Behavioral Genetics and Psychodynamics of Personality

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Questions and Answers

What is rational coping primarily focused on?

Facing stressors and working to overcome them (correct)

Feigning illness to gain advantages

Maintaining a positive outlook on stressors

Avoiding confrontation with stressors

Which approach focuses on the individual's feelings stemming from a failure to find meaning in life?

Cognitive therapy

Humanistic approach

Existential approach (correct)

Behavior therapy

What does the 'sick role' imply?

A method for encouraging rational coping

Social exemptions and obligations related to illness (correct)

A way of feigning symptoms for personal gain

A set of rights and obligations associated with health

Which of the following best describes the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Both biological and psychological factors contribute to them Signup and view all the answers

What type of therapy aims to help clients confront emotionally arousing stimuli directly?

Exposure therapy Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic feature of conduct disorder?

Aggression towards others or animals Signup and view all the answers

The dopamine hypothesis suggests that which of the following is involved in schizophrenia?

An excess of dopamine activity Signup and view all the answers

Which therapy focuses on changing maladaptive behavior patterns through reinforcement?

Behavior therapy Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) in personality?

It motivates individuals towards rewards and engaging environments. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following defense mechanisms involves creating a logical explanation to hide true motives?

Rationalization Signup and view all the answers

In the psychodynamic approach, which of the following best describes the concept of fixation?

Unresolved issues during developmental stages affecting adult personality. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'external locus of control' refer to?

Seeing success as influenced by luck or external factors. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes proactive aggression?

Aggression aimed at achieving a specific goal. Signup and view all the answers

The actor-observer effect primarily describes which phenomenon?

Attributing our own behavior to situational factors while blaming others' behavior on their traits. Signup and view all the answers

Which phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) follows the alarm phase?

Resistance phase Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of social cognition in psychology?

Examining the processes involved in interpreting social information. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of altruism?

Engaging in acts that benefit others despite potential costs to oneself. Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by the term 'overjustification effect'?

The decline in intrinsic motivation when a task is overly rewarded. Signup and view all the answers

Which mechanism involves attributing one's own negative traits to others?

Projection Signup and view all the answers

The term 'deindividuation' refers to which phenomenon?

Loss of individual values and awareness in group settings. Signup and view all the answers

What does the fundamental attribution error involve?

Making dispositional attributions for others’ actions instead of situational ones. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Behavioral Genetics and Personality

Behavioral geneticists study correlations between monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins to understand the role of genetics in personality.
Greater similarity in personality traits suggests a stronger genetic influence.
Twin studies highlight the importance of genetics in personality development.
The Behavioral Activation System (BAS) motivates individuals towards rewards, making extraverts more likely to seek engaging environments.
The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) cautions against threats, leading introverts to avoid potentially harmful situations.
Jeffrey Gray proposed the BAS and BIS.

Psychodynamic Approach to Personality

This approach views personality as shaped by needs, strivings, and desires.
Freud's structural model of personality comprises the Id, Ego, and Superego.
Defense Mechanisms: Unconscious mental processes used to cope with anxiety and conflict.
- Rationalization: Creating logical explanations for unacceptable feelings or actions.
- Reaction Formation: Replacing troubling desires with exaggerated opposites.
- Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to others.
- Regression: Reverting to immature behaviors or earlier developmental stages to deal with stress.
- Displacement: Redirecting unacceptable desires or impulses toward a less threatening target.
- Identification: Taking on the characteristics of a more powerful person to cope with anxiety.
- Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable drives into socially acceptable activities.
Fixation: Unresolved issues during a stage of development can affect adult personality.
Oedipus Complex: A child's unconscious rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Humanistic Approach to Personality

Humanistic psychologists emphasize a positive view of human nature and personal growth.
Angst: Anxiety that arises from the difficulties of finding meaning in life and death, and the responsibility of making free choices.

This approach views personality as shaped by how people perceive and interpret their environments.
Person-Situation Controversy: Behavior is influenced by both the situation and learned history, which can be perceived differently by individuals.
Personal Construct Theory: Different individuals interpret situations and experiences in unique ways, impacting their personality.
Locus of Control:
- External Locus of Control: Believing that success is determined by luck or outside forces.
- Internal Locus of Control: Believing that personal effort influences success.
Self-Schemas: Sets of traits used to define the self.
Self-Esteem: The extent to which an individual likes, values, and accepts themselves.

