Deck 10: Interpersonal Theories and Interpersonal Styles

Question 1

Sullivan regarded personality as:

A) relatively enduring and shaped by interpersonal relationships
B) shaped primarily by biological factors
C) inconsistent over time due to progress through psychosexual stages
D) easily influenced by new experiences

Answer 1

relatively enduring and shaped by interpersonal relationships

Question 2

The idea that other people influence our emotions and we in turn influence their emotions is the:

A) theorem of reciprocal emotions
B) interpersonal circumplex
C) interpersonal affective loop
D) projective hypothesis

Answer 2

theorem of reciprocal emotions

Question 3

This theorist was an only child who was very isolated and lonely during his childhood. He grew up to develop an interpersonal theory of personality, and in his writings he stated that social interaction with siblings was so important that only children have little hope of attaining full personality development. The name of this theorist is_______________

A) Eysenck
B) Sullivan
C) B.F. Skinner
D) Bandura

Answer 3

Sullivan

Question 4

According to Sullivan, the _______________is the unknown and unintegrated aspects of ourselves that are often repressed.

A) shadow.
B) blind spot.
C) not me
D) stranger me

Question 5

Sullivan's concept of _______________provided the early theoretical basis for contemporary research on the self and cognitive processing of interpersonal information in the self in relation to others.

A) attributions.
B) five factor theory
C) attachment
D) personifications

Question 6

According to Sullivan, ___________are formed early in life and are used as a guide that assists us with the perception of current relationships, and influences our perceptions of the self, others, and the self in relationships.

A) attachments
B) personifications
C) expectations
D) schemas

Question 7

Sullivan has been criticized for providing a theory that:

A) is abstract and difficult to test via empirical research.
B) is so specific that it has a very narrow application.
C) is overly focused on observable behaviour.
D) focuses too much on cognitive factors while ignoring emotional aspects of human functioning.

Question 8

Sullivan deserves credit for:

A) being the first personality theorist to consider cognitive factors
B) being the first personality theorist to break away from orthodox Freudian theory
C) setting the stage for subsequent work on agency and communion
D) being among the first in his time to provide a personality theory that is highly testable.

Question 9

Following on the heels of Timothy Leary, Carson introduced the complementarity principle. According to the complementarity principle:

A) some people bring out the best qualities in others.
B) opposites attract and bring out the less developed sides of each other.
C) the specific type of interpersonal behaviour expressed by one person will elicit the polar opposite behaviour from another person.
D) interpersonal behaviour expressed by one person will trigger very similar behaviour from the other person

Question 10

Justin has noticed that he acts submissively only when he is with his friend Andrew, who is highly domineering.

A) Justin would score high on Hegleson's measure of unmitigated communion.
B) Justin's behaviour is consistent with Carson's complementarity principle.
C) Justin has low self-esteem.
D) Justin exhibits unmitigated agency when with Andrew.

Question 11

According to David Bakan, a high degree of ______________ reflects nurturance, warmth, solidarity and unity with other people; a low degree of ____________ involves dissociation, remoteness, and perhaps coldness.

A) agency/communion
B) agency/agency
C) communion/communion
D) communion/agency

Question 12

Tony is a workaholic who is arrogant, dictatorial, selfish, and self-promoting. According to Helgeson and Fritz, Tony's behaviour represents:

A) unmitigated agency.
B) social dominance orientation.
C) unmitigated communion.
D) authoritarianism.

Question 13

Marissa is highly nurturing, and always sacrifices her own needs for others. Robert works long hours and is described by others as boastful, egotistical, greedy, and hostile. According to research by Helgeson and Fritz, Marisa is at risk of _________________ and Robert is at risk of ____________________________.

A) depression/burnout
B) low social support and poor health/low social support and poor health.
C) resentment/loneliness
D) cancer/heart disease

Question 14

On the interpersonal circumplex, Tammy received seven scores near the outside perimeter. This result suggests an interpersonal style that is:

A) intense, rigid, and inflexible.
B) bold and flamboyant.
C) easy-going and happy-go-lucky.
D) odd and socially isolated.

