Psyc 357 Week 8.1: Personality

Type D personalty

(d=distressed) high anxiety, loneliness, depression who try to suppress feelings. Poor prognosis when develop heart disease. Extreme social inhibition, fear of new situations.

Mature defense mechanisms

(more in older) allow you to feel better by channeling anxiety into constructive activity, stifle feelings through suppression, and in anticipation, try to plan ahead so problems do not seem quite so bad. Act to benefit others to feel better or use humor to see the funny side of even worst situations. Sublimation, suppression, anticipation, altruism, humor

MIDUS survey midlife crisis

26% reported experiencing, but included 'awareness of passage of time'. No peak occurred among those in 40s. Even people in 60s reported currently having midlife crisis. Midlife correction?

Downward Slope Pattern

: series of decisions throughout lives which set stage for unfulfilling outcomes such as leaving public service and entering profitable, but unsatisfying, profession.

Passive aggression

: try to get back at others by finding way to harm them without being obvious. (silent treatment, throw shade, microaggressions)

Critiques midlife crtisis

Age is not marker of development - also different had different opinions on when midlife crisis. Chronological age doesn't relate t personality, ages proposed din't even agree. Levinson's book highly subjective - study flawed in original, hardly representative enough to support universality. Not diverse. ALso levinson himself lack objectivity. Speculated that studys results reflected unconscious fantasies and anxieties of himself and middle age male colleagues. Also never clearly state procedures for conducting ratings of life stages. Study self and colleagues. Findings never replicated - particularly in women

Moratorium

Exploration and no commitment. Period of actively exploring alternative identity comitments. pen and curious, on positive side, but also anxious, depressed, and low in self esteem.

Rochester adult longitudinal study

Hierarchical linear modelling. Add groups as you go. Find out that continual personality development is not only possible but predictable. Alllow for late bloomers.

College age identity exploration

High risk behaviors (sex, unsafe driving, drinking games)

Virtue of midlife crisis

Holds out that possible change in adulthood

Competitive parentings

I'm gonna be most attached parent. I will never leave them alone ever. But its a deficit model! More is not always better.

Mills College longitudinal study of college students

Initial findings present evidence for considerable persoanity stability Exceptions: women increased in qualities of assurance, independence, and self control, and decreased on perceived femininity. Many individual differences in personality change patterns, link to variations in level of ego development and identity Women higher in identity at 43 more likely to hav ehigher generativity at 48. Social roles also influence development Support notion of patterns/pathways throughout adulthood, consistent variations in vwell being related to sense of purpose in life

Vaillant Study Adult Development

Investigate use of defense mechanisms in three samples. Provide evidence within each sample for positive relationship between maturity of defenses and various outcomes. Core city men using immature defenses more likleyt o have alcohol problems, unstable marraiges, and antisocial behavior. Use of mature defense mechanism increase over later life

Who did trait theory

James.

Ainsworth romanian infant

Lots ended up in orphanage. Treated with neglect, basically in crib until 5. Get adopted, have very maladaptive attachment styles.

Levinson replication attempts

McCrae & Costa: test predictions. Plot scores on NEO by year, scores flat. Neuroticism lower in 43. Created midlife crisis scale, Didn't detect midlife crisis. Second study on midlife crisis scale: Men higher scores on neuroticism factor 10 years earlier were ones to received higher on midlife crisis. People w/ chronic psychological problems more likely midlife crisis. No data supporting it. MIDUS survey, 26% reported midlife crisis, most likely exaggeration. NO particular peak in mid 40s. Study in UK, recall past crisis aso occurring in 20s, 30s, 40s. ½ recalled crisis in each decade. NOt broad existential, just specific. More likely in decade immediately prior to own age.

High conscientious general results

More self discipline, lower mortality, more preventative bheaviors, fewer riss, lower stress levels (hair cortisol).

Identity Diffuse

No period o f epxloration and no commitment. ore likely to engage in delinquent and drug related behaviors, an dhave low self esteem. Further distinction between carefree (don't care about identity issues) and undifferentiated (trying to arrive at set of commitmentts).

