Self, personality, gender and sexuality

Chapter 9

Personality

A combination of attributes, motives, values and behaviours.

Dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, narrative identities/life stories

Includes self-concept and self-esteem

Traits

Enduring measurable characteristics on which people differ.

Openness to experience

Curiosity and interest in variety vs. Preference for sameness.

Conscientiousness

Discipline and organization vs. Lack of seriousness.

Extraversion

Sociability and outgoingness vs. Introversion.

Agreeableness

Compliance and cooperativeness vs. Suspiciousness.

Neuroticism

Emotional instability vs. Stability

Temperament

A genetically based pattern of tendencies to respond in predictable ways that serve as the building blocks of personality.

Categories of temperament (Thomas & Chess)

3 types:

Easy 40%

Difficult 15%

Slow-to-warm up 10%

Behavioural inhibition (Kagan et al.)

2 types: Behaviourally inhibited VS uninhibited

Tendency to withdraw from unfamiliar people or situations

Risk factor for anxiety disorder

Rothbart et al.

3 types:

Surgency/extroversion

Negative affectivity

Effortful control

-Emotional reaction, self-regulation & control

Existential self

Infants develop an implicit sense of self, realisation of self as different.

Gender

Socially constructed roles.

Gender schemata

Organised set of beliefs and expectations

New info is distorted to be consistent

Sexuality

Capacity for sexual feelings, thoughts and behaviours

Sexual orientation

Preference exists on a continuum.

The Big Five

A personality test

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Goodness of fit

Temperament and environment interact

No one size fits all

Temperament and parenting behaviours interact to overcome behavioural inhibition

Age self-recognition occurs

18 months

Causes of self-awareness in infants

Exploration/sensory experience, cognitive development, social interaction, experiences/cultural emphasis

Preschool child self-concept

Concrete, physical characteristics, possessions, physical activity, accomplishments, preferences

Age psychological/social qualities become prominent in self-description and capable of social comparison

Age 8

Mid-primary 5 aspects of overall self-worth

Scholastic competence, social acceptance, behavioural conduct, athletic competence, physical appearance

Social learning perspective in relation to gender roles

Differential reinforcement (parents, peers)

Observational learning

Gender stereotyping

Cognitive developmental theory (Kohlberg) in relation to gender roles

Active self-socialisation

Stage like changes - understand gender then influenced by social experiences

Gender identity (2-3), stability (4-5), consistency (6-7)

Interventions to boost self-esteem work if

Realistic/attainable goals, emphasise effort/improvement, link outcomes to effort

Self-esteem and what influence each other

Performance

Increased gender equality leads to

mens imrpoved psychological/physical health, life-expectancy gap decrease, decreased domestic violence, better/happier quality of life

Makes personality stable

Childhood experiences, consistent social roles, gene/environment

Makes personality change

Biological factors & diseases

Influences on self-esteem

heredity, competence, social feedback, secure attachment

Moratorium stage

Raise questions about self and answer them - identity achievement status

Self-concept

Individual’s perception of their attributes, self-esteem and overall evaluation of self-worth & identity is a coherent self-definition

Gender role differences

biological influences, socialisation, environmental theories

Differences in sexuality

mix of biological & environmental factors

Age infants gain basic sense of gender identity

30-36 months

Culture self-awareness develops quicker in

Individualistic culture

-mother socialisation goals, emphasis on goals & own interests

Erikson’s conflict of identity VS role confusion

Teens progress through identity stages

Age makes what become more stable

Personality