Question 15

The Interpersonal Adjective Scales and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems are typically used to assess:

A) agency.
B) authoritarianism.
C) the interpersonal circumplex.
D) social dominance orientation.

Question 16

Gallo, Smith and Cox, used a circumplex measure that is based on interpersonal messages involved in social interactions. They found that:

A) people with lower SES saw their environments as high in hostility and low in friendliness.
B) people with chronic health problems saw their environments as high in dangerousness.
C) people with higher SES were more dominant.
D) only children scored in the average range on popularity.

Question 17

Research using the interpersonal circumplex has found all but the following:

A) other-oriented perfectionism was associated with dominance and hostility.
B) socially prescribed perfectionism in women was associated with a variety of interpersonal problems
C) socially prescribed perfectionists had an interpersonal style suggesting a high degree of dependency
D) other-oriented perfectionists were better liked than those low in other-oriented perfectionism

Question 18

The ___________________________ can be used to measure individuals, samples of participants, or situations.

A) Interpersonal Relationship Inventory
B) Multidimensional Perfectionism scale
C) Interpersonal Circumplex
D) MACH-IV scale

Question 19

In the first season of the reality show Survivor, Richard Hatch won the contest (and one million dollars) by being deceitful and manipulative. Hatch is considered to be high in the personality construct of:

A) authoritarianism.
B) fascism.
C) Machiavellianism.
D) egotism.

Question 20

_________________ is correlated with low agreeableness, cynicism, hypercompetitiveness, alienation, and antisocial behaviour. People who are high in this attribute are especially successful at manipulation in face-to-face situations.

A) Egotism
B) Fascism
C) Authoritarianism
D) Machiavellianism

Question 21

According to Paulhus and colleagues, the dark triad consists of:

A) Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.
B) Authoritarianism, fascism, and egotism.
C) Depression, anxiety, and sadness.
D) Machiavellianism, toughness, and rage.

Question 22

The concept of Machiavellianism has been criticized on the grounds that:

A) there are psychometric problems with the MACH-IV scale.
B) there are few practical applications of the concept.
C) the concept has been unfairly applied to children.
D) it has poor predictive validity.

Question 23

Machiavellian children:

A) are highly distressed.
B) are popular and regarded as socially skilled even though they bully other children.
C) bully other children and are disliked
D) exist, but in such low numbers that it is difficult to find enough to study them.

Question 24

________________individuals are domineering, tough-minded, anti-democratic, and see the world in black and white terms.

A) Machiavellian
B) Authoritarian
C) Agentic
D) High social dominance orientation

Question 25

Jill is a university student who is conventional and superstitious. People find her to be highly judgemental and punitive towards homosexuals, members of minority ethnic groups, people with a history of mental illness, and anyone else who meets with her disapproval. After an incident in which her intolerance got her into trouble with university authorities, she was given the choice of attending counselling or being suspended from school. Jill found the idea of self examination to be so repugnant that she refused counselling, even knowing that her refusal would result in suspension from the university. Jill exhibits the characteristics of someone who is high in _______________.

A) Machiavellianism.
B) authoritarianism.
C) agency.
D) social dominance orientation.

Question 26

Research on the authoritarianism construct has been criticized for all of the following except:

A) structural flaws in existing measures of authoritarianism.
B) lack of objectivity.
C) lack of correspondence between scores on self report measures of authoritarianism and authoritarian behaviour.
D) being blind to the political and social ramifications of authoritarianism.

Question 27

Suzanne is high in social dominance orientation. Others are likely to perceive her as:

A) friendly but incompetent.
B) more concerned with being popular than people who are low in social dominance orientation
C) less agreeable, less nurturant, and more prejudiced than people who are low on social dominance orientation
D) popular, but overbearing in social situations.

Question 28

Altemyer uses the term ________________to describe people who are extremely high on social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism.

