Personality Psych Test 2

Trait, Biological, Humanistic

Trait Approach Core Assumption

Personality characteristics can be represented along a continuum of traits that are stable over time and across situations

Gordan Alllport Main Ideas/Research

Acknowledged trait approach limitations, Nomothetic and Idiographic Approach

Gordon Allports Nomothetic Approach

People can be described along single dimension based on assertiveness or anxiety

Common Traits

Applies to Everyone

Gordon Allports Idiographic Approach

Combo of traits best shows personality of individual (person determine which trait to examine)

Central Traits

Describe individual personality

Cardinal Trait

Single dominant trait

Henry Murray Main Ideas/Research

Personology (combo of psychoanalytic & trait approach(needs=basic element of personality), Psychogenic Needs, Personal Hierarchy of Needs, Press

Psychogenic Needs

Readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions

Personal Hierarchy of Needs

Autonomy, Achievement, Dominance, Order

Press

Situation that influences the activation of a need

Henry Murray Contributions?

(TAT) Thematic Approach Test (ambigous pictures) and Stimulated research on psychogenic needs

Factor Analysis

Technique employed by Raymond Cattell to determine the structure of human personality (source traits and 16 personality factors

Source Traits

Basic traits that make up the human personality

Big Five

OCEAN

Neuroticism

Worried versus calm insecure versus secure Self-pitying versus self-satisfie

Extraversion

Sociable versus retiring Fun-loving versus sober Affectionate versus reserved

Openness

Imaginative versus down-to-earth Preference for variety versus preference for routine Independent versus conforming

Agreeableness

Softhearted versus ruthless Trusting versus suspicious Helpful versus uncooperative

Conscientiousness

Well organized versus disorganized Careful versus careless Self- disciplined versus weak willed

Best Big Five Trait in workplace?

Conscientiousness (Extraverts prefered)

Self-Report Inventories (Prototype:MMPI)

Asks people to respond to a series of questions about themselves (Widely used form of personality assessment, greater face validity, used often)

MMPI (validity is debated)

Problems with Self-Report Inventories

Faking, Careless/Sabotage, Response Tendencies (Social Desirability), Acquiescence=agree w/ all statements

Self-Report Inventories Strengths

reduced bias/subjectivity, practical application, large amounts of research

Self-Report Inventories Weaknesses

No explanation of how traits develop, no psychotherapy schools, lack of agreed-upon framework

Need For Achievement 

Accomplish difficult, master, overcome, high standard, assesses through TAT

High Need Achievers Characteristics

Moderate risks, work with lot of energy, disinterested with routine, want feedback

Predicting Achievement Behavior Factors

Parental practices, economic prosperity, not good as managers

Men VS Women Achievement 

Men → external standards for success

Women → internal definition of success

Attributions Def.

Determine how people feel about the performance and how people perform in similar situations in the future (three dimensions)

Stability Dimension of Attributions

Explanation of performance based on reliability of source

Locus Dimension of Attributions

Explanation of attributions whether internal/external

Control Dimension of Attributions

degree of perceived regulation person has over success and failure

Achievement Goals

Targets people aspire to in achievement situations (2 categories)

Mastery

concerned w/ developing competence 

Performance

Concerned w/ demonstrating accomplishments to other

Type A

Control, Dominance, competitive, frustrating?=anger, urgency, Hostility(coronary disease)

Social Anxiety (social interactions)

Increased arousal, inability to concentrate, nervous, awkward

Underlying Cause of Social Anxiety

Evaluation Apprehension (dont want to be negatively evaluated by others)

Emotional Affectivity

Extent to which people experience positive and negative emotions (High/Low Pos.= Respectively, High/Low Neg.=Emotions opposite extremes)

Emotional Intensity

Strength of the emotions people experience (High=intense/variable emotions, Low=Happiness is calm)

Emotional Expressiveness

Way people express their emotions (women more, good for psychological health)

Optimism

Higher goals, believe they can reach goals, connected with well-being

Dispositional optimism

Extent to which people adopt to positive viewpoints (less anxiety/depression)

Han Eysenck’s Theory

Employed factor analysis, ALL Traits in three basic dimensions (Extra/Introversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism)

Han Eysencks Basic Structure

Specific Response Level

Han Eysenck’s Psychoticism

Egocentric, aggressive, impersonal

Sensitivity to reinforcement: The Behavioral Approach System

(High=Seek/achieve pleasurable goals) “I crave excitement” (DOPAMINE)

