AP Psychology: Personality

Cardinal traits

Defining characteristics of a very small number of us that dominate and shape all of our behavior.

Central traits

General characteristics (5-10) that shape much of our behavior.

Secondary traits

Characteristics only apparent in certain situations.

Big 5 Personality Factors

Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism that describe broad personality traits.

Facets

Specific and unique aspects of a broader personality trait.

Eysenck’s Biological Trait Theory

Personality traits have three major dimensions: introversion/extraversion, emotional stability/instability, and psychoticism.

Behavioral approach system

Brain structure that promotes behaviors in pursuit of rewards.

Behavioral inhibition system

System that inhibits behavior when there are signs of danger/threat.

Fight-flight-or-freeze system

Promotes behaviors that can protect an organism from harm.

Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality (rRST)

Theory that includes the behavioral approach system, behavioral inhibition system, and fight-flight-or-freeze system.

Humanistic approaches to personality

Emphasize personal experience, belief systems, and the inherent goodness of each person.

Self-actualization

The process of fulfilling potential for personal growth and greater self-understanding.

Conditions of worth

Developed due to conditional love from parents, leading individuals to lose touch with their true feelings.

Unconditional positive regard

Unconditional love and support from a parent to a child.

Personal myths

Stories that define our individual identity and narratives.

External locus of control

Belief that outcomes are due to luck, fate, or outside forces.

Internal locus of control

Belief that outcomes are due to one's own behavior or characteristics.

Self-efficacy

Confidence in one's ability to perform tasks necessary to achieve goals.

Reciprocal determinism

Bandura’s theory that behavior is influenced by the interaction of personal factors, behavior, and the environment.

Need for cognition

Tendency to engage in and enjoy complex thinking.

Situationism

Belief that behavior is influenced more by situations than personality traits.

Self-monitoring

Sensitivity to cues regarding situational appropriateness.

Cognitive-affective processing system

Stable behavior exhibited when people find themselves in similar situations.

Strong situations

Situations that restrict the expression of personality traits.

Weak situations

Situations that allow personality traits to be more easily revealed.

Interactionism

Behavior determined jointly by situational factors and personality traits.

Self-concept

Everything an individual knows about themselves.

Objectified self

Knowledge of oneself as an object.

Self-awareness

The sense of self as the object of attention.

Objective self-awareness

Self-awareness that aligns behavior with personal values and beliefs.

Self-discrepancy theory

Awareness of differences between personal standards and goals leading to strong emotions.

Self-schema

An integrated set of memories, beliefs, and generalizations about the self.

Working self-concept

The part of the self-concept available during immediate experiences.

Self-esteem

Emotional response to one's personal characteristics.

Reflected appraisal

Self-esteem influenced by perceptions of how others see us.

Sociometer theory

Monitors the likelihood of social exclusion to regulate self-esteem.

Dark triad

Includes narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, each representing a different negative personality trait.

Light triad

Includes humanism, faith in humanity, and Kantianism, representing more positive personality traits.

Better than average effect

Tendency to rate oneself above average in capabilities or qualities.

Positive illusions

Overly favorable beliefs about oneself that can enhance optimism.

Downward comparison

Comparing yourself to someone worse off.

Upward comparison

Comparing yourself to someone better off.

Psychological immune system

Resources that protect against negative effects of stress.

Self-serving bias

Attributing positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors, more common in individualistic cultures.

Personality trait

Characteristic thought, emotional response, and behavior that is relatively stable.

Dispositions

Behavioral, mental, or emotional responses to a certain stimuli.

Temperaments

General tendencies to feel or act in certain ways.

Activity level

The amount of energy and action displayed by a person.

Emotionality

Intensity of emotional reactions.

Sociability

General tendency to associate with others.

Freudian defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies used to cope with anxiety.

Eros

The sexual instinct that aims to preserve and perpetuate life.

Libido

Psychic energy that fuels the sexual instinct.

Erogenous zones

Parts of the body where sexual feelings are expressed.

Oral fixation

Attachment leading to traits based on unresolved conflicts during the oral stage.

Anal retentive traits

Excessive self-control and perfectionism stemming from the anal stage.

Oedipus complex

Unconscious desire for the parent of the opposite sex and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Electra complex

The female counterpart to the Oedipus complex.

Latency stage

Period where sexual urges are repressed in favor of schoolwork and social learning.

Genital stage

Final stage where incestuous impulses are repressed and directed towards others.

Jung’s personal unconscious

Storage of complexes and memories unique to individuals.

Collective unconscious

Inherited universal memories and ideas shared across humanity.

Individuation

Psychological process to become an individual.

Inferiority complex

Fear of inadequacy that motivates behavior according to Adler.

Womb envy

A male's desire to carry a child, as proposed by Horney.

Mean-level changes

Common changes in personality associated with aging.

Convenience sampling

Sampling method based on ease of access, potentially skewed by biases.

Idiographic approach

Focus on analyzing an individual's unique traits.

Nomothetic approach

Examines common traits across individuals to assess personality.

Phrenology

Discredited practice of assessing personality by examining skull shape.

Structured interviews

Formal interviews with pre-planned questions.

Unstructured interviews

Informal conversations aimed at understanding an individual’s perspective.

Halo effect

Influence of initial impressions on perception of someone’s traits.

Projective tests

Tests that reveal unconscious thoughts through responses to ambiguous stimuli.

Rorschach test

Inkblot test to reveal unconscious feelings.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Test that uncovers motives by storytelling from ambiguous images.

MMPI

A personality questionnaire that assesses psychological disorders.

California Q-Sort

Method for personality assessment through sorting descriptive cards.

Electronically Activated Ear Recorder (EAR)

Device recording snippets of daily interactions for personality assessment.

Vazire's observation on traits

Friends may predict behavior more accurately than self-perception due to direct observation.