A) fascists
B) double highs
C) socially dominant authoritarians
D) ambiverts

Question 29

The Strange Situation study is used to study:

A) infant attachment styles.
B) infant reactions to events that violate the laws of physics.
C) infant reactions to having a stranger in the house.
D) mothers' reactions to being separated from their infant children.

Question 30

When left alone with a stranger, one-year-old Thomas displays little emotion. When his mother returns, Thomas barely seems to notice. Thomas's attachment style is probably:

A) secure
B) anxious
C) avoidant
D) disorganized

Question 31

Being exposed to chaotic and abusive environments is associated with a/an ______________ attachment style.

A) avoidant
B) secure
C) disorganized
D) anxious

Question 32

A Canadian meta analysis concluded that attachment security:

A) is inversely related to maternal mental health variables.
B) appears to be a function of infant temperament.
C) is related to high levels marital satisfaction, and low levels of stress and depression in mothers.
D) could not be linked to any of the variables considered in the research

Question 33

When his mother left him alone in a room with a stranger, one year-old Carlos was very upset and cried for a long time. When she returned, Carlos clung to his mother and cried some more. Research findings in the attachment field suggest that Carlos: ____________________________.

A) probably experienced a major traumatic event in infancy, such as being in a car accident.
B) probably has a difficult temperament.
C) has probably been exposed to unresponsive parenting.
D) acted like a typical one-year-old infant.

Question 34

In a longitudinal study, attachment style was assessed at age one. Eighteen years later, it was found that:

A) avoidant attachment style was unrelated to later adjustment.
B) paradoxically, secure attachment style was associated with social difficulties and mood disorders in the teenage years.
C) insecure attachment was associated with subsequent anxiety disorders.
D) attachment style was related to school performance only.

Question 35

It has been found that individuals with both an insecure attachment style and history of childhood maltreatment are particularly at risk for social and emotional problems. Many of their difficulties can be traced to:

A) cognitive deficits.
B) physical consequences of abuse.
C) a highly negative view of the self.
D) inability to trust others.

Question 36

Based on data from 1,000 children assessed in the Strange Situation, Fraley and Spieker concluded that:

A) the variability in attachment style is more in keeping with a dimensional model than with a categorical model
B) the stability of attachment style over time is more in keeping with a categorical model than with a dimensional model.
C) there is equal support for the use of dimensional and categorical models of attachment.
D) neither categorical nor dimensional models of attachment are supported by the research

Question 37

Waters and colleagues assessed one-year-old infants in the Strange Situation and followed up with interviews 20 years later. _______ of the participants received the same attachment style classification at the follow-up interview.

A) 72%
B) 11%
C) 40%
D) 95%

Question 38

Research evidence indicates that changes in attachment security over time were related to:

A) random chance factors.
B) psychometric shortcomings of the measures used to assess attachment security.
C) the experience of negative and in some cases traumatic life events, such as parental divorce or sexual abuse.
D) positive experiences in adolescence that allowed individuals to overcome early difficulties.

Question 39

A problem for research in the attachment field is that:

A) attachment theory is highly abstract and does not lend itself well to testing.
B) research on attachment theory has few implications for life outside the laboratory.
C) the AAI measure of attachment is not correlated with self-report measures.
D) attachment style has poor stability over time.

Question 40

The Bartholomew model includes these attachment styles:

A) dismissing, fearful, secure, preoccupied
B) avoidant, fearful, secure, preoccupied
C) dismissing, fearful, secure, worried
D) avoidant, anxious, secure, preoccupied

Question 41

All but one of the following statements about the Bartholomew and Horowitz Relationship Questionnaire are correct. Identify the one statement that is false.

A) It identifies four attachment styles.
B) It allows for both categorical and dimensional ratings.
C) It distinguishes between dismissive and fearful avoidance.
D) It is used with both children and adults.