Sensitivity to reinforcement: The Behavioral Inhibition System

Apprehensive, retreating “criticism hurts” (NOREPINEPHRINE)

Temperament

General behavioral dispositions that can be expressed in different ways depending on an individual’s experiences

Dimensions in Temperament

Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability

Emotionality (Temperament)

Intensity of emotional reactions (quick temper)

Activity (Temperament)

Persons general level of energy

Sociability (Temperament)

General Tendency to interact/be with others

(Temperament) Gender Differences

Girls → higher level of effortful control

Boys → Increases level of surgency (risky)

Inhibited Children

Controlled/Gentle (attached to parents, slow to explore)

Uninhibited Children

Excited/Rough (quick to explore)

Evolutionary Personality Psychology

Inherited tendencies to become nervous and upset in certain situations that allows our species to survive

(Evolutionary) Anxiety Cause

Social Exclusion (unable to survive/reproduce)

Matching Temperament and Teaching

Goodness of fit model (Creation of environment and procedures conducive to learning based on the temperament of the student)

Cerebral Asymmetry

Difference in brain activity (Left=Pos Moods, Right=Neg. Moods) (Stable over time)

Twin-Study Methods

Procedure for separating the role of genetics from the role of environment (MZ & DZ) Generate correlation tables

Nonadditive Effects

Genetic influence of some personality traits may not be seen
unless a unique combination of more than one gene is inherited

Men VS. Women Mate Selection

Investment in mate larger for women

David Buss Research Mate Selection

Intrasexual Selection, Lipstick Effect, What each gender looks for

Intrasexual Selection

Competition among members of one gender for mating access to
the best members of the other gender

Lipstick Effect

Economic insecurity heightens the need to find a mate with resources, which drives women to try to make themselves more attractive

(roots of humanistic) Existential Philosophy (and who promoted?)

Addresses the meaning of human existence, role of free will, and uniqueness of each human being (Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow)

Humanistic Key Elements

Personal Responsibility, Here and Now, Individual Experience, Personal Growth

Personal Responsibility 

People responsible for what happens to them, behavior reflects personal choices, we are active shaper in our own lives

Here and Now

people can become fully-functioning by just living life, not victim of your past

Individual Experience

Allow clients to help themselves

Personal Growth

Motivated to progress to get to satisfying state of being

Carl Roger

Believed in every individual’s potential to for a fulfilling and happy life (Fully functioning person)

Fully Functioning Person

People who strive and reach an optimal sense of satisfaction in their lives

Distortion (Carl Rogers)

rely on defenses to keep the information from entering awareness

Conditional Positive Regard

Atmosphere when admiration is gained when accepted behavior is portrayed

Unconditional Positive Regard

(resolves conditioned) “love no matter what”

Abraham Maslow (Motives)

Deficiency Motives and Growth Needs

Deficiency Motives (Maslow)

Results from lack of needed object (satisfied when obtained)

Growth Needs (Maslow)

Not satisfied by finding object of need (satisfied by expressing the motive)

(Maslow) Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological, Safety, Belongingness/Love, and Esteem Needs

Physiological and Safety Needs

Hunger, thirst, sleep  and   Security, safety, protection

Belongingness and Love Needs

D-love - Need to satisfy the emptiness people experience without it

B-love - Experienced and grows as a result of being in the relationship

Esteem Needs

Need to perceive oneself as achieving/competent

Need for SELF-ACTUALIZATION

Satisfied when people identify their true self and reach full potential

Misconceptions of Need Hierarchy (Maslow)

that lower needs must be satisfied before turning to higher needs, that its universal, that behavior motivated by single need

Optimal Experience

Moments in which a person’s attention is entirely focused
on an activity (FLOW)

Self-Disclosure 

Revealing intimate information about oneself to another
person

Disclosure Reciprocity

People involved in a conversation reveal information
about themselves at approximately the same level of
intimacy

Loneliness

Occurs when a person’s network of social
relationships is smaller or less satisfying than the
person desires

Cause of Loneliness

Negative Expectations and Poor Social Skills (cycle)

Self-Esteem

Individuals evaluation of self-concept(Cumulation of what people see as their personal characteristics)

Contingencies of Self-worth

Areas people use to evaluate themselves, controlled=good)(ex. appearance, approval, competition)

global self esteem

an individual's overall, general sense of their own worth and value as a person

Preference for Solitude

Avoid Solitude? Loneliness and Sadness or Self-Actualized