Unit 4.5 Social-cognitive and trait theories of personality

Social-Cognitive Theory

Highlights cognition, focusing on how a person thinks about and interprets situations and how that directly influences their personality

Self-esteem

How positively a person views themselves

Self-efficacy

An individual’s belief in their ability to do a specific task

Trait theories

Focuses on enduring characteristics, also known as traits, that form a person’s personality

Enduring characteristics/ traits

Are stable, constant traits that can be measured, they generally lead to predictable behaviors and emotional reactions from individuals

openness

Refers to imagination, creativity, and curiosity

Conscientiousness

Involves a person’s organization, dependability, discipline, and goal-directed behaviors

Extraversion

Involves a person’s sociability, enthusiasm, and assertiveness

Agreeableness

Involves a person’s trustworthiness, altruism, kindness, and affection

Neuroticism

Involves a persons tendency to experience emotional stability and remain calm in stressful situations

Personality Inventory

A specialized questionnaire that measures where they fall on each of the Big five traits

Factor Analysis

A statistical method that identifies clusters of related questions, helping researchers determine which items on the test measure the same underlying trait