Deck 13: Personality

Question 1

During the phallic stage children develop hostility toward the same-sex parent because they desire an exclusive relationship with the opposite-sex parent. Freud argued that this conflict is typically resolved by:

A) the child taking on many of the same-sex parent's values and ideals
B) the child rationalizing the hostility in terms of the characteristics of the same-sex parent
C) the id, which attempts to rein in the sexual urges
D) the time the child is 4

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Dr. Henry suggests that personality is adaptive to the environment, functions in a unique and whole system that is different for every person, and is based on physiological mechanisms. Her view of personality:

A) is somewhat outdated
B) is based on research by Sigmund Freud
C) represents the current understanding in personality psychology
D) has more in common with Carl Jung than with Gordon Allport

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A personality trait:

A) tends to be unstable
B) is a tendency to behave in a certain way across various circumstances
C) is the intention that naïve observers agree characterizes a person
D) is a temporary disposition to behave in a certain way

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If in your development you had become fixated at the anal stage (according to Freud's theory) which of the following would likely characterize your behaviour?

A) You would be sexually attracted to the opposite-sex parent.
B) You would be overly inclined to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
C) You would be concerned with control and with rules.
D) Your self-esteem would be dependent on others' views of you.

Question 5

Freud thought mental illness was a result of:

A) conflict between internal mental forces and structures
B) parents' lack of unconditional positive regard for their children
C) the inability to bring preconscious wishes into consciousness
D) the development of sexual instincts

Question 6

Psychologists would label a disposition to act in a certain way over time and various situations:

A) an unconscious process
B) a genetic disposition
C) a personality trait
D) a normative behaviour

Question 7

Which of the following did Gordon Allport NOT emphasize in his definition of personality?

A) a changing, dynamic structure
B) a psychophysical basis
C) a coherent organization
D) an id, ego, and superego

Question 8

In Freud's view, children can become fixated or stuck at a particular level of development and develop personality problems as a result. What evidence did he use to support his view?

A) He found that some children he interviewed lacked high self-esteem.
B) He found in his research studies that some people scored high on measures of mental illness.
C) He found that some of his clients were obsessed with obtaining pleasure through various bodily functions.
D) He found that many of his clients used drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of childhood.

Question 9

Freud used the term libido to refer to:

A) unrestrained sexual behaviour
B) unconscious motives
C) the motive to punish or harm others, particularly parents
D) an energy that promotes pleasure seeking

Question 10

In a study described in your text, extremely homophobic men were shown videos of homosexual sex and responded with more physiological arousal than did less homophobic individuals. This finding provides evidence in support of:

A) fixation at the oral stage
B) an underdeveloped id
C) defence mechanisms
D) low locus of control in homophobic people

Question 11

In Freud's structural model of personality:

A) the superego dominates other structures in determining behaviour
B) the ego operates according to the reality principle
C) the ego eventually becomes unresponsive to the id because of mental habituation
D) the superego is the realistic, rational portion of the mind

Question 12

Gordon Allport's conception of personality:

A) emphasized that it is largely a collection of socially created traits
B) stressed that it was a dynamic system arising from biological processes
C) considers it largely a social construction
D) is the outcome of how people think and behave rather than the cause of thinking and behaving

Question 13

The correct order for the development of Freud's psychosexual stages is:

A) phallic, oral, latency, anal, and genital
B) Oedipal, oral, anal, phallic, and genital
C) oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital
D) anal, oral, latency, genital, and phallic

Question 14

Bruno is shy in most situations, would prefer to read than go to a party, likes working with computers, and spends minimal time worrying about the future. Bruno's many unique characteristics are referred to as his:

A) dispositional array
B) personality
C) ego
D) practical self

Question 15

Freud thought that during the latency stage of development:

A) sexual urges were suppressed or channeled into various acceptable activities
B) children dealt with sexual urges by identifying with the same-sex parent
C) libidinal urges are much reduced because of hormonal changes
D) children are developing more mature attitudes toward their sexuality

Question 16

If a trait is a single concept, then personality is:

A) a collection of concepts
B) an element of a general concept
C) the opposite of a concept
D) something entirely different from the concept

Question 17

In Freud's model, mental activity:

