09 Personality Free Online FlashCards

What is personality?

Personality is the relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes one person from another.

What do psychodynamic theories emphasize?

Psychodynamic theories emphasize unconscious motives, internal conflicts, and early relationships. Freud proposed that the id, ego, and superego interact to shape personality.

How do behaviorists explain learned behavior patterns?

Behaviorists explain learned patterns through consequences such as reinforcement, which can strengthen behavior.

What do humanistic theories emphasize?

Humanistic theories focus on conscious experience, personal meaning, choice, and growth. Rogers emphasized self-concept and acceptance; Maslow explored motivation and self-actualization.

How do biological approaches explain personality?

Biological and evolutionary approaches examine inherited predispositions, temperament, physiology, and evolutionary processes. Genetic influence is probabilistic, not destiny.

What traits make up the Big Five?

The Big Five are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; they are often remembered as OCEAN.

What is person–situation interaction?

Behavior reflects both individual tendencies and the demands or opportunities of a particular setting; traits do not dictate every action.

How can personality show both continuity and change?

Personality can show continuity in people's relative standing compared with others, while average trait levels and individual patterns may also change over time.

What is one strength and one limitation of self-report inventories?

Self-report inventories efficiently measure defined traits, but results may be affected by limited self-awareness, response style, or a desire to look favorable.

What are key elements of social-cognitive theories?

Social-cognitive theories emphasize observational learning, self-efficacy, and reciprocal influence among the person, behavior, and environment.

Are Big Five traits categories or continua?

Big Five traits are continua, not personality types. Everyone has all five traits to varying degrees, so a person can be highly conscientious and introverted.

What can informant reports add to personality assessment?

Informant reports gather observations from people who know the individual. Comparing them with self-reports can reveal differences in perspective.