Personality - Chapter 13

denail

refusal to recognize an unpleasant reality. alcoholics

trait

relatively stable personal characteristic that can be used to describe someone

genetics

research between identical twins, fraternal twins, and twins reared apart. parents with biological/adopted children- 40-50% personality

deliberate deception and social desirability bias

respondents may intentionally or unintentionally fake particular personality traits. some want to look good and will answer questions in ways that they perceive as socially desirable

conscientiousness

responsible, self-disciplined, organized, achieving at the high end to irresponsible, careless, impulsive, lazy, and undependable at the other

regression

reverting to immature ways of responding - temper tantrum

unconditional positive regard

roger's term for love and acceptance with no contingencies attached

objective tests

standardized questionnaires that require written responses. answers to typically multiple choice or true-false questions help people to describe themselves. limited number of possible responses to items. follow empirical standards for test construction and scoring. can be administerd to large number of people in short time. evaluated in standardized fashion

possible cultural bias and innappropriate use

standards of 'normalcy' on objective self-report tests fail to recognize the impact of culture. latinos score higher than north american and western european cultures on masculinity-femininity scale

factor analysis

statistical procedure for determining the most basic units or factors in a large array of data. with this, psychologists reduced wide array of possible personality traits

interviews

structured and unstructured interviews

neuroticism

tendency toward insecurity, anxiety, guilt, and moodiness

levels of awareness

believed the mind to have 3 levels of awareness: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious

projection

transferring unacceptable thoughts, motives, or impulses to others

psychosexual stages of development

five developmental period - oral anal, phallic, latency, and genital

biological theories

focus on brain, neurochemistry, and genetics

unstructured interviews

for job and college selection - diagnosing psychological problems. interviewers get impressions and pursue hunches. let interviewee expand on info that promises to disclose unique personality characteristics

social cognitive theory

individual history of interactions with the environment and how we think of the world and interpret what happens to us

criticisms of trait theories

lack of explanation, stability versus change, and ignoring situational effects

Freud's 4 key concepts

levels of awareness, personality structure, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual stages of development

poorly adjusted individual - incongruence

little overlap between self-concept and experience

observations

looks for specific behaviors and follows a careful set of evaluation guidelines. might arrange to observe a client's interaction with his/her family. - does he show agitation or passiveness? with careful observation, psychologist gains valuable insights into client's personality and family dynamic

reliability

measure of the consistency and reproducibility of test scores when the test is readministered

the cycle of unconscious conflicts

unconscious conflicts b/t id, ego, superego lead to uncomfortable levels of anxiety or guilt and use defense mechanisms to help relieve discomfort by distorting reality and self-deception. relief may increase chances of resorting to defense mechanisms

analytical psychology

unconscious process, but positive and spiritual motives as well as sexual and aggressive forces

personality

unique and relatively stable patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions. how you are different from other people and what patterns of behavior are typical of you

Raymond Cattell

condensed list of traits to 16

self-concept

roger's term for all the information and beliefs u have about their own nature, qualities, and behavior

self-efficacy

bandura's term for a person's learned expectation of success. if you have a strong sense of self-efficacy you believe you can generally succeed regardless of past failures and current obstacles

rorschach inkblot test

a projective test that presents a set of 10 cards with symmetrical abstract patterns, known as inkblots, and asks repsondents to describe what they 'see' in the image; their response it thought to be a projection of unconscious processes

thematic apperception test

a projective test that shows a series of ambiguous black and white pictures and asks the test taker to create a story related to each; the responses presumably reflect a projection of unconscious processes

validity

ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure

basic anxiety

according to horney, the feelings of helplessness and insecurity that adults experience because as children they felt alone and isolated in a hostile environment

archetypes

according to jung, the images and patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that reside in the collective unconscious

inferiority complex

adler's idea that feelings of inferiority develop from early childhood experiences of helplessness and incompetence

self-esteem

appreciating one's own worth and importance and having the character to be accountable for oneself and to act responsibly toward others