A) is divided into three zones or levels
B) is more important than the unconscious
C) is the domain within which the libido operates
D) is closely related to id processes

Question 18

Psychologists use the term personality primarily to refer to characteristics and behaviours that:

A) are relatively stable over time and circumstances
B) show little variability across persons
C) naïve observers attribute to others
D) stem from conscious intentions

Question 19

The structure Freud called ego operates in accordance with the:

A) pleasure principle
B) parents' wishes
C) reality principle
D) unconscious part of the mind

Question 20

The psychodynamic theorists who came after Freud and are referred to as the neo-Freudians modified his theory in a number of ways. Adler and Horney, for example, criticized Freud for:

A) underestimating the role of parents in child development
B) giving too much weight to cultural factors
C) his overemphasis on unconscious processes
D) ignoring or demeaning women's development

Question 21

While recent research provides support for the existence of what Freud called defense mechanisms, these mechanisms are now viewed as:

A) unimportant to mental functioning
B) psychologically costly to their user
C) strategies employed by the id rather than the ego
D) largely serving to protect our self-esteem

Question 22

Alex is a 10-year-old boy who is much more concerned with developing friendships with other males of his age than with girls. He is in which of Freud's psychosexual stages?

A) anal
B) phallic
C) latency
D) genital

Question 23

If working through unconscious conflicts is central to healthy personality in Freud's theory, then ____________ is central to healthy personality in Roger's person-centred theory.

A) recognizing one's value expectancies
B) viewing oneself with unconditional love and acceptance
C) developing a healthy level of extroversion
D) reducing one's level of psychoticism

Question 24

Whereas ____________ psychologists are interested in how situations influence individual behaviour, Sigmund Freud would have been more interested in ____________.

A) cognitive-social; self-actualization
B) personality; conflicting aspects of personality
C) personality; self-actualization
D) cognitive-social; conflicting aspects of personality

Question 25

Based on Freud's psychosexual stage theory, which of the following would you most expect to hear a 5-year-old boy say to his mother?

A) "How come none of the girls at school like me?"
B) "You are soooo beautiful!"
C) "I wish you would go away so I could spend more time with Dad!"
D) "You are mean. I don't like you!"

Question 26

Oren is a very rigid person and must have things his own way. Other people find his attitude annoying, but Oren refuses to change. In Freud's view, Oren is fixated at which stage of development?

A) the Oedipal stage
B) the latency stage
C) the anal stage
D) the phallic stage

Question 27

Marta is the last person in her family to go to university. Her older siblings have encouraged her to be a doctor or a lawyer, but she would like to be an artist. Which of these theorists would most clearly be in favour of Marta following her dream of becoming an artist?

A) Shinobu Kitayama
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Walter Mischel
D) Carl Rogers

Question 28

Based on what you know about Freud's topography of mind, you can assume that information from the unconscious must reach the ____________ before it reaches the ____________ mind.

A) anteconscious; preconscious
B) preconscious; postconscious
C) conscious; anteconscious
D) preconscious; conscious

Question 29

Angelique told her boyfriend she was tired of cooking and secretly Angelique hoped her boyfriend would make dinner for her. She said: "Did you want me to make you nice tonight?" instead of saying "make you rice tonight." This kind of example provides evidence that:

A) the superego is sometimes stronger than the ego when we balance the needs of the self and others
B) contents of the unconscious mind can become conscious
C) the libido is sometimes stronger than the pleasure principle in social situations
D) selfish behaviour is often unintentional

Question 30

In terms of the number of structures (e.g., the id) that Freud believed made up the mind, which other theory is most similar?

A) the Five-Factor Theory
B) Eysenck's Hierarchical Model of Personality
C) Tellegen's Two-Factor Theory
D) Allport's model consisting of a limitless number of personality traits

Question 31

What is the current status of Freud's psychodynamic theory in psychological science?

A) It has been largely abandoned because most of Freud's ideas cannot be tested empirically.
B) It has been modified by the neo-Freudians and is now viewed as a scientifically valid theory of personality.
C) It is now more widely endorsed by personality psychologists than when it was first proposed.
D) It has been abandoned by therapists but not research psychologists.

