Unit 10: Personality

hierarchy of needs

Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active

implicit prejudice and stereotypes

automatically and unconsciously influence how we process information about others

schemas

automatically control our perceptions and interpretations

Which of the following is best described along a continuum ranging from ruthless and suspicious to helpful and trusting? a. conscientiousness b. agreeableness c. openness d. extraversion e. neuroticism

b. agreeableness

Maslow and Rogers would explain that adolescents who are struggling to form their identity are seeking to discover their a. self-transcendence b. self-actualization c. self-esteem d. self-worth e. self-concept

e. self-concept

Paola and Juliana went to a baseball game and were shown on the centerfield screen. Juliana was embarrassed, because she had mustard on her face from her hot dog. In reality, no one in the crowd noticed the mustard. Juliana was overestimating how much attention people were paying to her due to the a. self-efficacy effect b. self-serving bias c. self-transcendent effect d. terror-management theory e. spotlight effect

e. spotlight effect

anal stage

(18 months to 3 years) pleasure focuses on the bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control

phallic stage

(3 to 6 years) pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings

latency stage

(6 to puberty) a phase of dormant sexual feelings

oral stage

(birth to 18 months) pleasure centers on the mouth- sucking, biting, chewing

genital stage

(puberty on) maturation of sexual interests

"Big Five" Personality Factors

1. conscientiousness 2. agreeableness 3. neuroticism (emotional stability vs. instability) 4. openness 5. extraversion

Freud's psychosexual stages

1. oral 2. anal 3. phallic 4. latency 5. genital

Paul Costa

American psychologist associated with the Five Factor Model

collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in trading psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

Carl Rogers

Humanisic; self-concept and unconditional positive regard drive personality; emphasized human potential with his "third-force perspective"

Alfred Adler

Neo-Freudian; introduced concept of "inferiority complex" and stressed the importance of birth order

Karen Horney

Neo-Freudian; offered feminist critique of Freud's theory; introduced womb envy in refute of penis envy

unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

trait

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

projective test

a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

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

personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably

id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives; the id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

empirically derived test

a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between two groups

terror-management theory

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

personality

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Which of the following is an example of unconditional positive regard? a. Mr. and Mrs. Prohaska, who have been married for 37 years, credit the success of their marriage to the fact that each has been able to accept the faults of the other without criticism b. seven year-old Michaela is only given her allowance when she does her chores c. Ms. Lopez, a second grade teacher, only gives smiley-face stickers to students who sit quietly at their desks during math d. John got a promotion and a raise at work after filling in for a sick manager one day and doing a better job than the manger e. Chen's parents usually praise him when he does well and ignore him when he engages in minor misbehavior

a. Mr. and Mrs. Prohaska, who have been married for 37 years, credit the success of their marriage to the fact that each has been able to accept the faults of the other without criticism

Which of the following is an example of an assessment likely to be used by a social-cognitive psychologist? a. a student teacher is formally observed and evaluated in the classroom b. a person applying for a managerial position takes the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator c. a defendant in a criminal case is interviewed by a court-appointed psychologist d. in a pre-marriage counseling session, a young couple responds to ambiguous inkblots e. a depressed young man is asked by his therapist to relax on a couch and talk about whatever comes to mind

a. a student teacher is formally observed and evaluated in the classroom

Humanistic psychologists may assess personality by a. asking a person to compare their ideal self to their actual self b. asking people to fill out lengthy questionnaires about their beliefs c. getting people to describe what they see in ambiguous inkblots d. having a person describe their dreams e. putting people in a stressful situation to see how they behave under pressure

a. asking a person to compare their ideal self to their actual self

Jayne refuses to cheat on an exam that many of her friends have shown her copies of. Jayne would rank high on the Big Five trait of a. conscientiousness b. agreeableness c. openness d. extraversion e. neuroticism

a. conscientiousness

Albert Bandura proposed the social-cognitive perspective, which a. emphasizes the interaction of our traits with our situations b. predicts human behavior c. focuses on how our environment controls us d. describes our personality using five main traits e. explains the role of the inferiority complex in our behaviors

a. emphasizes the interaction of our traits with our situations

Thom is 6. How would Sigmund Freud explain his resolving of his Oedipus complex? a. he will develop a strong interest in what his father is interested in b. he will continue to resent his father, but also come to resent his mother c. he will displace his anger onto his older sister d. he will develop a strong superego e. he will develop a weak id

