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Trait Theory: Describing Personality
Trait: A characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in a certain way.
Key Idea: People's personalities can be described by their unique combination of traits.
Trait Theorists
Gordon Allport: Identified three types of traits:
Cardinal Traits: Dominant traits that define a person's entire personality.
Central Traits: Major characteristics that shape most of our behavior.
Secondary Traits: Less consistent, situational traits, such as preferences and attitudes.
Eysenck & Eysenck: Proposed two primary personality dimensions:
Extraversion-Introversion: Ranges from outgoing and sociable to quiet and reserved.
Emotional Stability-Instability: Ranges from calm and even-tempered to anxious and moody.
The Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN)
Openness: Imaginative, curious, open to new experiences.
Conscientiousness: Organized, responsible, dependable.
Extraversion: Outgoing, energetic, talkative.
Agreeableness: Friendly, compassionate, cooperative.
Neuroticism: Anxious, emotionally unstable, prone to negative emotions.
Key Points:
Trait theorists use questionnaires and other assessments to measure personality traits.
The Big Five is a widely accepted model for understanding personality structure.
Assessing Personality: Trait Perspective
Personality Inventories: Questionnaires designed to measure various personality traits.
MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory): A widely used inventory that assesses personality traits and can help identify potential psychological disorders.
Social-Cognitive Perspective
Key Idea: Personality is shaped by a complex interplay of thoughts, behaviors, and the environment.
Reciprocal Determinism: Our thoughts, behaviors, and environment all influence each other.
Simplified Definition: It's a two-way street where your personality affects your actions, and your actions affect your environment, which then influences your personality further.
Example: A friendly person (cognitive factor) smiles at people (behavior), leading them to smile back and create a positive social interaction (environment), which reinforces their friendly personality.
Self in Social Psychology
Self-Concept:
Our overall understanding of who we are, including our beliefs, values, and social roles.
Self-Concept vs. Self-Esteem:
Self-Concept: "Who am I?"
Self-Esteem: "How do I feel about who I am?"
Self-Efficacy: Your belief in your ability to succeed in specific situations. High self-efficacy leads to greater confidence and motivation.
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