Question 32

If Andy's id is a very dominant force in his personality, he is likely to:

A) feel embarrassed even if he has done nothing wrong
B) be painfully shy
C) do things he later regrets
D) resolve conflicts in a peaceful way

Question 33

Freud's stages of child and adolescent personality development are based on:

A) moral concerns originating in the id
B) the creation of a personal value system which is based in a strong superego
C) seeking pleasure through different erogenous zones
D) the development of unconditional positive regard

Question 34

Which of the following best reflects the meaning of the term phenomenology?

A) understanding people through subjective and personal reports
B) the study of odd or bizarre events in someone's life history
C) the study of social behaviours that impact people's personalities
D) another word for positive psychology

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a specific view taken by humanistic psychologists like Carl Rogers?

A) People who express their unconscious urges have healthier personalities.
B) Parental love and acceptance are related to healthy personality.
C) Personal growth depends on the freedom to express one's values and beliefs.
D) Using a phenomenological approach is a good way to understand others.

Question 36

Shahar really wanted to go to a concert but her mom said she couldn't go because she was very irresponsible about doing her chores. Shahar thought about climbing out of the window and going to the concert anyway, but she decided her mom would be very upset. Instead, Shahar suggested to her mom that if she completed all of her chores around the house, the next time the band played in her town, her mom should let her go. Her mom agreed that that was a good and fair solution. Shahar was using her ____________ to develop a reasonable solution.

A) id
B) ego
C) superego
D) life instinct

Question 37

Jaleesa's mom was the kind of person who often said, "Do what you want, Jaleesa; I don't care." Jaleesa felt like she lacked direction and never had any clear rules. Thus, Jaleesa's mom had very little impact on the development of Jaleesa's:

A) id
B) aggression instinct
C) superego
D) pleasure principle

Question 38

Freud argued that defence mechanisms are:

A) strategies the id uses to satisfy the pleasure principle
B) mental strategies we consciously employ to deal with unacceptable sexual urges
C) unconscious strategies that the mind uses to protect itself from distress
D) strategies employed by the superego to satisfy the reality principle

Question 39

As a child, Erin was always getting into trouble with her parents because she liked to steal cookies from the cookie jar. She was not concerned with the consequences and would steal cookies even when she knew she might get punished. Erin's impulse is based in what Freud called:

A) the Electra complex
B) the pleasure principle
C) the death instinct
D) the anal personality type

Question 40

Which would be the best way to study a person phenomenologically?

A) have the person's behaviour observed by two or more raters
B) have the person tell you his or her life story
C) have the person take a self-report test measuring the five traits of the five-factor theory
D) have the person take a projective test

Question 41

In Eysenck's view, people who score high on the neuroticism scale tend to:

A) be aggressive and impulsive
B) experience little variation in mood or emotion
C) experience much mood variability
D) be self-centred

Question 42

A primary advantage of a trait approach to personality is that it provides a method for:

A) comparing individuals in regard to various personality dispositions
B) describing rather than explaining personality
C) identifying psychopathology
D) assessing changes in one's personality over time

Question 43

Trait theories of personality differ from psychodynamic and humanistic approaches in that they:

A) focus more on description than explanation
B) generally have a more positive view of human nature
C) are less amenable to empirical investigation
D) are less parallel to our intuitive views of personality

Question 44

You overhear two friends arguing about what is the principal determinant of personality. John takes the view that personality is determined by unconscious conflicts while Joan asserts that it is the outcome of learning processes. What famous psychologists would they likely bring into their arguments?

A) Rogers and Seligman
B) Freud and Skinner
C) Maslow and Rogers
D) Jung and Adler

Question 45

If you were a parent who endorsed Carl Rogers's person-centred approach to personality, how would you treat your child?

A) You would withhold treats and gifts to reinforce your rules.
B) You would emphasize the child's responsibility for his or her failures.
C) You would express love and support for the child no matter how she behaved.
D) You would surround the child with positive peers, because parents do not actually have much influence on children's behaviour.

