Personality Psych - Midterm 2

Case Study: Mean-Level Change (1)

Jane Fonda

Case Study: Mean-Level Change (2)

Jay Z

Case Study: Redemptive Narrative

Barack Obama

Case Study: Women’s Stories

Mary Catherine Bateson

Case Study: Motivated Agent

Sigmund Freud

Case Study: Motivated Agenda

Hillary Clinton

Maturity Principle

Overtime, there are positive changes in A and C, and a gradual decline in N, leading to maturity.

Rank-Order Stability

The extent to which individual differences in a given trait hold steady within a ranking as people grow older.

As the time between personality assessments increases…

Consistency somewhat declines

Heritability Quotient

The extent to which observed variation in a population is a accounted for by genetic variation

Gene

Segment of DNA

Twin Studies

Research method used to estimate the heritability of traits by comparing similarities between identical and fraternal twins.

Heritability for Personality Variations

50%

MISTRA Study

A study performed by the University of Minesota that demonstrates that growing up in the same family generally has little effect on personality traits.

Shared Environment Effects

Environment influences that make family members alike

Non-shared Environment Effects

Environmental influences that make family members different.

Examples of nonshared effects

1. Prenatal Trauma

2. Accidental events

3. Family constellation (birth order)

4. Sibling mutual interaction

5. Parental treatment

6. Influences outside of family

Psychological mechanisms that reinforce pre-existing behaviors

1. Evocation

2. Manipulation

3. Role Selection

4. Attraction

5. Responsivity

Mean-level Change

The extent to which the average scores on a trait change as a function of age

Cohort Effects

People of the same age cohort have shared features that are different from any other age cohort

When does the maturity principle reverse?

In late life, due to failing health and other age-related factors

Biological Script Hypothesis

Changes in dispositions are due to universal biological changes during aging

Social Investment Theory

People increasingly devote their energies to socially valued roles as they move through aging

How does therapy affect traits?

Decreases N, but does not affect any other trait.

Volitional Personality Change

The idea that individuals can intentionally alter their personality traits through conscious effort and behaviors, often facilitated by therapeutic interventions.

Eros (Life instincts)

Forces and drives linked to bodily pleasures

Thanatos (Death instincts)

Forces and drives linked to destruction and death

Steps for the Freudian Theory of Motivation

1. Determinism

2. Drive

3. Conflict

4. The Unconscious

The Unconscious

Sexual and aggressive instincts, as well as hidden urges, memories, and other forgotten experiences

Ego

The mediator between the superego and id

Superego

Moral consciousness

Id

Sexual and aggressive instincts

Intentionality

Imitating and improvising on intentional, goal-directed behaviors as shown by adults

Age 5-7 shift

A shift marking important changes in cognitive development, language development, decision making, and social functioning

Concrete operational state

A stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development typically occurring between ages 7 and 11, where children gain a better understanding of mental operations and become capable of logical thought.

Drive reduction

Theory suggesting behavior is motivated by the need to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological drives, such as hunger or thirst.

Psychogenic needs

Needs that stem from psychological rather than physiological sources, such as the need for achievement, affiliation, or power.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective psychological test used to assess personality and emotional functioning through storytelling based on ambiguous images.

Projective Tests

Psychological assessments that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that reveal aspects of an individual's personality, often including tests like the TAT.

Picture Story Exercise (PSE)

A projective test where individuals create stories about ambiguous pictures, used to explore underlying emotions and personality traits.

Humanistic Psychology

An approach in psychology that emphasizes the study of the whole person and the uniqueness of individual experience, focusing on concepts like self-actualization and personal growth.

Phenomenal Field

A person’s entire conscious experience

Unconditional Positive Regard

Love and acceptance of others in a non-critical manner

Self-actualization

The idea that humans strive to fulfill their own potential

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Self-Actualization

Self-determination Theory

A theory of motivation that asserts people are most motivated to act when they feel that their actions are self-chosen and aligned with their intrinsic interests.

Three Basic Needs for self-determined behavior

1. Competence

2. Autonomy

3. Relatedness

Achievement Motivation

A drive to excel and outperform others, often associated with setting and striving for challenging goals.

Power Motivation

The drive to influence and control others, often associated with a desire for status and prestige.

Identity

The sense of self that encompasses individual beliefs, values, and roles in society. It reflects how one perceives themselves and is influenced by social interactions.