Adult positivity stdy results

Older adults more likely t focus attention on facial expressions suggesting positive rather than negative emotions. Higher cognitive functionin gparticularly likely. Chinese opposite. Also easier to remember wordsw/ positive emotions. Later research suggest maybe more universtal

Types of generativity

Redemption (benefits shift to others from you, the 'quiet ego'. Altruism and concern w/ larger community), Parenting (high in generativity have children who are happier, more likely plan for future, high in prosocial attitudes and social interests), Mentoring, Grandparenting (strengthens fam connections).

Protection from negative self evaluations positive selves model

Revise possible self to avoid future disappointment and frustration. Feel better about self in long run. Study: lder adults hwo understimated future selves had higher well bein ga year later than those who overestimated.

Anticipation

Solve problem before arise

Identity Achieved

Strong identity commitment and exploration. lanced in thinking, mature in relationships to others, thoughtful about life options.

Foreclosed

Strong identity commitment wihtout exploration. igher in self esteem but also closed minded and rigid.

Socioemotional selectivity theory

When people develop sense of time running out, more likely to focus on emotional rewards than informational ones. Older adults, more positive relationships. Desire to experience positive emotions. People seek to maximize the positive emotions they experience from their relationships. When young, wanna meet interesting people, informational rewards. Two types of rewards. As people perceive time to be running out, emotional rewards gain in importance compared to informational. Informational rewards: give you new knowledge. Emotional rewards: giv eyou positive feelings. People turn to when feeling lonely, dperessed, or stressed. Affect regulation: increasing feelings of happiness and well being.

Older adults advantages

ability to control, and express, negative emotions. Learn that if wanna have lcose relationships, have to cut the crap.

Resilience

ability to recover from stress. SOme people charactersically better. REsilient older adults able to overcome negative emotions and adapt to new citations as they arise, even if stressful. Social support an dpersonality play role.

Free traits

acitng out of character, due to situational components. Enact script in order to advance core project in our lives.

Immature defense mechanisms

acting out and denial. React to stressful situation in way that fails to contain your emotions or help you feel better. Have a cost in terms of relationships.

Coping

actions people take to reduce stress. Problem focused emotion focused, then some inbetween. Also called approach and avoidance. Problem focused coping: attempt to reduce stress by changing something about situation. Emotion focused coping: attempt to reduce stress by changing the ways they thinka bout situations.

Traits good for heart

agreeable, conscientiousness

Intermediate defense mechanisms

allow you to turn anxiety/negative feelings into slightly more productive outlets. Displacement: transfer feelings from true target to someone less threatening. Dog :( Repression: forget unpleasant experience. Don't wanna deal, shove it down (emotion or event) "I don't remember feeling angry" Reaction formation: act in a way opposite to true feelings. Something so threatening to them that they can't deal with, so perform opposite. (Gay republican)

Avoidant attachment

also neglected. Fear of abandonment or intense stay away form close relationships altogether.

Coping nad control theory based on

ased on belief adults undergo loss of control. Coping strategies work to reduce stress. ntrary ot popular myth, older adults retain feleing of being in control, despite being aware of constraints they may encounter. View resources and potential positively rather than focusing on losses.

Identity assimilation health and mortality

ay be advantage. Older adults avoid negative views of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those who didn't have resistance to societiys negative views.

Contientiousness long health

cets of self control, organization, industriousness, and responsibility related to lower body fat, healthier metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory markers, and better performance on physical assessments. Those high in conscientious and also low in neuroticism and extraversion less likely to smoke.

U shaped curve

claim to show steep dip in happiness during broad swath of midlife. OVerly simplistic. Data doesn't take into account controls. Only high income observe. U from 7.2 to 7.8, on scale of one to ten.

Type A behavior pattern

collection of traits that include being highly competitive, impatient, feeling strong sense of time urgency, and highly achievement oriented. Major risk factor for heart disease, especially when high hostility.

Social cognitive approaches to personality and aging

cus on how people's emotions and motivations change over time and how these changes affect the way they see themselves and other people. Gaining increased appreciation for ways that older adults able to focus attention on positive, rather than negative aspects of daily lives.

Rochester long - those became involved in marriage/cohabiting after 31

d w/ lower intimacy scores in college. However, over subsequent two decades, shower steeper growth curve than married or cohabited within a few years after college. 1946 cohort, those in relationship by age 31 start w/ higher intimacy scores in college than not. BUT Those in not relationship by 31 show steeper growth curve and had reached same intimacy levels by 40-50.

