Deck 15: Personality

Question 1

The study of individual differences in personality mainly focuses on characterizing people using

A) species-typical behaviors
B) traits
C) intelligence scales
D) psychological disorders

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Dan McAdams, each of us has a unique set of characteristic goals, beliefs, social roles, self-concepts, and plans for our lives, termed

A) conscious goals
B) characteristic adaptations
C) individual differences
D) traits

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Dan McAdams, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves reflect the way we understand the events of our lives and our place in the world, giving meaning to our unique identities. These stories are called

A) individual differences
B) traits
C) self-narratives
D) characteristic adaptations

Answer 3

C

Question 4

All of the following are qualities of personality, EXCEPT:

A) Aspects of one's personality form a coherent picture.
B) Aspects of one's personality are integrated.
C) Aspects of one's personality are constantly changing.
D) Aspects of one's personality are relatively enduring.

Question 5

To say that one's personality is organized means that

A) their traits form a coherent picture
B) personality can be described easily in words
C) personality cannot be measured in traits
D) personality is relative to context

Question 6

People are not merely a random collection of traits, meaning that people's personalities are

A) integrated
B) organized
C) enduring
D) transient

Question 7

To say that personality traits are relatively enduring means that

A) traits are stable over time
B) traits are variable across situations
C) traits are stable only at birth
D) traits are constantly in flux

Question 8

The term grand theory has been applied to a few old theories of personality, like Sigmund Freud's theory, because those theories

A) are better than modern personality theories
B) sought to explain everything about personality
C) sought to explain only individual differences in personality
D) are more likely to be cited than later theories

Question 9

Though the term is sometimes used only to refer to the therapeutic techniques pioneered by Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysis, as a whole, is a theory of behaviour that focuses on

A) unconscious conflicts and motivation
B) the development of sexual identity
C) the development of the super ego
D) measuring personality through observed behavior

Question 10

Freud used this term to refer to the part of the mind that was totally out of the range of a person's awareness.

A) preconscious
B) unconscious
C) semiconscious
D) id

Question 11

According to Freud, this is the only part of the mind that exists at the beginning of human life.

A) id
B) ego
C) super ego
D) secondary process

Question 12

The term primary process is synonymous with Freud's notion of the

A) id
B) ego
C) super ego
D) reality principle

Question 13

The id is driven primarily by the impulse to seek pleasure and avoid pain, known as the

A) primary process
B) pain principle
C) secondary process
D) pleasure principle

Question 14

In Freud's view, this part of the mind contains organizational and decision-making properties and is primarily concerned with assuring the safety and functioning of the individual.

A) id
B) ego
C) super ego
D) primary process

Question 15

The ego is driven by preservation of safety and functioning of the individual, termed the

A) pleasure principle
B) secondary process
C) reality principle
D) repressing principle

Question 16

Freud called the part of the mind that represents the internalisation of human morality the

A) id
B) ego
C) super ego
D) reality principle

Question 17

In Freud's view, if the psychosexual stages are not navigated properly, this crippling emotional illness and distortion of personality may result

A) neurosis
B) schizophrenia
C) dissociative amnesia
D) libido

Question 18

Each psychosexual stage highlights a specific part of the child's body that is particularly sensitive to pleasurable stimulation. Collectively they are referred to as

A) genitals
B) fixations
C) erogenous zones
D) pleasure principles

Question 19

Behaviourist theories of personality were limited by the assertion that all behaviour and personality development could be reduced to

A) conditioning
B) intrinsic motivation
C) innate personality characteristics
D) unconscious motives

Question 20

The humanistic movement in psychology serves as an important forbearer of this modern psychological movement

A) social-cognitivist
B) positive psychology
C) evolutionary psychology
D) neuropsychology

Question 21

The central aspect of personality for humanists was an intrinsic evaluation of the quality of a person's own unique existence in the world, termed

A) self-esteem
B) self-concept
C) congruence
D) accurate empathy

Question 22

Carl Rogers used this term to mean that those around a child during his or her formative years must truly listen and hear the child, without passing judgment.

A) congruence
B) accurate empathy
C) unconditional positive regard
D) positive self-regard

Question 23

This term highlights the importance that others around the growing self are truly being genuine and are not presenting a self which reflects others' values and wishes rather than their own.

