4.6a-4.6c vocab

Module 4.6a – Trait Theories

1. Traits (Strengths/Weaknesses) – Traits are consistent patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior; they help predict behavior but may oversimplify personality.
APP: A person who is consistently outgoing is likely to enjoy social events, but trait theories might not explain why they occasionally prefer solitude.

2. Big Five Theory and CANOE – A personality model with five traits: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Extroversion (CANOE).
APP: Employers use the Big Five to assess job candidates' personalities, helping them determine if someone is a good fit for teamwork or leadership roles.

3. BFI-Agreeableness – A trait measuring trust, kindness, and cooperation.
APP: A highly agreeable person volunteers regularly and avoids conflict in social situations.

4. BFI-Conscientiousness – A trait reflecting responsibility, organization, and dependability.
APP: A student with high conscientiousness always completes assignments on time and keeps a detailed planner.

5. BFI-Neuroticism/Emotional Stability – A trait measuring emotional reactivity and stress levels.
APP: A person with high neuroticism gets anxious over small mistakes, while someone with low neuroticism stays calm under pressure.

6. BFI-Openness – A trait involving creativity, curiosity, and willingness to try new things.
APP: Someone high in openness enjoys traveling to new places and experimenting with different cuisines.

7. BFI-Extroversion – A trait measuring sociability, energy, and enthusiasm.
APP: A highly extroverted person enjoys large parties and frequently initiates conversations with strangers.

8. Personality Inventories – Questionnaires designed to measure personality traits.
APP: A company uses a personality inventory to help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses.

9. MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) – A widely used personality test to assess mental health and personality traits.
APP: A psychologist administers the MMPI to diagnose a patient with anxiety or depression.

10. Factor Analysis – A statistical method that identifies clusters of related traits.
APP: Researchers use factor analysis to group personality traits into the Big Five categories.

Module 4.6b – Social Cognitive

11. Social-Cognitive Perspective – A theory that personality is shaped by interactions between thoughts, behaviors, and environment.
APP: A student who believes they are bad at math (thoughts) avoids studying (behavior), leading to poor grades (environment), reinforcing their belief.

12. Reciprocal Determinism – The idea that behavior, environment, and personal factors influence each other.
APP: A friendly person (personal factor) seeks out social events (environment), which strengthens their outgoing nature (behavior).

Module 4.6c – Exploring the Self

13. Self-Esteem – A person’s overall sense of self-worth.
APP: A student with high self-esteem confidently participates in class, while someone with low self-esteem hesitates to speak.

14. Self-Efficacy – A person’s belief in their ability to succeed at specific tasks.
APP: An athlete with high self-efficacy believes they can improve with practice, leading them to train harder.

15. Spotlight Effect – The tendency to overestimate how much others notice about us.
APP: A teenager wearing a mismatched outfit worries everyone is judging them, but in reality, no one notices.

16. Self-Concept – A person’s understanding of who they are.
APP: A musician sees themselves as creative and expressive, shaping their career and lifestyle choices.