Triumphant Trail

did not seek change specifically, but instead were handed significant challenges that they were able to overcome such as death of children, spouses, and partners. Early childhood help prepare for this. Greater resilience.

Longitudinal meta analysis 5 traits

dividuals increase in social dominance, conscientiousness, smeotional stability, social vitality, and opennes to experience through age of 40. 4/6 traits continue to change in middle and later adulthood. Agreeable steady increase, and conscientiousness. Emotional stability increase early adult then stable. Openness to experience increase early in life then remains stable, fall somewhat after 60. Social dominance (component of extraversion, traits reflecting not dominance but also independence and self confidence) especially in social contexts, increase over time. Conclusion: contradict notion that specific age at which personality traits stop changing.

Sublimation

do something positive. Greet at door, feel it rising. Love you but I need to go for a run. Own it, take out energy in positive way.

Five factor model

easily hurt. Tendency to experience psychological distress, overreactivity, instability. Can be self perpetuating. Lots of anxiety, go to reunion, preload and get drunk, make fool, more feel anxiety. Extraversion = excitement seeking, people oriented jobs, life of party. Openness = attracted to solving complex problems. Receptiveness to new ideas, approaches, and experiences. Highly correlated w/ iq. Art, aesthetics. High value on philosophy, thinking. Agreeableness = selfless concern for others, trust, and generosity. Altruistic, compliant, tender minded. Not always adaptive, sometimes overly dependent. Conscientiousness = organization, ambitiousness, self discipline. Can be hard on self.

Broad spectrum approach erikson

easure development along all eight stages simultaneously. Test if can confront any issue at any point in life.

Three branches of psychodynamic theory now

ego psychology (ego plays central role in behavior), theory of defense mechanisms (changes in defense mechanisms over adulthood), and adult attachment theory (early relationships set stage for later development of self and relationships)

Anxious attachment

either abandoned infants or felt they would be. Imagine adult partners will also abandon them. Stalker, you need to text me every 10 minutes, where are you gonna be?

Vaillant

emphasize development of defense mechanisms over course of adulthood. Interested in how they change over time. Take Freud's and give new spin. Believe defense mechanisms involuntary and unconscious, protect individual. Ego integrates inner and outer reality. Ego passes through stages slightly different from Eriksons. Some defense mechanisms good! Ideally, move away from maladaptive and work toward more adaptive.

Redemptive self

enerativity not completely selfless. Generative behaviors also expand and enrich ones own ego. Benefit own development. BUT truly generative, still care more about others you are helping.

Identity assimilation protective

ere faced w/ potential negative info about abilities: older drivers referred to education classes cuz of history of auto accidents. Those that overestimated driving abilities less depressed after feedback about actual driving abilities than those who took more pessimistic view of whether driving abilities changed.

Identity and self esteem

esteem higher in those who use both identity balance and assimilation. Identity accommodation related to lower levels of self esteem throughout adulthood.

Secure attachment

feel safe nd cared for. Feel confident about self and confident others treat well. Learn at least one figure is consistent and reliable source of emotional support. Majority of adults.

Studies FFM aging

high degree of consistency over time throughout adulthood, with greater among increasingly older. However, consistency smaller the longer time interval between. Maintain relative positions along traits in comparison to age peers (highs stay high and lows stay low). However, mean scores may undergo changes across adulthood.

Cognitive perspective

iews people as driven by desire to predict and control their experiences. Cognitive self theories: propose that people regard events in their lives from the standpoint of how relevant these are to their own senes of self. Specific theories about aging an personality cognitive: importance on ways people interpret experiences and understand selves over time.

Noisy eg ovs quiet ego

igh in generativity moved past phase when noisy ego causes to focus on own self interest and can have quiet enough ego to allow to hear what others need and help without concern for how benefit them.

Life story

individual's inner personal narrative of the past events in their life. Life story tendency study: men in particular likely to see self as having gained in attributes such as confident power between 20-60.