A) congruence
B) accurate empathy
C) unconditional positive regard
D) positive self-regard

Question 24

A person's cognitive and emotional assessments of his or her own self-worth is commonly referred to as

A) self-concept
B) self-esteem
C) self-help
D) self-regard

Question 25

According to this theory, self-esteem acts as a psychological buffer against the pervasive general anxiety all human beings feel when faced with the knowledge of their own inevitable death

A) humanistic theory
B) terror management theory
C) anxiety avoidance theory
D) systematic desensitization theory

Question 26

Low self-esteem seems to be related to which of the following psychological disorders?

A) bulimia nervosa
B) schizophrenia
C) generalized anxiety disorder
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 27

These are relatively stable personality characteristics, attributes, and motivations that can be commonly captured in adjectives such as honest, cheerful, conscientious, etc

A) types
B) traits
C) states
D) archetypes

Question 28

These are temporary, relatively unstable personality characteristics that are closely related to moods and emotions.

A) types
B) traits
C) states
D) archetypes

Question 29

This perspective on personality, pioneered by Gordon Allport, was the starting point for the first attempts to build truly empirical, research-based theories of personality.

A) five-factor model
B) humanist perspective
C) Big Five perspective
D) trait perspective

Question 30

In the Eysencks' two-factor model of personality the two trait dimensions that interact to explain personality are referred to as

A) subordinate traits
B) superordinate traits
C) stability traits
D) extraversion traits

Question 31

This superordinate trait dimension refers to the degree to which a person is reserved, quiet, and thoughtful, versus assertive, outgoing, and sociable

A) instability-stability
B) emotional-unemotional
C) introversion-extraversion
D) sociable-isolationist

Question 32

This is currently the most widely accepted trait model of personality.

A) five-factor model
B) two-factor model
C) Eysenck-Cattel model
D) OCEAN model

Question 33

The "Big Five" personality dimensions that make up the five-factor model can be expressed in this acronym.

A) OCEAN
B) CEASE
C) INTRO
D) EXTRA

Question 34

According to recent studies, all of the following statements are true of the Big Five personality traits, EXCEPT:

A) The five factors have been shown to describe personality across about 50 cultures.
B) People's scores on personality inventories appear to cluster in a small number of factors.
C) Personality traits predict occupational success with more accuracy than IQ.
D) Big-five personality profiles are associated with divorce rates and socioeconomic
Status.

Question 35

According to this idea, the very concepts "traits" and "personality" are not particularly meaningful when it comes to behaviour, and in fact may be little more than illusions.

A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) person-situation controversy
C) bystander-perceiver controversy
D) fundamental attribution error

Question 36

In contrast to Walter Mischel, Seymour Epstein proposed that traits did indeed predict behaviour if behaviours were examined on a number of occasions and the results were

A) aggregated
B) negated
C) correlated
D) multiplied

Question 37

In order to understand your friends' individual personalities, their individual trait scores are not enough. Walter Mischel would say you must also understand each person's

A) aggregate personality score
B) situation behavioural profile
C) gene-environment correlation
D) reciprocal-determinist profile

Question 38

Genetic studies conducted using the Big Five and Eysenck's two superordinate factors as indicators of personality show that approximately this percentage of the differences among people in these traits is due to genetic factors.

A) 35%
B) 15%
C) 50%
D) 25%

Question 39

According to proponents of this test, the test-taker, in creating the story that revolves around the picture shown, reveals important motives, drives, conflicts, emotions, and other psychological variables.

A) Rorschach test
B) Thematic Apperception Test
C) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
D) California Personality Inventory

Question 40

This is the first, and probably still the most frequently used, objective test of personality

A) Rorschach test
B) Thematic Apperception Test
C) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
D) California Personality Inventory

Question 41

Tests such as the MMPI-2 are referred to as "objective" because they are

A) scored by experimenters following long interview sessions
B) constructed empirically and scored by computer
C) comprised of objective pictures of ambiguous events
D) constructed using actual statements from psychiatric patients

Question 42

Which of the following general statements best describes the results of research about personality change?

A) Personality traits are remarkably unstable starting in childhood.
B) Personality traits are most stable past age 50.
C) Individual differences in personality mean that traits are highly developmental.
D) Scores on personality inventories fail to predict the likelihood of traits in adulthood.