the ego

as child grows older, this develops. rational, decision-making component of personality that operates according to reality principle. responsible for planning, reasoning and controlling the id. ego resides in conscious and preconscious. corresponds to the self - our conscious identity of ourselves as a person. task is to release the id's energy in ways that are appropriate

structured interviews

asks specific questions and follows a set of preestablished procedures so that the interviewee can be evaluated more objectively. results on rating scale that makes comparisons with others easier

psychoanalytic theories of personality

attempt to explain individual differences by examing how unconscious mental forces interplay with thoughts, feelings, and actions

behavioral genetics

attempts to determine extent to which behavioral differences among people are due to genetics as opposed to environment

reciprocal determinism

bandura's belief that cognitions, behaviors, and the environment interact to produce personality - i can succeed, i will work hard and ask for a promotion (behavior), my employer promoted me - environment

well-adjusted individual - congruence

considerable overlap between self-concept and experience

extroversion

contrasts people who are sociable, outgoing, talkative, fun loving, and affectionate t the high end with introverted individuals who tend to be withdrawn, quiet, passive, and reserved

personal unconscious

created from our individual experiences

rationalization

creating a socially acceptable excuse to justify unacceptable behavior

narrowness

criticized for merely describing personality rather than explaining it

openness

original, imaginative, curious, open to new ideas, artistic, interested in cultural pursuits (high scores). conventional, down to earth, narrower in their interests, not artistic (low scores)

3 criticisms of objective tests

deliberate deception and social desirability bias, diagnostic difficulties, possible cultural bias and inappropriate use

criticisms of psychoanalytic theories of personality

difficult to test. overemphasizes biology and unconscious forces. inadequate empirical support - based his theories almost exlusively on subjective case histories of adult patients - small and selective sample of humanity. sexism. lack of cross-cultural support

oedipus complex

during phallic stage when young boys are attracted to their mothers and desire to replace their fathers

lasting influences

emphasis on unconscious. conflict among id, ego, superego and defense mechanisms, encouraged open talk about sex, development of psychoanalysis

humanistic theories

emphasize internal experiences- feelings and thoughts

good and bad of social cognitive theories

emphasizes environment affects, meets standards for scientific research, testable, objective hypotheses, relies on empirical data. bad- too narrow, ignoring unconscious, environmental, and emotional aspects of personality, childhood

4 major factors that influence personality

genetic factors, nonshared environmental factors, shared environmental factors, shared family experiences, and unidentified factors or problems with testing

genital

genitals. lead to sexual relationships

phallic

genitals. unresolved sexual longing for other parent can lead to long term resentment and hostility

lack of explanation (criticisms of trait theories)

good at describing personality but fail to offer causal explanations for why people are the way they are or why personality traits differ across cultures. can't explain why people in cultures tht are geographically close tend to have similar personalities. why europeans and americans tend to have higher in extroversion and openness and lower in agreeableness than asian and african cultures

stability versus change (Criticisms of trait theories)

high level of personality stability after age 30, but not characteristics that last a lifetime and which are most likely to change

neurochemistry

high sensation seekers and extroverts tend to have lower levels of physiological arousal than introverts

poor testability and inadequate evidence

humanistic concepts are difficult to define operationally and test scientifically

naive assumptions

humanistic perspective is unrealistic, romantic, and naive about human nature - some believe that emphasis on the self concept and self esteem has led to an increase in narcissism or inappropriate self love and egocentrism

self-actualization

humanistic term for the inborn drive to develop all one's talents and capabilities

collective unconscious

identical in each person and is inherited. inherited, universal experiences that all humans share

ignoring situational effects (criticisms of trait theories)

ignoring importance of situational and environmental effects. children who were victims of abuse and neglect scored lower on openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness and higher in neuroticism

intellectualization

ignoring troubling emotional aspects by focusing on abstract thoughts or ideas - emotionless discussion of divorce while ignoring underlying pain

repression

most basic defense mechanism, which blocks unacceptable impulses from coming into awareness. ego prevents most anxiety-provoking or unacceptable thoughts and feelings from entering consciousness. preventing painful thoughts from entering consciousness.