5 factor critiques

inherently circular in rationality. Traits don't necessarily predict behavior (coping skills make a difference). Methodological Problems - laypersons identified personality descriptors Doesn't assess core aspects of human nature Not predictive of behavior Ignores sociocultural context - little'swork on free traits Assumes people can rate their own personality characteristics

Maturity principle of adult personality development

ividuals become less impulsive as develop into adulthood for example.

Trait & cognitive function

ividuals with lower neuroticism and higher extraversion, openness, and conscientious have higher verbal fluency scores.

Whitehlall insecure attachment style health

liva analyzed for cortisol, and rate subjective stress levels. Those anxious attachment had higher levels of cortisol nd perceived stress shortly after awakening, remain higher through day. Cumulative deleterious effects taking toll on health.

Meandering way

made a series of very different commitments but never seemed to settle on one direction to follow. Identity accommodation. Excessive change in response to experiences. Weak ego/sense of identity.

Authentic road

made series of changes in lives, but with each sought greater identity clarity and opportunities for growth. Identity balance. Low rigidity, open to new.

Straight and narrow

made virtually no self initiated life changes but maintain highly consistent patterns for decades. Identity assimilation. Fear change, prefer to think as stable even when situations require change. Rigid.

Suppression

milder form of repression. Realize something not positive and needs to be dealt with later, but this is not the time.

Levinson/Sheehy appraoch midlife crisis

mphasizes strict age based turning points in adulthoodd, midline crisis was just one. Based on interviews w/ small sample of 40 men form 30s-40s. Intended to be diverse (business exec, academic biologist, blue collar woke, novelist). Also analyses of biographies of famous men and stories of men in literature. Proposed that development involves primarily changes in life structure.

Older adults ocping

much less self destructive/emotional ways than when younger. Suppress negative feelings or channel them into productive activities.

Multiple threshold model

ndividuals react to specific age related changes in physical and psychological funcitoning in ersm of identity processes. 40-95 yo. Individuals who used identity assimilation with regard to changes had higher self esteem than those who used identity accommodation. A certain amount of denial is good.

Successful coping

ne that matches demands of situation and modifiability by actions ths that the individual can take. If situation can't be changed, only more stressed if try to use problem focused. Can be changed, using emotion focused fail to improve. When successfully cope: mood improves and higher sense of wellb eing. Reciprocal. People who feel better also cope better.ople who were less depressed more likely to resolve problematic situations successfully.

Identity process theory

oal of development is optimal adaptation to the environment through establishing a balance between maintaining consistency of the self (identity assimilation) and changini response to experiences (identity accommodation). Actions people take upon environment are attempts to express sense of self by ngageing in activities they regard as important and worthwhile. Usually positive video f self but as older, more can erode self esteem. Assimilation as get older: increased amount. How older maintain positive self esteem.

Attachment style later in life

older adults less likely to experience anxious attachment. Those that had secure attachment as children are happier than those who didn't. In older, may have fewer attachment figures, but those they have come from a wider variety of areas. IF do have insecure older, may be more likely social isolation, health risk.

Men and women id process

omen use accommodation more than men. Some women using assimilation claim use balance to appear flexible to negative feedback.

What kept midlife crisis alive?

ood headlines, blame midlife excesses n crisis to justify naughty behavior, one size fits all psychology, easy explanation for whatever problem, and now too popular to disappear.

Identity process model

ook at adult development in terms of identity accomodation, identity assimilation, and balance. Possible to describe adults position on issues relevatn to sense of self at any point in life.

Identity achievment vs diffusion

ortray adolescents as struggling to define self in face of physical changes associated w/ puberty, cognitive changes, and particularly role changes.

Parents higher in generativity

ot only felt closer to university aged children, but also had children who were happier, more likely to be able to plan for future, higher in prosocial personality attributes, higher social interest, as indicated by interest in politics.

Levinson variation in stage sequences

ow for variations in progress through late 30s that affect nature of midlife crisis. Most frequently observed pattern: advance steadily in stable life structure, then some form of failure. Not massive. However, if part of dream it can be serious disappointment and self questioning.