Question 46

Factor analysis is useful to psychologists because it allows them to:

A) separate real traits from imaginary traits
B) group many similar traits together into a more basic trait
C) identify the causal factor behind each trait
D) test psychodynamic ideas scientifically

Question 47

Even though trait theories, like the five-factor theory, are descriptive in nature, they are important because they:

A) provide information on unconscious processes
B) allow for the use of projective techniques in understanding personality
C) rely on situationism, an important theory in personality psychology
D) can predict behaviours

Question 48

The positive psychology movement launched by Seligman and others differs from other humanistic approaches:

A) in that it emphasizes science instead of phenomenology to understand human behaviour and personality
B) in using phenomenology in radically new ways
C) in being less concerned with human happiness and life satisfaction
D) in that it focuses more on therapy settings than on conducting research

Question 49

Research evidence across cultures shows that there is ____________ support for the five-factor theory and that ____________.

A) little; researchers are trying to come up with new ways to measure personality
B) much; some cultural differences also emerge
C) little; only three factors are needed to fully explain personality across cultures
D) much; researchers are developing new ways to use projective tests to measure the five factors

Question 50

In Eysenck's theory, psychoticism means:

A) being criminally insane
B) showing empathy in inappropriate situations
C) showing dramatic mood swings
D) being uncontrolled and aggressive in behaviour

Question 51

In regard to the traits necessary to describe personality, psychologists are now generally agreed that:

A) no one set of traits has yet been proposed that captures the complexity of personality
B) there is little agreement among perceivers as to which traits go with which behaviours
C) personality can be quite accurately described using five basic traits
D) Cattell's 16-factor theory was probably correct

Question 52

JoAnn describes herself as a modest and rational person. She doesn't usually spend time daydreaming or seeking out new experiences. Instead she enjoys completing familiar tasks and having a structured daily routine. If JoAnn is measured on the five factors of the five-factor theory, she will probably score very low in:

A) empathy
B) introversion
C) conscientiousness
D) openness

Question 53

The five-factor theory has ____________ factors and is ____________ widely accepted than Eysenck's theory.

A) more; more
B) fewer; less
C) more; less
D) fewer; more

Question 54

Positive psychology refers to the scientific study of human strengths such as creativity, optimism, courage, and well-being. Positive psychology is most closely linked to which of the following approaches:

A) psychodynamic
B) humanistic
C) behaviourism
D) cognitive

Question 55

An implicit personality theory is:

A) useful in very limited situations
B) difficult to describe and difficult to research
C) equivalent to the concept of "self-construal"
D) not always based on accurate observations and may be influenced by stereotypes

Question 56

In Eysenck's hierarchical model of personality, the most general or superordinate traits are:

A) introversion/extroversion, emotional stability, and psychoticism
B) sociability, dominance, and assertiveness
C) conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism
D) introversion/extroversion, sociability, and neuroticism

Question 57

Researchers have found that the trait of conscientiousness predicts____________ and openness to experience predicts____________.

A) friendliness; extroversion
B) intelligence; impulsivity
C) high school grades; standardized test scores
D) shyness; extroversion

Question 58

James is very low in Eysenck's personality trait of psychoticism. Thus, you would expect him also to be:

A) somewhat cynical
B) moderately impulsive
C) a caring person
D) very outgoing

Question 59

Linden is a very resilient woman who uses her positive emotions to help her arrive at novel solutions to solve life problems and deal with setbacks and negative life experiences. Linden's behaviour is most directly explained by:

A) implicit personality theory
B) personality centred approach
C) broaden-and-build theory
D) Eysenck's hierarchical model

Question 60

____________ is a trait that appears in both Eysenck's hierarchical model and in the five-factor theory.

A) Conscientiousness
B) Agreeableness
C) Openness to experience
D) Neuroticism

Question 61

Your psychology teacher is studying the personalities of the students in the class and asks everyone to write a personal narrative involving his or her experiences in university thus far. The teacher is using a(n) ____________ approach to personality description.

A) nomothetic
B) trait
C) idiographic
D) projective

Question 62

How do the idiographic and nomothetic approaches to studying personality differ?

A) The first focuses on the characteristics specific to given people, while the latter looks at similarities across people.
B) The first uses projective reports, while the latter employs case reports.
C) The first uses research methods, while the latter employs psychobiography.
D) They employ essentially the same methods but make different assumptions about personality dynamics.

Question 63

Who is most likely to adopt a nomothetic approach to the study of personality?

