Personality - Psych Exam

What is Personality?

An individual's unique set of consistent behavioral traits.

What two aspects does personality explain?

Consistency of behavior and distinctiveness of reaction

What is a personality trait?

A habit or way of acting that shows up in many situations.

What is the Five-Factor Model?

Characteristics of personality structure (The Big Five) - OCEAN

Openness to Experience

1/5 - Creative, curious, flexible, enjoy new experiences

Conscientiousness

2/5 - Organized, responsible, cautious

Extraversion

3/5 - Talkative, energetic, assertive, optimistic

Agreeableness

4/5 - Sympathetic, kind, affectionate, forgiving

Neuroticism

5/5 - Anxious, insecure, vulnerable

What are orthogonal factors"?

Factors that have no correlations - even distribution

What is introversion?

Personality trait where people feel energized by solitude.

What is extroversion?

Personality trait where people feel energized by social interactions.

What is Eyesnck’s biological trait theory?

Personality theory that identifies three orthogonal traits: extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.

What is the behavioral view?

Personality is shaped by learned experiences and external rewards/punishments.

What is the humanistic view?

Personality is formed by personal growth, free will and self actualization.

What is the biological view?

Personality is influenced by genetics, brain structures and neurotransmitters.

What is the psychodynamic view?

Personality is shaped by unconscious drives, childhood experiences and inner conflicts.

What is negative reinforcement?

The removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior.

What is avoidant behavior?

Actions taken to escape or prevent anxiety/discomfort.

What is the avoidance cycle?

Avoiding something unpleasant makes you feel better, so you keep avoiding it.

What is the existence of psychic energy theory?

The internal drive that influences behaviors and actions.

What is psychic determinism?

All behaviors are motivated, and no actions happen by chance - everything has a cause.

What is psychoanalysis?

Every action has a cause, revealed through analysis of thoughts, dreams and behavior.

What is the id?

Part of personality that holds basic drives, impulsivity and irrationality - ignores reason and norms.

What is the superego?

Part of personality that holds values and morals - represents conscience (right and wrong).

What is the ego?

Part of personality that balances desires and reality - mediates conflict between the id and the superego.

What are ego defense mechanisms?

Mental strategies the ego uses to protect itself from conflict - unconscious processes that prevents bad thoughts from being expressed directly (coping mechanisms).

What is displacement?

Discharging pent-up feelings on things less dangerous than those that cause the emotion.

Ex. Person criticized at work, then yells at family.

What is identification?

When someone adopts traits or behaviors from another person to cope - can be positive or negative.

Ex. A child who is abused grows up to become an abusive parent.

What is projection?

When someone attributes their own unwanted feeling or thoughts onto someone else

Ex. A person angry at a friend accuses that friend of being angry with them.

What is reaction formation?

Preventing dangerous desires by adopting opposite attitudes and behaviors as a barrier.

Ex. Someone who fears their own homosexual desires may become hostile to LGBTQ people.

What is denial?

Protecting oneself from an unpleasant reality by refusing to perceive it.

Ex. A grieving parent believes a deceased child is still alive.

What is repression?

Pushing painful or dangerous thoughts out of consciousness (selective forgetting).

Ex. Victims of accidents avoid re-visiting the site.

What is rationalization?

Trying to justify one’s behavior - proving to be worthy of the approval of self and others

Ex. Person evades taxes and blames governments poor spending.

What is regression?

Retreating to earlier development levels - more childish responses.

Ex. Asking for an easy task after a major failure.

What is sublimation?

Channeling unacceptable and disruptive impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.

Ex. Art work, contact sports

How are ego defense mechanisms viewed in psychology?

They’re normal and sometimes helpful, but overusing them can lead to problems.

What is fixation in psychosexual development?

Getting stuck at an early stage due to too much pleasure or frustration.

Ex. A person fixated at oral stage may develop habits such as smoking or nail biting.

What is free association?

Technique where a person says whatever comes to mind to uncover unconscious thoughts.

What is dream anaylsis?

Technique Freud used to uncover hidden unconscious desires in dreams.

What is manifest content in a dream?

It’s what is actually remembered from the dream.

Ex. Dreaming about driving a car off a cliff.

What is latent content in a dream?

It’s the hidden, unconscious meaning behind the dream?

Ex. Driving off a cliff may symbolize fear of losing control irl.

What was the Wolfman case in psychoanalysis?

Freud’s patient had a dream about wolves, which he believed revealed repressed trauma and supported his theory of childhood psychosexual conflict.

What is the projective technique?

A method where people project their personalities into what they see in an ambiguous stimulus (inkblot or picture).

What is psychoanaylsis?

Techniques for revealing the unconscious.

What is Maslow’s theory?

Hierarchy or needs - humans strive to actualize full potential once they have satisfied basic needs (pyramid)

What is Carl Rogers’ theory?

self-actualization - humans strive to actualize full potential if they receive unconditional and positive regard.

What is self-actualization?

The realization of one potential - occurs when someone has accepted themself for the good and the bad.

