Introduction to Personality Psychology

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts discussed in the lecture on personality psychology, focusing on definitions and relevant theories.

Personality

A set of traits and mechanisms within the individual that influences their behaviors across various contexts.

Big Five Personality Traits

A model that categorizes personality into five major traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Openness to Experience

A personality trait characterized by creativity, imagination, and a preference for novelty and variety.

Conscientiousness

A personality trait that reflects organization, discipline, and a tendency to be careful and dutiful.

Extraversion

A personality trait involving sociability, talkativeness, and assertiveness, where individuals gain energy from social interactions.

Agreeableness

A trait characterized by warmth, kindness, and cooperativeness, indicating how well individuals get along with others.

Neuroticism

A personality trait associated with emotional instability, anxiety, and insecurity.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate regarding whether personality traits are primarily influenced by genetic factors or environmental experiences.

Trait Theory

An approach in psychology that focuses on identifying and measuring individual personality traits.

Lexical Approach

A method for identifying personality traits by examining the language used to describe personality in dictionaries.

Statistical Approach

A data-driven method used to identify core personality traits through factor analysis and large-scale surveys.

Research of Costa & McCrae

Pioneers in validating the Big Five personality traits across different cultures and populations.

Personality Typology

An approach categorizing individuals into distinct personality types, though considered less relevant in current personality research.

Developmental Fixity

The concept that personality traits become stable and less changeable after age 30.

Situational Cues

External contexts or circumstances that can influence an individual’s behavior in combination with their personality traits.

Behavioral Coherence

The consistency of personality traits influencing behavior across various contexts.

Cross-cultural Universality

The idea that certain personality traits are recognized and validated across different cultures.

Self-report Questionnaires

Assessment tools where individuals report their own personality traits, often used in trait research.