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11 Cards in this Set
- Front
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Explain Allport, Eysenck and McCrae & Costa's contributions to trait theory. |
Allport and Odbert (1936) - Selected 18 000 words from the dictionary that described personality-linked traits - Following this, the list was reduced to about 4500 words and organised into psychologically meaningful groups Eysenck (1963) - Came up with two main personality factors: extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability - Considered that if you looked at how a person scored on these two factors, you could describe their personality McCrae & Costa (1999) Big Five, five factors that define personality - Neuroticism (emotional stability) - Extraversion (out-goingness) - Openness to experience - Agreeableness - Conscientiousness |
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What are the limitations of Allport, Eysenck and McCrae & Costa's contributions to trait theory? |
Eysenck - Does not explain enough of people's behaviour |
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What are the limitations of trait theories? |
- The traits identified are not personality but simply predispositions to behave in certain ways in different situations - Simply saying that some of our personality is inherited and some of it is the result of environmental influences does not really tell us very much about the nature and development of individual differences in personality - Fail to take into account unconscious processes, beliefs and motives that may influence personality |
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What are the characteristics of Rogers' humanistic theory? |
- All people are born good with the potential of enormous growth - Important people in our lives help us to grow by providing genuineness, acceptance and empathy |
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What are the requirements of self-actualisation according to Rogers? |
If we are to have a well-adjusted personality there needs to be a good match between: - Our ideal self (the person we would like to be) - Our self-image (the person we think we are) - Our true self (the person we really are) The greater the gap between our selves, the more likely we are to feel anxious and stressed |
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What are the characteristics of Maslow's humanistic theory? |
- Considered that we all have a hierarchy of needs, and must fulfill lower levels to reach higher levels - At the top of this hierarchy is self-actualisation - the point of our highest potential - Developed his theories through studying healthy, creative people including major figures in American history, considering that they shared certain characteristics |
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What are the stages in Maslow's hierarchy of needs? |
Self-actualisation needs: Need to live up to one's fullest potential Esteem needs: Need for self-esteem, achievement and independence; need for respect from others Belongingness and love needs: Need to love and be loved, to belong and be accepted Safety needs: Need to feel safe, secure, and stable. Physiological needs: Need to satisfy hunger and thirst. |
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What are the limitations of humanistic theories? |
- Hard to test scientifically; they are based on clinical observation ('cases') or philosophical assumptions rather than empirical research - Concepts like the 'actualising tendency' and 'positive regard' are difficult to observe, measure and study objectively - The fundamental basic premise that humans are inherently good may be too optimistic |
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Explain Freud's psychodynamic (psychoanalytic) theories? |
Freud considered that our personality develops from our efforts to resolve the conflict between our primitive, pleasure-seeking biological urges and our internalised, socialised reactions to these. - The id is the primitive part of our make-up and works on the basis of maximising pleasure - biological urges (i.e. food, shelter, sexual gratification) - The ego direct the energies of the id, taking reality into account and making sure that behaviour is practical and appropriate - is in conscious control of behaviour - The superego is the voice of conscience that focuses on how we ought to behave - The superego's demands are in direct conflict with the id and the ego must resolve these competing demands Freud also considered that children pass through a series of psychosexual stages, where a fixation in one stage could lead to many adult personality traits. |
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What are Freud's psychosexual stages? |
Oral (0-18 months): Stimulation of the mouth - sucking, chewing, biting Anal (18-36 months): Process of elimination of bowel and bladder Phallic (3-6 years): Genital organs Latency (6-puberty): A quiet time during which psychosexual development is on hold Genital (puberty): Maturation of sexual interests |
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What are the limitations of Freud's psychodynamic (psychoanalytic) theories? |
- Does not generate hypotheses that can be tested
- E.g. If a person who was fixated at the oral stage was not verbally aggressive as expected, Freud would claim that the individual was repressing his/her desire to be aggressive |