Ex. An artist who has mastered their craft moves on to create things to inspire or contribute meaningfully to society.

What is the actual (real) self?

It’s how a person sees themselves right now.

What is ideal self?

It’s how a person would like to see themselves.

What is the undesirable (feared) self?

It’s how a person does not want to be.

What leads to higher self-satisfaction?

When the actual self is closer to the ideal self and far from the feared self.

Which predicts life satisfaction?

The gap between the actual and feared self.

What is at the core of personality?

People’s concept of the self.

How are self perceptions organized?

They are unified, orderly, and consistent - making up a whole.

What happens to perceptions consistent with the self-concept

They become part of the self.

What happens to events that are inconsistent with the self?

They are avoided, denied, or distorted.

What is the need for positive regard?

The encompassing urge for love, respect, and acceptance from significant others - learned from an early age.

What are conditions of worth?

The criteria that must be met to receive approval - can boost self-esteem and influence socialization.

When do disorders develop related to positive regard?

They develop when self-worth depends on meeting certain conditions.

What causes disorders with self-conceptions?

Disorders happen when self-conceptions are disorganized or don’t match.

What can cause a person’s self-conception to become disroganized?

Finding out a loved one cheated, failing, or having a distorted view of reality,

What is the conflict model?

It explains conflicts that arise when there’s a mismatch between self-perception, others’ evaluations - or between your real and ideal self.

What happens with moderate incongruence?

It leads to neurotic behavior - stress and anxiety.

What happens with extreme incongruence?

It can lead to disorganized personality (conflicting behaviors) or psychosis (loss of contact with reality).

What is client-centered therapy?

The goal is to help the client align their real self with their real self - by becoming aware of distorted feelings.Wh

What is empathetic understanding?

Therapist sees the client from the client’s internal frame of reference.

What is unconditional positive regard?

Therapist accepts and respects what the client says and feels.

What is genuine acceptance?

Therapist is totally open and reinstates with the client says without judgment.

What is the goal of psychodynamic therapy?

To uncover unconscious thoughts and memories causing problems.

What is the goal of humanistic therapy?

To restore congruence and help people reach their full potential.Wha

What is the therapist’s role in psychodynamic therapy?

They interpret dreams and symptoms and act as an authority figure.

What is the therapist’s role in humanistic therapy?

They are non-judgmental, empathetic, and see the world through the client’s eyes.

Is psychodynamic therapy past or future-focused?

It is past -oriented, focusing on childhood and avoiding pain.

Is humanistic therapy past of future-focused?

It is future-oriented, focusing on growth and self-actualization.

How do clients react in psychodynamic therapy?

They may feel threatened, resist therapy, and use defense mechanisms.

What is the therapist-client relationship like in humanistic therapy?

It’s built on trust, empathy, and acceptance - creating strong rapport.

What does “cognition” refer to?

Awareness, thinking, and mental processes like remembering, judging, and deciding.

What is another term for “cognition”?

Human information processing.

What does the cognitive approach to personality focus on?

How a person’s unique view of the world shapes their personality.

What is a scientific construct?

A label that summarizes a set of observations.

Ex. gravity

What is a personal constrict according to Kelly?

A belief or idea an individual uses to interpret and predict events.

What does Kelly’s theory say about personality?

Personality comes from how people interpret the world using personal constructs.

What does it mean to “construe” something?

To interpret it in a specific way.

What are Kelly’s personal constructs usually like?

Bipolar - like smart or not smart, kind or mean.

What happens when two people have similar personal constructs?

They are more likely to get along and see the world similarly.

According to Kelly, what causes anxiety?

Not being able to understand or predict life events.

What makes a personal construct fail?

If it’s too rigid (can’t adapt) or too flexible (no solid standard).

What is postmodernism in relation to Kelly’s theory?

The idea that reality is personally constructed, and all versions are valid - ahead of his time.

What does “locus of control” describe?

A person’s perception of responsibility for events in their life.

What are the two types of locus of control?

Internal - outcomes depend on one’s own efforts and choices.

External - outcomes are controlled by fate, luck, or chaos.

Who developed the concept of locus of control?

Julian Rotter - social learning theory

What is situationism?

The idea that behavior is determined more by situations than personality traits.

What is self-monitoring?

Being sensitive to situational cues and adjusting behavior to fit the situation.

How do people high in self-monitoring hebave?

They alter their behavior to match the situation, showing low consistency.

How do people low in self-monitoring behave?

They are less able to change their behavior to fit situations - so they tend to be more consistent across situations.

What is a strong situation?

A situation that restricts the expression of personality.

Ex. funerals, religious services, job interviews.

How do people behave in a strong situation?

People behave similarly, regardless of personality.

Ex. introverts and extroverts act the same at a funeral.

What is a weak situation?

A situation that allows the free expression of personality.

Ex. concerts, parks, restaurants.

How do people behave in a weak situation?

People behave differently, based on their personality

Ex. introverts and extroverts react differently at a concert?