Personality

Define personality.

General manner of interacting with the world, especially people.

Name the Big Five traits in the slides.

Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness.

Define temperament.

Early biologically based differences in emotional, motor and attentional reactivity/self-regulation.

What research design tests temperament stability over years?

Longitudinal design.

Name the six temperament dimensions.

Fearful distress, irritable distress, activity level, rhythmicity, attention span/persistence, positive affect.

Fearful distress refers to what?

Fear or wariness in response to novelty/threat.

Irritable distress refers to what?

Anger and frustration when blocked or uncomfortable.

Rhythmicity refers to what?

Regularity/predictability of sleeping, feeding and other routines.

Attention span and persistence refer to what?

Ability to focus and stay engaged despite difficulty.

Easy temperament: typical profile?

Adapts readily, regular routines, positive mood, easily soothed.

Difficult temperament: typical profile?

Intense negative reactions, difficulty adjusting, often irregular routines.

Slow-to-warm-up temperament: typical profile?

Cautious at first, gradually adapts.

Approximate easy/difficult/slow-to-warm-up percentages in lecture?

40% easy; 10% difficult; 15% slow-to-warm-up.

Continuous development means what?

Gradual quantitative change.

Discontinuous development means what?

Distinct qualitative stages.

What is self-concept?

Beliefs about personal traits, abilities, attitudes and values.

What are the two self-concept components?

Descriptive ("who am I?") and evaluative ("am I good?" / self-esteem).

When does mirror self-recognition generally emerge in slides?

Around 18-20 months.

What do rouge test and shopping cart study examine?

Early self-awareness.

Around age 2, what language/emotions suggest self-awareness?

"Me/I," asserting autonomy, embarrassment and shame.

Self-description at 3-5 years?

Concrete observable traits, age, preferences, visible abilities.

Self-evaluation at 3-5 years?

Often unrealistically positive and based mainly on successes.

Self-description at 6-10 years?

Specific academic, athletic and social abilities; comparisons with peers.

Self-evaluation in middle childhood?

More realistic, includes success/failure and social comparison.

Adolescence around age 14: self-concept?

Notices context-dependent and sometimes contradictory selves.

Around age 17+: self-concept?

Increasingly based on internalized values and standards.

What is identity diffusion?

Neither active exploration nor firm commitment.

What is identity foreclosure?

Commitment based on others' choices without exploring alternatives.

What is identity moratorium?

Exploring options but not yet committed.

What is identity achievement?

Explored alternatives and made personally chosen commitment.

Teen accepts parents' medical career plan without considering alternatives: status?

Foreclosure.

Teen researches careers but has not chosen: status?

Moratorium.

Teen explored career paths and chose one: status?

Achievement.

Teen has no plans and is not exploring: status?

Diffusion.

What nature and nurture factors shape self-concept?

Nature: genes, appearance, gender, temperament; nurture: parental support, achievement, peers, culture.