Chapter Q Inquizitive - Personality Psychology Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to personality psychology based on the provided notes.

Personality Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies how individuals differ in consistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviors across time and situations.

Approaches to Studying Personality

Different theoretical lenses (trait, behaviorist, psychoanalytic) used to study personality; often multiple approaches are used rather than one Big Theory.

One Big Theory

The idea of explaining all of personality with a single comprehensive theory.

Narcissism

A personality trait characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and sometimes negative interpersonal effects.

Coherence (Funder’s viewpoint)

The notion that personality shows stable, organized patterns that are consistent across situations and over time.

Funder’s First Law

A principle suggesting a tendency to stay steadfastly committed to important principles (described here as stubbornness).

Trait Approach

A method focusing on identifying stable, enduring traits that predict behavior across situations.

Behaviorist Approach

An approach emphasizing observable behavior and learning through conditioning; often deemphasizes internal mental states.

Psychoanalytic Approach

An approach focusing on unconscious motives, internal conflicts, and early development shaping personality.

Individual Differences

The core idea that people differ in consistent ways, which can be studied scientifically.

Cognitive Social Psychology

A subfield that combines cognition and social context to explain behavior and personality; often treats individual differences as variables in experiments.

Internal Conflict

Psychoanalytic concept referring to competing desires or impulses that influence behavior.

Incentives

Rewards or penalties in the environment that influence decisions and actions.

Heritability of Extraversion

The extent to which extraversion is influenced by genetic factors.

Social Learning Theory

A theory that combines learning from observation with cognitive processes and social context to explain personality.

Cognitive Approach to Personality

A focus on mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving and how they shape personality.

Organizational Psychology

The study of behavior in work settings, including leadership, teamwork, and occupational success.

Clinical Psychology

The field concerned with mental health disorders and personality pathology; has substantial overlap with personality research.