Exam 1: Personality Components and Taxonomies

Personality is made up of traits, mechanisms, and individual differences that create lasting patterns of behavior and thought.

A widely accepted personality model that describes five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN).

A personality trait related to a person's eagerness to try new things and embrace novel experiences. It decreases as people age.

Reflects a person's level of organization, responsibility, motivation, and reliability. It tends to increase with age.

A personality trait describing sociability, assertiveness, and emotional expression. Extraversion tends to decrease slightly with age in social dominance, but positive emotion tends to be maintained.

Characterized by compassion, cooperation, and focus on others' well-being. Agreeableness typically increases with age.

A personality trait associated with emotional instability, anxiety, and irritability. Neuroticism gradually decreases with age.

A personality theory that important traits are reflected in language.

Females prioritize resources and status in mates, while males prioritize youth and attractiveness as signs of fertility.

Socialization shapes gender roles and behaviors through differing expectations for boys and girls, influencing their personality development.

Debate exists regarding whether sex differences are inherent biological traits or socially influenced, potentially mirroring stereotypes.

Women tend to score higher on measures of neuroticism, particularly in anxiety and fearfulness, compared to men.

Women are often found to be more empathetic and trusting, while men demonstrate more assertiveness.

General personality traits applicable to many people.

Personality traits specific to an individual.

Consistency in relative position within a group over time.

Changes in average trait levels within a group over time.

Percentage of trait variation due to genetics.

How genes influence reactions to different environments.

A five-tiered model of human needs, from basic to self-actualization.

Achievement, power, and intimacy as key motivators.

Increased desire for novel and stimulating experiences, potentially leading to impulsivity and exploratory behavior.

Increased dependence on external rewards and approval, leading to greater sociability and empathy.

A system that regulates responses to rewards, leading to approach behaviors. High BAS is linked to impulsivity and reward sensitivity.

A system that regulates responses to punishment, leading to avoidance behaviors. High BIS is linked to anxiety and punishment sensitivity.

Impulsivity (high BAS) and anxiety (high BIS) are connected to neurotransmitter levels and brain arousal responses.

The process where traits aiding survival and reproduction become more common in a population.

Uncertainty of paternity leads to strategies like mate guarding and intrasexual competition.

Ensuring sufficient resources for raising offspring.

Most sex differences in personality are small, often with effect sizes around 0.2-0.3. However, some larger differences exist, particularly in physical traits and aggression. Notably, women score significantly higher in neuroticism (-0.49 effect size).

The Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) are linked to evolutionary pressures, influencing social interactions and reproductive success. Higher agreeableness, for example, might indicate trustworthiness in social relationships.

Repression is a defense mechanism where individuals consciously suppress distressing thoughts or experiences. Research supports that repressors exhibit lower conscious distress but higher physiological stress in response to repressed material.

Modern research suggests that unconscious information isn't always repressed. It can influence behavior despite conscious awareness, as seen with subliminal perception.

Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies used to protect oneself from anxiety or stress. Empirical studies demonstrate the roles of projection (attributing own feelings to others), denial (rejecting reality), and displacement (shifting emotions to a safer target) in coping.

Three primary motivators: Achievement (striving for success), Power (wanting influence), and Intimacy (desiring close relationships).

Males often face uncertainty about whether they are the biological father of their offspring. This can lead to strategies aimed at ensuring their reproductive success.

Personality traits can evolve because they offer advantages in survival and reproduction. For example, a strong need to belong could improve social cooperation.

Higher agreeableness is a personality trait linked to trustworthiness in social interactions. This might have been an evolutionary advantage, promoting cooperation and social acceptance.

Repressors, who consciously suppress distressing experiences, show lower conscious distress but higher physiological stress in response. This indicates a potential for internal conflict.

Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies to cope with anxiety or stress, such as projection, denial, and displacement. These strategies are believed to help individuals manage difficult emotions.

Consistent patterns in how people behave, think, and feel. They are stable over time.

Internal processes that guide how we act. They are like the 'why' behind our behavior.

It suggests that important personality traits are reflected in the words we use. If a trait is important, our language will have words for it.

A widely accepted personality model that describes 5 broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

FFM is broader, focusing more on social traits, while Eysenck’s model is more focused on three broad traits: Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism.

It suggests that language helps us understand personality. If a trait is important for how people behave, then there will be words in our language to describe it.

It uses factor analysis to group similar personality traits together. This helps us reduce a large number of traits into a smaller set of meaningful dimensions.

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) is a broader model, with more focus on social traits. Eysenck's model is more focused on three broad traits: Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism.

Eysenck organized personality traits into a hierarchy, with supertraits at the top (e.g., Extraversion) and specific habits at the bottom.