PSYC2740 Chapter 1

Average Tendencies

Propensity to display certain psychological traits with regularity.

Psychological Mechanisms

Similar to traits but refer more to the processes of personality.

Within the Individual

Personality sources reside within the individual, leading to stability over time and consistency across situations.

Organized

Traits and mechanisms are linked to one another in an organized fashion.

Enduring

psychological traits are relatively stable over time, particularly in adulthood

Influential Forces

Personality traits and mechanisms affect various aspects of life, including actions, self-perception, thoughts, interactions, emotions, environment selection, goals, and reactions.

Perceptions

how we see or interpret an environment

Selection

Manner in which we choose situations to enter.

Evocations

Reactions we produce in others, often unintentional.

Manipulations

Intentional attempts to influence others' behavior, thoughts, and feelings.

Adaptations

inherited solutions to survival

Environment

Can be physical, social, and intrapsychic.

Human Nature

Traits and mechanisms typical of our species and possessed by everyone or nearly everyone.

Individual Differences

Every individual is like some others but different from others.

Differences Among Groups

Groups may differ according to various personality traits.

Nomothetic

common traits or features among people or groups and comparing them using statistics

Idiographic

The study of individuals, observing general principles in a single life over time

Domain of Knowledge

Specialty area of science focusing on specific aspects of human nature.

Personality Research Questions

• How many traits?

• How they're organized?

• Origins?

• Correlates/consequences.

Usefulness of Personality Traits

• Describe

• Explain behavior

• Predict future behavior

Mechanism Ingredients

• Inputs

• Decision rules

• Outputs

Personality Measurement Levels

• Human nature

• Individual and group differences

• Individual uniqueness.

Domains of Personality Psych

Dispositional

Biological

Intrapsychic

Cognitive-Experiential

Social and Cultural

Adjustment

A Good Theory

• Guides

• Organizes

• Predicts

Theories Purposes

• Guide researchers

• Organize findings

• Make predictions

• Distinguish from beliefs

Scientific Standards for Eval. Personality Traits

• Comprehensiveness

• Testability

• Heuristic value

• Parsimony

• Compatibility

• Integration

Dispositional Domain

Influenced by traits the person is born with and develops over time

Biological Domain

By biological events

Intrapsychic Domain

By processes within the person’s own mind

Cognitive- Experimental Domain

By personal and private thoughts, feelings, desires, beliefs, and other subjective experiences

Social and Cultural Domain

By social, cultural, and gendered positions in the world

Adjustment Domain

By the adjustments that the person must make to the inevitable challenges of life