Notes on Humanistic and Trait/Biological Theories

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from humanistic, trait/biological, and social-cognitive theories of personality as presented in the notes.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditional acceptance and love of a person without conditions or judgments, fostering growth (core of Rogers' humanistic approach).

Client-Centered Perspective

Carl Rogers' humanistic approach focusing on the client's perspective, with empathy, genuineness, and unconditional regard (AGE).

AGE

Acceptance, Genuineness, and Empathy—the core components of Carl Rogers' client-centered therapy.

Self-Actualization

Innate drive to grow and realize one's fullest potential.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A pyramid of needs: physiological, safety, belongingness/love, esteem, self-actualization; higher needs emerge once lower ones are met.

Self-Transcendence

The need to find meaning and identity beyond the self.

Self-Actualizing Tendency

Innate drive to grow and fulfill one’s potential; key concept in humanistic psychology.

The Big Five (Five-Factor Model)

Five broad personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Openness to Experience

Imagination, curiosity, and willingness to explore new ideas and experiences.

Conscientiousness

Organized, dependable, disciplined; goal-directed behavior.

Extraversion

Sociable, energetic, assertive; thrives on social interaction.

Agreeableness

Warmth, kindness, empathy, cooperative and trusting nature.

Neuroticism

Tendency toward emotional instability, anxiety, and moodiness.

Emotional Stability

Opposite pole of Neuroticism; being calm and resilient under stress.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method to identify clusters of related items (factors) in data.

Heritability

Proportion of variation in traits across a population due to genetics (about 50% for Big Five; not about individuals).

Evolutionary Theory in Personality

Random mutations and variations that improve survival/reproduction become common; explains similarities across people.

Trait Theory

Personality consists of stable traits that influence thoughts and actions; often measured by inventories.

Gordon Allport

Early trait theorist who described characteristic patterns of behavior and dispositions.

Raymond Cattell

Developed factor analysis to identify traits based on co-occurring behaviors.

Hans & Sybil Eysenck (PEN)

Three dimensions of personality: Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism; argued to be genetically influenced.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)

A widely used, empirically derived inventory to assess abnormal/clinical personality traits.

Reciprocal Determinism

In social-cognitive theory, behavior, personal factors, and environment influence each other.

Social-Cognitive Theory

Theory that emphasizes cognitive processes, learning from others, and environmental context in shaping personality.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching others' behaviors and the outcomes of those behaviors.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s own ability to succeed in specific situations or tasks.

Self-Concept

An individual’s perception of themselves and their relation to others.

Self-Esteem

One’s overall subjective evaluation of their own worth.

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Brain system involved in arousal; explains sensitivity to stimulation differences between introverts and extroverts.

Introvert Acetylcholine Pathway

Biochemical pathway linked to introverted arousal patterns (one of the neurochemical explanations for introversion).

Extrovert Dopamine Pathway

Biochemical pathway linked to extroverted arousal and reward responses.

Hypothalamus (role in arousal)

Brain region; in introverts it may conserve energy (parasympathetic), while in extroverts it can trigger sympathetic arousal.