Midlife transition

pecial quality. Most significant shift from early to middle adulthood. 40-45. Virtually universal process thath ahs characterized human existence for long time. Overcoming disillusionment due to failure to achieve dreams of youth that inevitably cannot befully realied. Establish new set of more realistic aspiration. Making decisions about how to pursue life structure during middle adulthood. Question marriage, grips with maturing adolescent children, ahdnle promotion or demotion at work, reflect about of nation and woordl. Maybe begin to establish mentor relationship w/ younger. Resolve polarities involving masculinity and femininity, feelings about life and death, needs for boht autonomy and dependence on others.

Correspondence principle

people experience particular life events that reflect their personality traits; once these events occur, they further affect people's personalities. (high extroversion, attract to social, shape to be more outgoing). Enhance personality stability.

Midlife crisis

period of self scrutiny and re evaluation of goals triggered by the individual's entry into middle age. Coined by Elliot Jaques (1965) in paper outlining role of fear of mortality as prompting ilfe crises in well known historical figures. THen another journalist ut t in book fo adults. Sheehy in Passages. THen Levinson 1978. Levinson two stages: Midlife Transition: 40-45 Late Adulthood Transition: 60-65.

Safe havens not attachment figures

pets. Clergy, healthcare professionals, more distant relatives.

Cog stress approach

phasize role of perceptison as determining whether or not event will be viewed as threat, which detemrines whether it is viewed as stressful. Stress: when you perceive that the situation overwhelms your ability to manage effectively in that situation.

Other longitudinal investigation defense mechanisms

pport general direction of less to more mature with age. ALso maladaptive defense mechanisms used by people with narcissistic personality (gratification depends on admiration of others) became less psychologically healthy.

Denial

refuse to acknowledges bad situation. "I've never been angry with anyone". Fruther than repression.

Acting out (regression)

release feelings impulsively. Engage in destructive behavior. (Punch hole in wall) Revert to old immature behavior. How child expresses, tummy ache.

Levinson theory unique

roposal that life structure evolves through orderly series of universal stages in adulthood. ALternate between tranquility and transition, each stage have specific focus. Periods of stability: man builds his ife structure around decisions he made in previous stage. As reaches close, driver by both internal and external factors to question previous set of commitments. Transitional period: 4-5 years, explore different alternatives and seek new life structure or modification of existing one. INvitable. Choices always imiperfect. Regrets and desire for change.

Ego psychology

ropose ego central part of mind, carries out important function of helping people find balance between expressing inner selves while finding ways to adapt to world's demands. Erikson. each point is push-pull toward favorable vs unfavorable, epigenetic principles proposes stages unfold in predetermined order but earlier issues may return later and alter may appear earlier.

Possible selves model

roposes taht the individual's view of the self, or self schema, guides the choice and pursuit of future endeavours. What are you now and what could you be in the future? Motivate to act ceratin ways. Can remain hopeful ofchange well into later years. Extent successful in reach hoped for, positive feelings of life satisfaction. Health related possible self: increasingly important with age. Your hope that you will remain in good shape and free of disease. Dreaded possible self: opposite of hoped for. Take action to avoid. HOped for possible self: person you would like to be.

Older meeting new

s interested, rather people familiar. They will serve self validationand affect regulation. Deepen ties w/ close people.

Stage theory critiques

simple, but fail to deal with individual differences, and empirical vaidation is difficult, contradictory.

Freud type of theorist

stage theorist (psychosexual conflicts). Not interested in aging. Personality development is complete at 5-6 years. Change not possible after 50.

College low scores of indurstry - rochester long

ubsequent 20 years, show steeper increase, eventually catch up. Continual personality development not only possible but predictable.

Assimiation/accomodation cultural

utch and American. Maintaingin youthful age identity mediate link between identity processes and self esteem, however stronger in americans athan dutch. US more likely to be focused on youthful identity than netherlands, which has forced retire at 65.

Life structure

way that the individuals life is patterned at a given point in time. Family, work, leisure, friendship, religion, ethinicity. Conscious and unconscious sense of self, social and cultural environment.

Identity status interview

xamine degree of commitment help by individual to identity issues and degree of exploration used to arrive at commitment. Dimensions are commitment - no commitment and exploration - no exploration. Expand on erikson by showing people can have strong identities without goin grhrough traditional period of crisis or exploration (take on view of parents).**what about older people? Just achieved forever??

Denial vs accomodation

ymptoms: denial better psychological healht, primarily on accommodation, depressive symptoms.