oral

mouth - weaning from breast or bottle - overindulgence leads to swallowing things, dependence, passivity. underindulgence leads to aggressiveness, sadism, and tendency to exploit others. adults - overeating, alcoholic, smoking, talking

3 ways to increase security

move toward people (seek affection and acceptance from others) move away from people (striving for independence, privacy, self reliance) move against people (trying to gain control and power over others)

3 criticisms of humanistic theories

naive assumptions, poor testability and inadequate evidence, and narrowness

latency

none. time of sexual dormancy - dont have particular psychosexual conflicts that must be resolved

reaction formation

not acknowledging unacceptable impulses and overemphasizing their opposite - promoting petition against adult bookstores

neuroticism

people high are emotionally unstable and prone to insecurity, anxiety, guilt, worry, moodiness. people at the other end are emotionally stable, calm, even-tempered, easygoing and relaxed

personality structure

personality was composed of 3 interacting mental components: id, ego, superego

maslow's theory levels

physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, self-actualization

the id

primitive, instinctive component of personality, which works on the pleasure principle. innate, biological instincts and urges. immature, impulsive, irrational, unconscious. seeks immediate gratification to relieve tension

unconscious

primitive, instinctual motives, anxiety-laden thoughts and memories blocked from normal awareness. hidden from personal awareness but has enormous impact on behavior and reveals itself despite intentions. most psychological disorders repressed memories and instincts

reality principle

principle on which the conscious ego operates as it seeks to delay gratification of the id's impulses until appropriate outlets and situations can be found

pleasure principle

principle on which the id operates - seeking immediate gratification and avoidance of discomfort. it wants what it wants when it wants!

projective tests

psychological tests using ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots or drawings, which allow the test taker to project his or her unconscious onto the test material

psychoticism

qualities commonly found among psychotics

displacement

redirecting impulses from original source toward a less threatening person or object - yelling at coworker and not the boss

sublimination

redirecting socially unacceptable impulses into acceptable activities - becoming a fighter

Hans Eysenck

reduced list of traits even further than Cattell. 3: extroversion-introversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism

superego

the 'conscience' or moral component of the personality that incorporates parental and societal standards for morality. made up of ethical standards or rules for behavior that resides in preconscious and unconscious. develops from internalized parental and societal standards

defense mechanisms

the ego's protective method of reducing anxiety by distorting reality and self-deception. satisfy the id and superego b distorting reality and self-deception. an alcoholic uses his paycheck to buy drinks (id) may feel guilty (superego) his ego works to reduce conflict by suggesting that he deserves to drink for working hard - rationalization

minnesota multiphasic personality inventory

the most widely researched and clinically used self report personality test

morality principle

the principle on which the superego may operate, which results in feelings of guilt if its rules are violated

projective tests criticisms/benefits

time consuming to administer and interpret. but have no right or wrong answers and respondents are less able to deliberately fake their responses- more willing to talk about sensitive topics

anal

toilet training. fixation leads to highly controlled and compulsively neat personality, or messy disorderly, rebellious and destructive personality.

five-factor model

trait theory of personality that includes openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism

barnum effect

we tend to believe these tests have tapped into our unique selves, but they are ambiguous, broad statements that fit anyone

fallacy of positive instances

we tend to notice and remember events that confirm our expectations and ignore those that are noncomfirming. if we see ourselves as independent thinkers, we ignore the needing to be like others part

self-serving bias

we tend to prefer info that maintains our positive self-image

according to rotter, your behavior or personality is determined by

what you expect to happen following a specific action and the reinforcement value attached to specific outcomes - degree to which you prefer one reinforcer to another

diagnostic difficulties

when self-report inventories are used for diagnosis, overlapping items sometimes make it difficult to pinpoint a diagnosis. clients with severe disorders sometimes score within normal range and normal client along elevated range

agreeableness

who score high, are good natured, warm, gentle, cooperative, trusting, and helpful low scores are irritable, argumentative, ruthless, suspicious uncooperative and vindictive