Psychology Unit 3 Part D - Personality

Psychology Unit 3 Part D - Personality

Personality,"The unique, relatively stable pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterises each individual across time and across many different situations."

Trait Theory,"A theory of personality proposing that personality can be fully described using five stable factors arranged as spectrums: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN)."

Conscientiousness,"One of the Big Five personality traits; the spectrum ranging from disorganised/impulsive at the low end to organised/careful/disciplined at the high end. The strongest single predictor of academic and job success."

Neuroticism,"One of the Big Five personality traits; the spectrum ranging from calm/secure/self-satisfied at the low end to anxious/insecure/self-pitying at the high end. Correlates with amygdala activity in neuroscience research."

Openness to Experience,"One of the Big Five traits; the spectrum from practical/prefers routine to imaginative/prefers variety/independent. Measures willingness to engage with novel ideas and experiences."

Agreeableness,"One of the Big Five traits; the spectrum from ruthless/suspicious/uncooperative to soft-hearted/trusting/helpful. Measures the degree to which a person prioritises social harmony."

Extraversion,"One of the Big Five traits; the spectrum from retiring/sober/reserved to sociable/fun-loving/affectionate. Correlates with activity in the brain's dopamine reward pathways."

Psychoanalytic Theory,"Freud's theory that personality develops from an unconscious conflict between biological urges and social restraints, structured through the id, ego, and superego."

The Id,"In Freud's model, the unconscious system that seeks instant gratification of all desires based on the pleasure principle, without regard for consequences."

The Ego,"In Freud's model, the partly conscious/partly unconscious mediator between the id and superego, which seeks realistic and socially acceptable ways to satisfy the id's demands."

The Superego,"In Freud's model, the moral compass of the personality, internalised from parental and social rules, which judges the ego's actions as right or wrong."

Defence Mechanisms,"Unconscious strategies the ego uses to reduce anxiety caused by the conflict between the id and the superego. Examples include repression, denial, rationalisation, displacement, projection, and reaction formation."

Repression,"The most fundamental defence mechanism; the automatic, unconscious process of blocking anxiety-causing thoughts or feelings from entering conscious awareness."

Denial,"A defence mechanism where a person refuses to accept an unpleasant reality, such as a student insisting a poor grade was entirely due to an unfair test."

Rationalisation,"A defence mechanism involving inventing a logical reason for a decision that was actually driven by an unconscious desire or fear."

Displacement,"A defence mechanism where emotional energy is redirected from the true target to a safer substitute (e.g. taking work frustration out on family members)."

Projection,"A defence mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else."

Reaction Formation,"A defence mechanism where a person acts in the exact opposite way to how they truly feel in order to conceal an unacceptable impulse."

Humanist Theory of Personality,"The view, associated with Carl Rogers, that personality is driven by the self-concept and the natural human drive towards self-actualisation; it focuses on positive growth rather than unconscious conflict."

Self-Concept,"In Humanist psychology, the set of thoughts and feelings with which a person would respond to 'Who am I?'; if positive, it promotes healthy personality growth; if negative, it blocks it."

Self-Actualisation,"The drive to fulfil one's full potential and become the best version of oneself; the highest level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which Humanists link to positive personality development."

Genuineness (Rogers),"One of Carl Rogers' three growth traits; being open, honest, and unafraid to show one's true personality in any situation."

Acceptance (Rogers),"One of Carl Rogers' three growth traits; accepting oneself and others without harsh judgement or condemnation of failure."

Empathy (Rogers),"One of Carl Rogers' three growth traits; showing understanding of, and sympathy for, the situations and feelings of others."

Social-Cognitive Theory,"The most modern theory of personality, focusing on the interaction between a person's traits, social learning, cognitive interpretations, and the specific environment they are in."

Observational Learning,"Learning behaviours by watching and imitating significant others; a key component of the Social-Cognitive theory of personality development."

Conditioning (personality),"The process by which learned responses to repeated positive or negative outcomes shape a person's behavioural traits over time, as described in Social-Cognitive theory."

Locus of Control,"A Social-Cognitive concept describing whether a person believes they control their own destiny (internal locus) or that external forces such as luck and fate control their outcomes (external locus)."

Internal Locus of Control,"The belief that one's own efforts, decisions, and actions are the primary determinants of outcomes in life; associated with higher happiness, academic success, and mental health."

External Locus of Control,"The belief that events in one's life are primarily controlled by luck, fate, or the power of others; associated with lower motivation, higher anxiety, and poorer outcomes."

Personality Trait vs Personality State,"A trait is a stable, enduring characteristic of a person across situations; a state is a temporary condition caused by a specific situation or environment."

Validity (psychological testing),"The degree to which a test actually measures the psychological construct it claims to measure."

Reliability (psychological testing),"The consistency of a test — whether it produces the same results when taken again under similar conditions."

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