Personality FInal Flashcards Set

Gordon Allport:
- Emphasizes the uniqueness of individual traits and personal dispositions, which can be inherited and shaped by life experiences.
- Identifies different categories of traits: cardinal traits (dominant traits), central traits (general characteristics), and secondary traits (like preferences).
- Introduces the concept of functional autonomy, suggesting that motives can change as people grow, becoming more focused on personal goals rather than basic needs.
Raymond Cattell:
- Stresses the importance of identifying specific traits that define personality through empirical research and factor analysis.
- Proposes a classification system for categorizing traits into source traits (underlying characteristics) and surface traits (observable behaviors).
- Developed the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) as a tool to measure these traits quantitatively.
Hans Eysenck:
- Discusses personality as comprising three major dimensions: Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism, which serve as broad categories for predicting behavior patterns.
- Introduces the notion of biological bases for these dimensions, suggesting that individual variations in personality traits could be associated with differences in neurological functioning and genetic predispositions.

Abraham Maslow:
- Develops the Needs-Hierarchy Theory, outlining a pyramid of needs ranging from physiological requirements to self-actualization.
- Identifies characteristics of self-actualizers, including independence, creativity, and a profound appreciation for life, arguing that personal growth leads to fulfillment and happiness.
Carl Rogers:
- Focuses on the concept of self-actualization, stressing the importance of personal growth and fulfillment as an inherent drive.
- Highlights the significance of positive regard, which encompasses both unconditional positive regard (acceptance regardless of circumstances) and positive self-regard (self-acceptance).
- Discusses conditions of worth that can hinder self-actualization, suggesting that societal expectations can create barriers to realizing one’s potential.

George Kelly:
- Views individuals as scientists, forming personal constructs (mental frameworks) based on observations of the world.
- Introduces constructive alternativism, suggesting that individuals can change their perspectives and thus change their lived experiences, emphasizing the role of cognitive processes in understanding personality.

B.F. Skinner:
- Expounds on behaviorism, focusing on the distinctions between respondent (reflexive) and operant (voluntary) behaviors, emphasizing learned behaviors shaped by reinforcements.
- Identifies classical (Pavlovian) and operant conditioning as foundational concepts, discussing reinforcement (positive and negative), punishment, extinction, and the complexities of reinforcement schedules in shaping behavior.

John Bowlby:
- Introduced attachment theory, categorizing four main attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized) based on early relationships with caregivers.
- Discusses the concept of internal working models that guide individuals' understandings of themselves and their relationships with others, significantly impacting adult relationships.
Mary Ainsworth:
- Developed the Strange Situation experiment as a method of measuring attachment styles in infants, revealing how different styles manifest in behavior during separation and reunion with caregivers.

Personality Disorders:
- Defined as enduring patterns of behavior that result in dysfunction or distress, these disorders are categorized into three clusters: A (odd/eccentric), B (dramatic/emotional/erratic), and C (anxious/fearful).
- Characteristics can be ego-dystonic (causing conflict with self-image and distress) or ego-syntonic (congruent with self-image and thus less distressing for the individual).

Definitions and Types:
- Trauma can be categorized into various forms, including acute (resulting from a single event), chronic (from repeated exposure), and complex trauma (exposure to multiple traumatic events over time).
- Discusses the generational transmission of trauma and its implications for understanding personality disorders, highlighting how the psychological impacts of trauma can affect multiple generations in families.
Heinz Kohut: Self-Psychology:
- Discusses the concept of the self, differentiating between self-objects (people or experiences that influence self-development) and their roles in psychological regulation.
- Introduces concepts such as primary narcissism, the grandiose self, idealized parental imago, and emphasizes the significance of mirroring and idealization for healthy self-development.

Understanding Intersectionality:
- A framework for analyzing how various social identities (race, gender, class) intersect to shape individual experiences and impact psychological outcomes.
- Questions how intersectionality influences the understanding of abnormal behavior and personality disorders, alongside access to mental health services.
- Examines the relationship between intersectionality and trauma, particularly intergenerational trauma, highlighting how social identities can affect the experience and expression of trauma.

Julian Rotter: Locus of Control:
- Discusses the concept of locus of control, differentiating between internal (belief that one controls their destiny) and external (belief that external factors control outcomes) orientations and their impacts on mental health outcomes and behavior.
Marvin Zuckerman: Sensation-Seeking:
- Introduces sensation-seeking, detailing its components such as thrill-seeking and experience-seeking, exploring both positive and negative aspects associated with high levels of sensation-seeking behavior, including risk-taking tendencies and potential for addiction.