Social psychology studies social influences on behavior.
Aggression:
- Proactive Aggression: Planned, purposeful aggression to achieve a goal.
- Reactive Aggression: Spontaneous, impulsive aggression in response to a threat or frustration .
The Prisoner's Dilemma: A game illustrating the conflict between cooperation and self-interest.
Deindividuation: Loss of individual awareness in a group setting.
Diffusion of Responsibility: Reduced personal responsibility in a group setting..
Altruism: Intentional behavior benefiting another, potentially at a cost.
Divorce: More than a third of US marriages end in divorce.

The processing of social information.
Stereotype Threat: Anxiety about conforming to negative stereotypes.
Subtyping: Modifying stereotypes instead of abandoning them when faced with disconfirming evidence.
Perceptual Confirmation: Perceiving what one expects to perceive.
Attribution: Inferring the causes of a person's behavior.
- Dispositional Attribution: Attributing behavior to internal qualities.
- Fundamental Attribution Error: Overemphasizing dispositional attributions and underestimating situational attributions.
- Actor-Observer Effect: Attributing one’s own actions to situations, but others' actions to disposition.
Overjustification Effect: External rewards reducing intrinsic motivation.
Reactance: Resistance to perceived control.
Obedience: Complying with orders from authority figures.
Persuasion:
- Central Route: Persuasion based on logic and reasoning.
- Peripheral Route: Persuasion based on emotion or habit.
Cognitive Dissonance: Unpleasant feeling from inconsistent actions, attitudes, or beliefs.

Stress and Health

Chronic Stressors: Ongoing or repeating sources of stress.
Perceived Control: Lack of control over a situation increases stress.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Three-stage stress response:
- Alarm Phase: Initial reaction, preparing for action.
- Resistance Phase: Body adjusts to ongoing stress.
- Exhaustion Phase: Prolonged stress weakens the body.
Telomeres: Protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with age.
Telomerase: Enzyme that rebuilds telomeres.
Chronic stress: Accelerates telomere shortening and reduces telomerase activity.
Type A Behavior Pattern: Traits like hostility and impatience linked with increased heart attack risk.
Primary Appraisal: Assessing if something is a stressor.
Secondary Appraisal: Assessing ability to cope with a stressor.
Burnout: Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion from long-term involvement.
Coping Mechanisms:
- Repressive Coping: Avoiding stressors and maintaining a positive viewpoint.
- Rational Coping: Facing stressors and working to overcome them.
- Reframing: Changing the way one thinks about a stressor to reduce stress.
Sick Role: Socially recognized rights and obligations for illness.
Malingering: Feigning symptoms for personal gain.

Psychological Disorders

Mental Disorder: Persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behavior.
Signs: Observable indicators of a disorder.
Symptoms: Subjectively reported behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Excessive anxiety and worry.

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

Positive Symptoms: Excesses or distortions, such as delusions and hallucinations.
Negative Symptoms: Deficits in functioning, such as reduced emotional expression.
Disorganized Symptoms: Disorganized thoughts and behaviors.
Dopamine Hypothesis: Schizophrenia involves excess dopamine activity.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Difficulties with social interaction and communication.
Conduct Disorder: Persistent pattern of antisocial behavior.

Approaches to Treatment and Therapy

Humanistic Approach: Focus on self-actualization and personal growth.
Existential Approach: Finding meaning in life; Gestalt therapy.
Behavior Therapy: Changing maladaptive behaviors.
Operant Conditioning: Reducing unwanted behavior by removing reinforcement.
Token Economy: Using rewards for desired behaviors.
Exposure Therapy: Confronting feared stimuli to reduce emotional responses.
Cognitive Therapy: Identifying and correcting distorted thinking.

Prevalence of Mental Disorders

A significant proportion (46.4%) of the US population experiences mental illness at some point in their lives.

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Description

Explore the fascinating intersection of behavioral genetics and the psychodynamic approach to personality. This quiz delves into the role of genetics in personality traits, the Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems, and Freud's structural model of personality. Test your understanding of how these concepts interconnect in shaping human behavior.