A) a psychodynamic theorist
B) a trait theorist
C) a humanistic theorist
D) a narrative therapist

Question 64

Although most projective measures of personality are viewed as too subjective and not properly validated, the ____________ is still considered useful for some purposes.

A) Rorschach ink blot test
B) Thematic Apperception Test
C) draw-a-family test
D) imaginary friend test

Question 65

Broadly speaking, your textbook divides personality assessment procedures into ____________ measures.

A) self-report and physiological
B) descriptive and projective
C) projective and objective
D) psychodynamic and humanistic

Question 66

Research on the Rorschach ink blot test indicates that it:

A) does an excellent job of identifying specific psychological disorders
B) identifies many adults and children as psychologically disturbed when in fact they are not
C) is the most reliable of the many projective tests in use
D) reliably assesses id-ego-superego conflicts but not specific psychological disorders

Question 67

An important criticism of the Rorschach ink blot test is that:

A) it identifies too many normal people as psychologically disturbed
B) it works well for women but not for men
C) children cannot be tested with it
D) it reveals unconscious but not conscious motives and conflicts

Question 68

Dr. Heinz's theory of personality relies heavily on Freud's ideas. Which of these techniques would Dr. Heinz be LEAST likely to use with someone?

A) the Rorschach ink blot test
B) the Thematic Apperception Test
C) the California Q-Sort
D) dream analysis

Question 69

Jason is involved in a personality research study and he is asked to sort cards labelled with personality characteristics into different piles. The piles represent which characteristics describe Jason very well, somewhat well, and not at all well. The assessment given to Jason is very similar to the:

A) California Q-Sort
B) Thematic Apperception Test
C) NEO inventory
D) Rorschach

Question 70

Cognitive-social theories of personality give great emphasis to:

A) the patterns of reinforcement people have experienced in the past
B) biological factors as determinants of personality
C) the role of expectancies in guiding our behaviour
D) unconscious processes in social situations

Question 71

Bandura's cognitive-social theory of personality sees ____________ as an important determinant of behaviour.

A) one's beliefs concerning self-efficacy
B) stereotypes
C) attributional style
D) biological predispositions

Question 72

Psychologists agree that the best method for measuring aspects of personality is to:

A) ask people's friends or relatives
B) observe how people behave
C) have people report on themselves
D) No, psychologists do not yet agree on the best method.

Question 73

Idiographic approaches to the assessment of personality focus on:

A) individuals
B) comparisons across people
C) ratings made by parents, peers, or others rather than self-reports
D) unique personal qualities rather than cross-person similarities

Question 74

If a therapist gives a client the Thematic Apperception Test, she is attempting to assess the client's:

A) self-esteem
B) degree of psychopathology
C) sexual conflicts
D) motives

Question 75

Bandura's concept of self-efficacy:

A) relates expectancies to behaviour
B) denies the role of observational learning on human behaviour
C) has not been supported by empirical research
D) implies that the environment has little impact on behaviour

Question 76

Martha knows she can succeed at getting into medical school. She says, "All I have to do is figure out how other people got in, decide whether I can successfully use those strategies, and then implement my plan." Martha is showing high levels of:

A) self-efficacy
B) locus of control
C) self-efficacy and locus of control
D) locus of control and agreeableness

Question 77

Your professor believes that both emotions and expectations related to what might happen in the future strongly affect behaviour. In addition, events in the environment affect one's current expectations and emotions. From a theory of personality perspective, your professor is acting most like a ____________ theorist.

A) psychodynamic
B) cognitive-social
C) humanistic
D) trait

Question 78

Rotter argues that people differ in their locus of control, by which he means:

A) the degree to which they understand their circumstances
B) their preference for reinforcement techniques
C) the extent to which they believe their efforts will lead to good outcomes
D) the extent to which they devalue their personal expectancies

Question 79

The objective measures of personality described in your textbook:

A) are able to reveal information about a person that the person may not wish revealed
B) allow people to project their emotional conflicts onto neutral stimuli
C) do not allow for the assessment of specific traits
D) assess what respondents report believing or observing

Question 80

Compared to the Rorschach, the Thematic Apperception Test has been found to:

A) more accurately reflect the unconscious conflicts present in the test taker
B) be less reliable
C) be a better predictor of behaviour
D) be more difficult to interpret