a. he will develop a strong interest in what his father is interested in

Which of the following is most likely to be true of a person from an individualist culture? a. his behavior would be a reflection of his personality and attitudes b. he would choose a career based on the needs of his community c. he would view his life task as fitting in and maintaining connections d. he would strive to develop a few close and enduring relationships e. he would focus on his duty to his family

a. his behavior would be a reflection of his personality and attitudes

The Freudian concept of the ego is best described as a. operating on the reality principle b. operating on the pleasure principle c. focusing solely on the morality of an issue d. the repression of disturbing thoughts e. striving for perfection

a. operating on the reality principle

Which term is defined as all the thoughts and feelings we have in response to the question, "Who am I?" a. self-concept b. ideal self c. self-esteem d. real self e. self-efficacy

a. self-concept

In Brad Bushman and Roy Baumeister's research, how did people with unrealistically high self-esteem react when they were criticized? a. they became exceptionally aggressive b. many were more receptive to the criticism c. some became easily depressed d. most worked harder to do better the next time e. they quit the task without completing it

a. they became exceptionally aggressive

Oedipus complex

according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories; according to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware

self-actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential

self-transcendence

according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

Someone from a collectivist culture is more likely to do what? a. develop a strong sense of self b. give priority to group goals c. form casual, often temporary relationships d. achieve personal goals e. focus on how they are different from the group

b. give priority to group goals

Factor analysis is the test-development strategy that a. develops ambiguous pictures b. looks to find items on a test that differentiate between groups and chooses those items for the test c. analyzes a person's reciprocal determinism in a given situation d. analyzes the most common defense mechanisms e. determines how people feel about themselves in the present moment

b. looks to find items on a test that differentiate between groups and chooses those items for the test

Ella was an aggressive child in middle school. In high school, she is a successful three-sport athlete because she channels her aggression into sports. Freud would suggest that this is due to the defense mechanism of a. repression b. reaction formation c. displacement d. projection e. regression

b. reaction formation

Athletes who often privately credit their victories to their own abilities, and their losses to bad breaks, lousy officiating, or the other team's exceptional performance, are exhibiting which psychological concept? a. low self-esteem b. the self-serving bias c. pessimism d. the spotlight effect e. incompetence

b. the self-serving bias

Carl Rogers felt that we are our best selves when we feel accepted for who we are. What did he call this accepting attitude? a. a peak experience b. unconditional positive regard c. self-transcendence d. humanistic psychology

b. unconditional positive regard

Karl was late to his interview because he left the house late and did not use his GPS for directions. If Karl's making use of the self-serving bias, which of the following statements will he use to explain his lateness? a. "I thought I knew where I was going, but I got lost" b. "I spent too much time trying to find a tie that matched this suit" c. "my GPS told me to turn left when I should have turned right" d. "I am usually right in predicting how long it takes me to get places, but today there was more traffic than I anticipated" e. "sometimes I procrastinate and do not leave enough time to get places"

c. "my GPS told me to turn left when I should have turned right"

The most widely used scientifically validated personality test is the a. TAT b. Rorschach c. MMPI-2 d. Myers-Briggs e. UPR self-inventory

c. MMPI-2

Which psychologist is incorrectly matched with the theory? a. Freud, Psychoanalytic b. Rogers, Humanistic c. Maslow, Trait d. Bandura, Social-cognitive e. Cattell, Trait

c. Maslow, Trait

Which of the following is an example of self-efficacy? a. Manuela believes others are always watching her b. Abraham believes he is a good person c. Rasheed has placed in skating competitions, which makes him believe that he is a competent skater d. Saundra believes it rained because she's been wishing for rain for days e. Igor maintains his optimism despite doing poorly in his math class

c. Rasheed has placed in skating competitions, which makes him believe that he is a competent skater

What did Carl Jung call the shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history? a. neurosis b. archetypes c. collective unconscious d. inferiority complex e. terror management

c. collective unconscious

Critics of humanistic psychology have suggested that this theory fails to appreciate the reality of our human capacity for which of the following? a. empathy b. love c. evil d. empathy e. self-acceptance

c. evil

Which of the following theories offers a special focus on the potential for healthy personal growth? a. neo-Freudian b. psychodynamic c. humanistic d. behavioral e. functionalist

c. humanistic

Children's TV-viewing habits (past behavior) influence their viewing preferences (internal personal factor), which influence how television (environmental factor) affects their current behavior. What is this an example of? a. spotlight effect b. learned helplessness c. reciprocal determinism d. the Big Five traits e. implicit learning

