-1y)
2. Anal Stage (1-3y)
3. Phallic Stage (3-6y)
4. Latent Stage (6y-puberty)
5. Genital Stage (puberty+)

What is the Oral Stage?

Stage where children are satisfied with putting things in their mouths.

What is the Anal Stage?

Stage when babies are being potty trained. The bowel and bladder stage.

what is the Phallic Stage?

Stage where children play with their genitals as a form of satisfaction. Boys/Girls are romantically in love with their mothers/fathers and want to get rid of the other parent

What is the Latent Stage?

Children set themselves apart from the opposite sex and their desires are inactive.

What is the Genital Stage?

Maturing sexual interests.

What are the Pros of the Psychoanalytic Theory?

* Extremely influential on Western Culture
* Early year experiences of children play a key role in their social development later on
* Unconsciousness helps understand why some people have psychological problems

What are the Cons of the Psychoanalytic Theory?

* Unfalsifiable meaning no single observation can prove the statement
* The questionable conception of the unconscious
* Failed predictions

What is Trait Taxonomy?

* The Big 5
* Systems for distinguishing the most important individual differences in personality; factor analysis

What is the Big 5 Trait Taxonomy?

* **O**penness to experience
* **C**onscientiousness
* **E**xtroversion
* **A**greeableness
* **N**euroticism

What does Openness to Experience mean?

* Being very curious and creative
* Nonconforming, showing unusually broad interests

What does Conscientiousness mean?

* The morally right thing to do
* Someone that is ethical, dependable, productive, and purposeful


* Conforming to social norms

What does Extroversion mean?

* Someone that enjoys social situations and is very outgoing, talkative, sociable, and affectionate

What does Agreeableness mean?

* Someone considerate and kind
* Warm, trusting, and cooperative

What does Neuroticism mean?

* Anxious, insecure, guilt-prone

What are Debious Methods of Studying Personality?

* Phrenology
* Physiognomy
* Sheldon’s Body Types

What is Phrenology?

* The analysis of head shape and size that determines personality and intelligence; bumps, indentations, head shapes…
* 27 possible faculties with different claims about shape
* No scientific support

What is Physiognomy?

* The analysis of facial characteristics of people that infers their personality
* Mostly falsified with some truth

What are Sheldon’s Body Types?

* Body types determine personality
* **Ectomorph** → quiet, fragile, restrained, sensitive
* **Endomorph** → relaxed, sociable, peaceful…
* **Mesomorph** → active, assertive, combative…

What are the Projective Personality Tests?

* Interpretation of images is said to be a projection of someone’s personality
* Rorschach Inkblot Test
* Thematic Apperception Test
* Graphology
* Draw-A-Person (DAP)

What is Rorschach’s Inkblot Test?

* People are shown 10 symmetrical inkblots and asked to describe what they see
* There are various answers; human movement responses, pair responses and detailed responses

What are the problems with the Inkblot Test?

Little scientific evidence shows mental disorders, a lack of incremental validity, and problematic reliability.

What is the Thematic Apperception Test?

* People are shown 31 cards, one being blank and then asked to complete the story
* The responses are based on specific themes

What is a problem with the Thematic Apperception Test?

Inadequate reliability and validity.

What is Graphology?

Analyzing someone’s handwriting.

What is DAP?

Pictures that are drawn determine what a person’s personality is like/how intelligent they are.

What are Self Report/Structured Methods?

* Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2)
* Used more commonly for hiring, diagnosis, and legal cases

What is MMPI2?

* T/F questions
* 10 Clinical Questions and 3 Validity Scales
* Empirical test which means responses will be hard to identify

What are the 10 Clinical Sclales?

Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Psychopathic Deviate, Masculinity VS. Femininity, Paranoia, Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia, Hypomania, and Social Introversion.

Hypochondriasis on the Clinical Scale.

misinterpreting regular bodily functions and assuming physical diseases.

Depression on the Clinical Scale.

Sad and depressive thoughts.

Hysteria on the Clinical Scale.

Awareness of problems and vulnerabilities.

Psychopathic Deviate on the Clinical Scale.

Conflict, struggle, anger, respect for society’s rules.

Masculinity VS Femininity on the Clinical Scale.

Stereotypical masc or fem interests/behaviours.

Paranoia on the Clinical Scale.

Level of trust, suspiciousness, sensitivity.

Psychasthenia on the Clinical Scale.

Worry, anxiety, tension, doubts, obsessiveness, phobias.

Schizophrenia on the Clinical Scale.

Odd thinking and social alienation.

Hypomania on the Clinical Scale.

Level of excitability.

Social Introversion on the Clinical Scale.

People orientation.

What is the Validity Scale?

* Used to detect issues by people to present them in a favourable light/or to over-report
* Lie, Frequency, Correction

Lie on the Validity Scale.

Impression Management.

Frequency on the Validity Scale.

Malingering, Exaggerating responses.

Correction on the Validity Scale.

Defensive responding to Psychological Condition.

What are Scientific Evaluations of MMPI2?

Valid for differentiating among mental disorders.

What are other Structured Tests?

* NEO-PI-R
* MBTI

NEO-PI-R Tests.

Measure of the Big Five with high validity.

MBTI Tests.

16 Personality Types with questionable validity.