Psych 1101: Personality

Exam 2

Personality

Enduring and distinctive thought, emotions, and behaviors that characterize the way an individual interacts with the world

Freud

Studied difference between conscious and unconscious mind

Conscious Mind

Things you are aware of and express

Unconscious Mind

Things you aren’t aware of; Still influences behavior; Id, Ego, Superego

Id

Primitive, animalistic drives; Present from birth

Ego

Mediator/Translator; Develops around 3

Superego

Moral, socially mandated drives; Develops around 5

Jung’s Theory

Added Collective Unconscious to Freud’s Theory

Collective Unconscious

Unconscious memory traces shared by all humans; Come from ancestral memories; Result in Archetypes

Jung’s Archetypes

Patterns, events, and types of individuals held in collective unconscious; Found across cultures

Social Cognitive Theories

Beliefs about self and world influence our behavior and attitudes

Reciprocal Determinism

Factors affect each other. These factors determine the patterns of behaviors that make up personality.

Personal/Cognitive Factors

Beliefs; Expectancies (Past Rewards); Personal Disposition; Self Efficacy

Behavioral Factors

Current Behavior Itself

Environmental Factors

Physical Surroundings; Potential for Reinforcement

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s ability to succeed at a task

Self-Esteem

General respect for oneself and one’s abilities

Locus of Control

How much you think your life is within your control (Internal = in your control, external = out of your control)

Self-Regulation

How much a person can control his or her behavior to accomplish goals

Delayed Gratification

Putting off immediate pleasure in pursuit of a larger reward down the road

Ways to increase self-regulation

Set small, realistic goals; Do the most challenging tasks early on; Take a break, a nap, or eat a snack

Traits

Characteristic ways of behaving

Personality Factors

A “big picture” personality trait; Collection of traits that are similar; Likely all stem from one “big” trait or factor

Myers-Briggs Test

Four Personality Traits (Introversion/Extroversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perceiving) 16 personalities total; Traits are binary

Big-Five Inventory

Created by Personality Psychologists; Five Personality Factors (Openness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism) on Continuums

Openness

How willing to try new things you are

Conscientiousness

How dependable and responsible you are

Extroversion

How sociable you are

Agreeableness

How nice you are

Neuroticism

How emotional (un)stable your are

Advantages of Trait Theories

Simple and easy to understand labels for personality; People can be compared easily on traits

Disadvantages of Trait Theories

Different theories point toward different traits as important (and have different numbers of factors); Theories do not take situational factors into consideration (Like Social Cognition does)

Component of Personality Determined by Genetics

~ 40-60%

Optimal Arousal Theory

Everyone has a preferred level of arousal; Below level → will seek stimulation, Above level → will seek calming environments

Eysenck’s Reticular Activation Theory

Introverts and extroverts differ in optimal arousal level

Grey’s Biopsychological Theory

Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System

Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)

Sensitive to environmental punishment; Behavior avoids negative consequences/punishments; Negative Character of Emotion; Personality Trait = Neuroticism

Behavioral Activation System (BAS)

Sensitive environmental reward; Behavior seeks positive consequences/punishments; Positive Character of Emotion; Personality Trait = Extraversion