Chapter 12: Cognitive Approaches to Personality PDF

Chapter 12: Cognitive Approaches to Personality Overview This chapter explores the cognitive processes that influence personality. It highlights how individuals perceive, interpret, and set goals, and discusses intelligence, emotional intelligence, and theories such as locus of control and learned...

Chapter 12: Cognitive Approaches to Personality Overview This chapter explores the cognitive processes that influence personality. It highlights how individuals perceive, interpret, and set goals, and discusses intelligence, emotional intelligence, and theories such as locus of control and learned helplessness. Key Concepts in the Cognitive Approach 1. Cognition: o Refers to awareness, thinking, and specific mental acts such as perceiving, interpreting, remembering, believing, and anticipating. o Emphasizes individual differences in cognitive processing. 2. Levels of Cognition: o Perception: Imposing order on sensory information. o Interpretation: Making sense of or explaining events. o Conscious Goals: Standards and aspirations that guide behavior(Chapter 12, cognition (…). Perception and Personality 1. Field Dependence vs. Field Independence: o Field-independent Individuals: ▪ Better at focusing on details despite background noise or distractions. ▪ Favor careers in science, technology, and engineering. o Field-dependent Individuals: ▪ More socially oriented and attentive to social cues. ▪ Prefer careers in social sciences and education(Chapter 12, cognition (…) (Chapter 12, cognition (…). 2. Pain Tolerance and Sensation Reducing-Augmenting: o Reducer-Augmenter Theory: ▪ Low pain tolerance: Nervous system amplifies sensory input. ▪ High pain tolerance: Nervous system dampens sensory input. o Reducers seek strong stimulation and may use substances like caffeine or alcohol (Chapter 12, cognition (…). Interpretation and Personality  1. Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory: o Humans-as-scientists: Individuals develop personal constructs to understand, predict, and control events. o Constructs are cognitive schemas that shape perceptions. o Fundamental Postulate: ▪ A person's psychological processes are influenced by the ways they anticipate events. o Anxiety arises when constructs fail to make sense of life experiences(Chapter 12, cognition (…)(Chapter 12, cognition (…). 2. Locus of Control: o Describes how individuals attribute responsibility for events. o Internal Locus: ▪ Belief that outcomes are under personal control. ▪ Associated with higher achievement and motivation. o External Locus: ▪ Belief that outcomes are due to external factors like luck or fate(Chapter 12, cognition (…). Learned Helplessness 1. Definition: o When subjected to inescapable challenges, individuals may develop a passive acceptance of their situation. o Related to trauma, stress, or repeated failure experiences. 2. Explanatory Style: o Individuals use attributional styles to explain events: ▪ Internal vs. External: Cause is within or outside oneself. ▪ Stable vs. Unstable: Cause is permanent or temporary. ▪ Global vs. Specific: Cause affects all aspects or just specific ones. o Pessimistic Style: ▪ Attributing negative events to internal, stable, and global causes. ▪ Linked to depression and poor adjustment(Chapter 12, cognition (…) (Chapter 12, cognition (…). Goals and Personality 1. Personal Projects Analysis: o A method to study personality through goal-setting. o Emphasizes the active nature of personality in structuring life around chosen goals(Chapter 12, cognition (…). 2. Cognitive Social Learning Theory: o Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy:  ▪ Belief in one’s ability to execute actions to achieve goals. ▪ Reciprocal relationship between self-efficacy and performance. o Carol Dweck’s Mindset Theory: ▪ Fixed Mindset: Intelligence is static. ▪ Growth Mindset: Intelligence is malleable and can be developed(Chapter 12, cognition (…)(Chapter 12, cognition (…). Intelligence and Personality 1. Achievement vs. Aptitude: o Achievement: Performance outcomes. o Aptitude: Capacity to learn or develop skills. 2. General vs. Multiple Intelligences: o Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences: ▪ Includes linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily- kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligences. 3. Emotional Intelligence (EQ): o Defined by Goleman as a set of emotional and social skills. o Five Key Abilities: ▪ Recognizing one’s emotions. ▪ Regulating emotions. ▪ Managing stress and impulses. ▪ Empathizing with others. ▪ Navigating social situations effectively. o Emotional intelligence predicts life outcomes like career success, marital satisfaction, and leadership effectiveness(Chapter 12, cognition (…). Cultural Context of Intelligence Intelligence must be viewed in the context of cultural values and expectations. Critiques of traditional intelligence tests emphasize potential cultural biases(Chapter 12, cognition (…). Summary The cognitive approach to personality highlights how individual differences in perception, interpretation, and goal-setting shape behavior. Concepts like locus of control, explanatory styles, and emotional intelligence provide valuable insights into the cognitive underpinnings of personality.