psych chapter 11

How is the idiographic approach different from the nomothetic approach?

• Idiographic: Studies one person in depth.
  
  

• Nomothetic: Studies many people to find general traits.
  
  

What is the Forer Effect?

 Believing a vague personality description fits you perfectly (like horoscopes).

How reliable is the Myers-Briggs test?

 Not very reliable. People often get different results over time.

What are the Five Factor Model traits?

 OCEAN:

• Openness
  
  

• Conscientiousness
  
  

• Extraversion
  
  

• Agreeableness
  
  

Neuroticism

What is the HEXACO model?

 Like the Big Five, but adds Honesty-Humility as a sixth trait.

What are the 3 traits in the Dark Triad?

• Narcissism (self-centered)
  
  

• Machiavellianism (manipulative)
  
  

• Psychopathy (lack of empathy)
  
  

What are the 3 traits of Right Wing Authoritarian personalities?

• Obey authority
  
  

• Aggressive toward rule-breakers/outgroups
  
  

Strong respect for tradition

Does personality change over life?

 Yes, but slowly. It becomes more stable as we age.

State vs. trait?

• State: Temporary mood or behavior.
  
  

Reciprocal Determinism vs. Behavioural approach?

• Reciprocal Determinism: Thoughts, behavior, and environment all influence each other.
  
  

• Behavioural: Environment shapes behavior through rewards/punishment.
  
  

What does WEIRD mean?

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic — most research is done on these groups.

Are the Big Five universal?

Mostly yes, across cultures — but expression may differ.

What is response style?

 Some cultures answer surveys more extremely or more moderately, which can affect results.

Individualistic vs. Collectivistic cultures?

• Individualistic: Focus on personal goals.
  
  

• Collectivistic: Focus on group and family goals.
  
  

Do parents matter for personality?

Genes matter a lot. Shared parenting has less effect than we once thought.

Two short serotonin alleles = ?

More likely to be anxious or high in neuroticism.

Why is there personality diversity?

 Genetics + different environments + evolution.

What is BIS/BAS?

• BIS: Sensitive to punishment/threat.
  
  

• BAS: Sensitive to rewards.
  
  

4 neuromodulators?

• Dopamine
  
  

• Serotonin
  
  

• Norepinephrine
  
  

• Oxytocin
  
  

fMRI and extraversion?

Extraverts show stronger activity in reward areas of the brain.

Freud’s 3 parts of personality?

• Id (instincts)
  
  

• Ego (reality)
  
  

• Superego (morals)
  
  

 defense mechanisms?

 Repression, Denial, Projection, Displacement, Regression, Reaction formation, Rationalization, Sublimation, Identification, Intellectualization, Suppression, Compensation.

Freud’s 5 stages?

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital.

What causes “anal retentive” personality?

Very strict toilet training in childhood.

Examples of projective tests?

Rorschach Inkblot Test
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Who was Carl Jung?

 Psychologist who believed in the collective unconscious and archetypes.

Who was Carl Rogers?

Humanistic psychologist who believed people grow best with unconditional positive regard (acceptance without judgment).