Question 43

If a researcher examines rank order stability in personality traits, he or she compares

A) the pattern of traits (low to high) in a single person across two personality tests
B) the average pattern of traits in a sample across two personality tests
C) the lack of stability in traits ranked high in younger individuals
D) the stability of patterns for individuals below age 50 to individuals above age 50

Question 44

For many people, goals, values, beliefs, social roles, and plans may change considerably over the life span. This aspect of personality has been termed

A) self-narratives
B) characteristic adaptations
C) self-concept
D) personality development

Question 45

Which of the following best illustrates what a participant must do when administered the Rorschach test?

A) describe what he or she sees in each inkblot
B) describe what he or she believes is happening in each scene
C) decide how much he or she agrees with the judgment of the researcher
D) choose which of the cards best describes his or her mood

Question 46

Critics charge that the standards for scoring the Rorschach may cause psychologically normal people to appear to have serious psychological disturbances, thus the tests are not

A) valid measurements of personality
B) reliable measurements of personality
C) rational measurements of personality
D) replicable measurements of personality

Question 47

In Judith Harris's account of peer influence on personality, this concept prompts the child to conform to the expectations of his or her peers.

A) status system
B) socialization system
C) gene-environment system
D) conformity system

Question 48

In Judith Harris's account of peer influence on personality, this concept prompts the developing child to compete with others in order to establish his or her unique identity and contributions.

A) status system
B) socialization system
C) gene-environment system
D) conformity system

Question 49

According to Freud, the superego is instrumental in controlling or repressing these id instincts-that is, keeping them unconscious, under a metaphorical lock and key and away from the person's awareness.

Question 50

According to humanist grand theories, various mental processes are pressed into service by the mind in its efforts to navigate and resolve the conflicts with which it is continuously faced

Question 51

When more than one plausible explanation exists for some phenomenon, scientists like to choose the more complex of the explanations

Question 52

Although young children clearly do become possessive of their parents, no evidence has been found to substantiate the universal existence of an Oedipus complex as Freud described i

Question 53

Traits describe a person's characteristic patterns of behaviour, thought, emotion, and motivation by offering an explanation of the origins of these characteristics

Question 54

In Eysenck's model, introversion-extraversion means the degree to which a person is reserved, quiet, and thoughtful, versus assertive, outgoing, and sociable

Question 55

Critics charge that the standards for scoring the Rorschach are not valid and may cause psychologically normal people to appear to have serious psychological disturbances

Question 56

In general, personality is amenable to change, particularly in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood

Question 57

In Judith Harris's account of peer influence on personality, the status system prompts the developing child to compete with others in order to establish his or her unique identity and contributions

Question 58

Your score on any valid and well-designed personality test delivers a personality profile that is always consistent with your behaviour across situations

Question 59

Early psychologists from behaviourism, psychoanalysis, and humanistic psychology created what are now called the __________to address large issues in personality psychology

Question 60

In psychoanalysis, the ego is bombarded by pleasure-driven impulses from the ______, and morality-driven restraints from the ______.

Question 61

In psychoanalytic theory, _________was the main ego defence, a process in which an unacceptable wish, thought, or memory is removed from conscious awareness

Question 62

According to humanistic theorists, for a person to develop positive feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, he or she needs to be treated with ___________by others.

Question 63

The __________is currently the most widely accepted trait model of personality.

Question 64

Tests such as the MMPI-2 are referred to as _________because they are constructed empirically and scored by computer, so subjectivity does not enter into their interpretation.

Question 65

According to the ___________model developed by Walter Mischel and Yuichi Shoda, each person possesses stable patterns of interaction between traits and situations

Question 66

In Judith Harris's account of peer influence on personality, the __________prompts the developing child to compete with others in order to establish his or her unique identity and contributions

Question 67

Statements that describe Americans as rude, arrogant, and self-centered, or that describe Canadians as friendly and hospitable, are called _________stereotype

Question 68

The __________presents a test-taker with a standard set of 10 cards, each containing symmetrical inkblots, 5 in colour and 5 in black and white

Question 69

The most elaborate grand theory of personality comes from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis. Briefly describe the stages of psychosexual development that Freud believed were vital to the development of personality and motivation. Then describe why Freud's views do not represent the mainstream of psychologists studying personality today

Question 70

Personality is most commonly described in terms of a set of traits. Describe what traits are, and compare the two-factor theory with the Big Five model of personality

Question 71

Describe three instances in which genes can be said to play a role in the development or expression of personality traits. Make sure to specifically cite examples from your textbook

Question 72

Compare and contrast objective personality tests with projective personality tests. In your answer, characterize one example of each and describe the pros and cons of each type of test