Three reasons for developing an identity

1. Biology

2. Cognition

3. Society

Identity Achievement

The process by which an individual successfully resolves identity crisis and develops a strong sense of self, often leading to a clear understanding of personal values and goals.

Moratorium

A state of active exploration where individuals are experiencing identity crisis but have not yet made commitments to their values, beliefs, or goals.

Identity Foreclosure

The state in which an individual commits to values and goals without experiencing an identity crisis, often due to external pressures or expectations.

Identity Diffusion

The state where an individual has not yet experienced an identity crisis or made commitments to values or goals, often resulting in a lack of direction and purpose.

Erikson Stages: Infancy

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson Stages: Early Childhood

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson Stages: Childhood

Initiative vs. Guilt

Erikson Stages: School Age

Industry vs. Inferiority

Erikson Stages: Adolescence

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Erikson Stages: Young Adulthood

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson Stages: Adulthood

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erikson Stages: Late Adulthood

Integrity vs. Despair

Modes of Knowing

1. Narrative

2. Paradigmatic

Narrative Mode of Thinking

A way of understanding the world through stories and personal experiences, emphasizing subjective and qualitative aspects.

Paradigmatic Mode of Thinking

A logical approach to understanding the world through systematic and objective analysis, focusing on empirical evidence and rational arguments.

Default Mode Network (DMN)

A network of brain regions that is active during rest and involved in self-referential thought, mind-wandering, and retrieval of memories.

Scene Construction

Functioning to remember past events or create future scenarios

First personality psychologist to develop a theory of a person as a storyteller

Silvan Tomkins

Script Theory

The key units of analysis are scripts through which people convey emotional dynamics over time

Affect

Basic state of feeling

Scene

Memory of a specific event in one’s life that contains at least one affect

Script

A set of rules for interpreting, creating, enhancing, or defending against a group of related scenes

Types of Scripts

1. Commitment

2. Nuclear

3. Ideological

Commitment Script

A script that contains experiencing early scenes of intense joy that commit someone to a long-term goal of improving things

Nuclear Script

A script in which positive early experiences are contaminated by intense negative emotions, leading to tragedy

Ideological Script

A script that contains patterns of associations that people form between emotional scenes and their life values

When was the narrative turn in social sciences and humanities?

1980s-90s

Life Story Model of Identity

The idea that identity is a broad and integrative story that a person tells about the self

Life Story Interview

A qualitative research method used to explore an individual's personal narrative, focusing on significant life events to understand identity.

Parts of a Life Story Interview

1. Chapters

2. High, low, and turning points

3. Biggest challenge

4. Important characters

5. Future plans for the story

6. Ideological beliefs

Autobiographical Memory

Memory about the self, including episodes that are encoded, processed, and stored in the mind.

Scaffolding

A process done by parents and other guardians that provides support and guidance during learning, helping individuals build skills and understanding.

Elaborative Style

How much parents provide opportunity for their children to reflect and elaborate on emotions, thoughts, and desires

Story Grammar

A framework for analyzing the structure and elements of narratives, including characters, settings, and events.

What life events have an effect on traits?

First relationship and transition to work

D Statistic

The difference between two means. The bigger the D, the bigger the effect of something

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Stage One

Oral - pleasure centers around sucking mother’s breast during feeding

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Stage Two

Anal: pleasure centers around controlling bladder and bowel movements during toilet training.

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Stage Three

Oedipal - pleasure centers around the child's feelings towards opposite-sex parent and rivalry with same-sex parent.

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Stage Four

Latency - sexual feelings are suppressed as children focus on developing skills and relationships with same-sex peers.

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development: Stage Five

Genital - pleasure centers around mature sexual intimacy and the development of relationships.

Freud Case Study: Dora

A psychoanalytic case study on a young girl, exploring themes of hysteria, family dynamics, and the interpretation of dreams.

What is a story typically about?

A motivated agent wanting something

What makes a good story?

Deviation from the norm

Elaborative Reminiscing

A technique involving detailed discussions about past events to enhance memory and language skills in children.

Autobiographical Reasoning

Deriving semantic meaning from episodic memories

What are stories coded for?

1. Agency

2. Communion

3. Contamination

4. Redemption

How are agency and improvement related?

Increases in agency in stories predict improvement