Question 42

Results from a study of individuals who were either in or within the near vicinity of the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attack indicated that:

A) the only people who reported significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seven months after the attacks were those with attachment difficulties
B) 18 months after the attack, people with a secure attachment style exhibited signs of psychological growth
C) attachment style and adjustment after the attack were unrelated
D) paradoxically, individuals with an anxious attachment style coped better than individuals who were securely attached

Question 43

Based on findings from a longitudinal study of individuals who survived the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, it appears that:

A) people with a dismissive attachment orientation put on a front and hide their emotional problems from others.
B) attachment style appears to be unrelated to psychological symptoms after a highly traumatic experience.
C) most fearful attached individuals experienced an increase in psychological symptoms 18 months after the attack.
D) there was no evidence that any individuals experienced personal growth stemming from their experience on September 11.

Question 44

According to the Bartholomew model of attachment, people with a dismissive attachment have a__________________________________

A) positive model of self and negative model of others
B) positive model of self and positive model of others
C) negative model of self and negative model of others
D) negative model of self and positive model of others

Question 45

According to the Bartholomew model of romantic attachment, people with preoccupied attachment have a________________________________

A) positive model of self and negative model of others.
B) positive model of self and positive model of others.
C) negative model of self and negative model of others.
D) negative model of self and positive model of others.

Question 46

Several common problems with research on personality and close relationships have been identified. Identify the statement below that is NOT considered to be a problem in this area.

A) About one third of studies focused on data from only one member of the couple.
B) Much of the research in this area has been largely atheoretical.
C) The majority of studies in this area are cross-sectional and based on self-report.
D) Research findings allow us to predict with some certainty which couples are going to have extreme difficulties

Question 47

Identify the statement about personality factors and relationship adjustment that is false.

A) Research findings indicate that negative attributions to a partner's personality may play a causal role in increasing marital distress.
B) Negative affectivity and trait neuroticism predict dissatisfaction.
C) Negative emotionality is associated with relationship difficulties and dissatisfaction.
D) Research findings indicate that perfectionism is one of the strongest predictors of relationship dissatisfaction.

Question 48

One of the factors below is NOT considered to be a predictor of violence in relationships. Identify this factor.

A) Preoccupied attachment style
B) Impulsivity
C) Alcohol abuse
D) Five-factor similarity

Question 49

Robert speaks with pride about having extremely high standards. He believes that others expect "no less than my best" and he expects the same of others in return. The research suggests that:

A) Robert's beliefs put his marriage at risk.
B) Robert's beliefs are only one small factor contributing to the success of his marriage, and should have little impact, positive or negative
C) Robert's beliefs and expectations are likely to bring out the best in Robert and others, and have a positive effect on his marriage.
D) None of the above.

Question 50

The most recent version of _______________________ therapy emphasizes adult attachment styles in relationships.

A) person-centred
B) emotion-focused couples therapy (EFT)
C) attachment
D) cognitive interpersonal

Question 51

Define Sullivan's distinctions between the 'good me', 'the bad me', the 'not me' and how these concepts develop.

Question 52

Define agency, unmitigated agency, communion, and unmitigated communion.

Question 53

Describe what a circumplex is and how the variables are related to each other in a circumplex (i.e. the strength and direction of the correlations). Name two octants in the Interpersonal Circumplex and their opposing octants.

Question 54

Define Machiavellianism and provide some examples of machiavellian behaviours.

Question 55

Define the authoritarian personality and give an example of a historical person or celebrity that you would characterize as being high in authoritarianism. Identify the traits that make this person authoritarian. What is the difference between authoritarianism and social dominance?

Question 56

Describe Mary Ainsworth's four infant attachment styles.

Question 57

Bartholomew developed an attachment style model for adult romantic relationships. List the four different attachment styles and what kinds of cognitive representations these people have about themselves (i.e. positive/negative view of themselves and others). Identify a shortcoming of this model.

Question 58

Describe the concept of assortative mating.

Question 59

What are the top three factors that are most important in a good relationship? Explain the roles of neuroticism and of perfectionism in relationships.

Question 60

Describe the relationship between personality and attachment styles with relationship violence.