c. reciprocal determinism

According to Sigmund Freud, which of the following defense mechanisms buries threatening or upsetting events in the unconscious? a. regression b. displacement c. repression d. reaction formation e. projection

c. repression

neuroticism (emotional stability vs. instability)

calm, secure, self-satisfied / anxious, insecure, self-pitying

The way we explain negative and positive events is called a. personal control b. reciprocal determinism c. self-efficacy d. attribution e. situational assessment

d. attribution

Carly's therapist asks her to simply say what is on her mind rather than responding to specific questions or topics. Her therapist is making use of a technique known as a. the ego b. self-efficacy c. sublimation d. free association e. identification

d. free association

A psychoanalytic psychologist might use the TAT and the Rorschach test in order to a. get a glimpse of a person's ideal self b. determine if a person is an introvert c. determine if a person is conscientious d. gain insight about a person's unconscious mind e. gain insight about where a person falls in Maslow's hierarchy of needs

d. gain insight about a person's unconscious mind

Which of the following is true based on "Big Five" personality traits research? a. highly conscientious people are likely to be evening people or "night owls" b. highly conscientious people get poor grades c. married partners scoring the same on agreeableness are more likely to experience marital dissatisfaction d. introverts are more likely to prefer communicating through email instead of in person e. neuroticism predicts the use of positive-emotion words in text messages

d. introverts are more likely to prefer communicating through email instead of in person

projection

disguising one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to other

conscientiousness

disorganized, careless, impulsive / organized, careful, disciplined

Who of the following is considered the leading advocate of personality's social-cognitive approach? a. Gordon Allport b. Carl Jung c. Karen Horney d. Carl Rogers e. Albert Bandura

e. Albert Bandura

A question on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) such as "I get angry sometimes" is included to determine what about the test-taker? a. whether the person has a personality disorder b. if the person needs immediate help for anger management c. if the person is more extraverted than introverted d. whether the person has a stronger id or superego e. if the person is answering the questions truthfully

e. if the person is answering the questions truthfully

Which term describes questionnaires that cover a whole range of feelings and behaviors and are designed to assess several traits? a. factor analysis studies b. peer reports c. achievement tests d. cognition tests e. personality inventories

e. personality inventories

Elaine's friends know that she should never be trusted with a secret, as she will tell everyone almost immediately. Elaine, however, complains that her friends can't be trusted. Elaine is making use of the defense mechanism of a. rationalization b. regression c. displacement d. sublimation e. projection

e. projection

What do we call the process of fulfilling our potential? a. free association b. self-efficacy c. unconditional positive regard d. self-concept e. self-actualization

e. self-actualization

Which of the following is the best term or phrase for a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act? a. Myers-Briggs indicator b. factor analysis c. introversion d. extraversion e. trait

e. trait

trait theories

examine characteristic patterns of behavior (traits)

narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption

social-cognitive theories

explore the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context

behavioral approach

focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributed rather than group identifications

collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

Sigmund Freud

his psychoanalytic theory proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality (ego, id, superego / unconscious mind / dream analysis / psychosexual stages / repression / etc.)

Abraham Maslow

humanistic psychology; hierarchy of needs-needs at a lower level dominate an individual's motivation as long as they are unsatisfied; self-actualization, transcendence

self

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

fixation

in psychoanalytic theory, according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes fro consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

defense mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Carl Jung

neo-Freudian who created concept of "collective unconscious" and wrote books on dream interpretation

rationalization

offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one's actions

self-esteem

one's feelings of high or low self-worth

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

implicit memories

operate without conscious recall, even among those with amnesia

spotlight effect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)

openness

practical, prefers routing, conforming / imaginative, prefers variety, independent

Robert McCrae

psychologist associated with the five-factor model of personality, worked with Paul Costa

denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Albert Bandura

researcher famous for work in observational or social learning including the famous Bobo doll experiment

regression

retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

agreeableness

ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative / soft-hearted, trusting, helpful

displacement

shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person

extraversion

sociable, fun-loving, affectionate

reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites

psychosexual stages

the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality; the ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests; originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes

Rorschach inkblot test

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

superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

humanistic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

psychodynamic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

social-cognitive perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context

Freudian slips

when we say something and then claim "Oh, I didn't mean to say that", Freud believes we do mean to say those things, and they subconsciously are thought and unconsciously said; but we do mean to say that when we slip up