personality traits and theories

humanistic theorists

emphasized human potential
focused on the ways “healthy” people strive for self determination and self-realization

self-actualization

 motivation to fulfill potential and to become a fully functioning person

ideal self vs real self

the person that you would like to be vs the person you actually are 

incongruence

the difference between our real self, and ideal self

unconditional positive regard

we are all born with a need for acceptance and love from others independent of how we behave, and positive self-regard from ourselves

acceptance, genuine, empathy

what Carl Rogers believes everyone needs for personal growth

individualists

more emphasis on independent self
self defined by personal values, personal goals, and personal attitudes

collectivists

more emphasis on collective self
self defined by connections with family and friends with the goals of the group having higher priority than individual goals

trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

cardinal traits

defining characteristic, dominates/shapes all of our behavior

central traits

general characteristic, between 5-10 which shape much of our behavior

secondary traits

characteristic apparent in only certain situations

cattell’s 16 traits

through the use of surveys and records, found out how traits are organized and how they are linked

source traits

the more basic traits that underlie the surface traits, forming the core of personality 

surface traits

aspects of personality that can easily be seen by other people in the outward actions of a person 

openness

being curious, original, intellectual, creative, and open to new ideas

conscientousness

being organized, systematic, punctual, achievement-oriented, and dependable

extraversion

measures our sociability and tendency to pay attention to external environment: being outgoing, talkative, sociable, and enjoying social situations

agreeableness

being affable, tolerant, sensitive, trusting, kind, and warm

neuroticism

measures our level of emotional instability: being anxious, irritable, temperamental, and moody

eysenck’s personality dimensions

a long list of traits simplified into three dimensions: extraversion, neuroticism and psychocism

big five personality factors

model of personality traits that describes five basic trait dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism

self-report methods

most common personality assessment techniques
involves a person answering a series of questions, such as a personality questionnaire, or supplying information about himself or herself  

personality inventory

a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
used to assess selected personality traits

minnesota multiphasic personality inventory

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests
originally developed to identify emotional disorders; now used for many other screening purposes

myers-briggs type indicator

Carl Jung’s theory on personality
one of the most popular personality inventories used with nonclinical populations
measures individuals across four bipolar dimensions

projective test

personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli and test-takers tell a story about it 

thematic apperception test

projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

rorschach inkblot test

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots
seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots