I.

II.

III.
IV.

Personality
a. The study of individual difference in behavior
b. Psychologists studying personality are studying how people differ
i. Why they behave differently when exposed to the same situation
c. A persons unique set of consistent behavioral traits
i. Sociability
ii. Irritability
iii.
This exercise illustrates two important distinctions
a. The distinction between states and traits
i. States are temporary conditions (like a good mood, or tiredness)
ii. Traits are lasting dispositions to behave in a particular way in many
situations
b. A difference in how we explain other peoples behavior and our own
i. We explain our own behavior in terms of states and situations
c. The Actor-Observer Bias
i. Why does the bias exist?
1. The one who acts has special knowledge of his/her experiences up
to that moment, and of his/her own motives.
2. We find causes where we focus our attention
ii. Test-retest reliability indicates that a personality test is not just measuring
temporary states
What traits should be measured?
a. Are there basic traitsfour or five features we could measure to give the most
useful information
The Big 5 Personality Traits:
a. Neuroticism or Negative Emotionality
i. Anxious
ii. Insecure
iii. Vulnerable
iv. Self-conscious
v. Guilt-prone
b. Extraversion
i. Warm
ii.
iii. Assertive
iv. Positive Emotions
v. Active
vi. Seeks excitement
c. Openness to new experience
d. Conscientiousness
i. Dependable
ii. Ethical
e. Agreeableness
i. Cooperative
ii. Altruistic

V.

VI.
VII.

iii. Modest
iv. Straightforward
v. Sympathetic
vi. Trusting
Ways of Studying Personality
a. Case Studies
b. Coding Behaviors
c. Projective tests
d. The problem of response sets
i. Social desirability
ii. Acquiescence
iii. Faking bad
Movie
Can your personality kill you?
a. The Type A Personality
i. Coronary-Prone Personality
1. People with these characteristics are 3 to 5 times more likely to die
of a heart attack than people without these characteristics
ii. Hard-driving competitiveness
iii. Chronic sense of urgency
iv. Addiction to work
v. Perfectionism
vi. Need for control
vii. Quick temper
b. The Type B Personality
i. A balanced approach to life
ii. Enjoys work, but says no to overwork
iii. Does not live life in a hurry
c. Locus of Control
i. Locus of Control is the degree to which you generally expect to control
outcomes in your life
1. External
a. More psychological disorders
b. Higher suicide rates
c. Fatalistic reasoning
2. Internal
a. More successful in school and work
b. More active coping with problems
c. Take more responsibility for their health
d. Start and stay with exercise programs
e. Regular medical and dental check-ups
f. Able to quit smoking or drinking (or never start)
3. Extreme External Locus of Control: Learned Helplessness
a. Surrender to stress
b. Usually caused by exposure to severe, uncontrollable
stressors

VIII.

IX.
X.

Where do personalities come from?

a. Where do Stress-prone personalities come from?
i. Psychodynamic Theory
1. Unconscious, unresolved trauma early in life cause maladaptive
behavior, or neuroses, in adult life
2. Defense Mechanisms
a. Unconscious ways of dealing with unacceptable feelings
and thoughts
3. Type A behavior as a defense mechanism: displacing anger
4. External Locus of Control and Learned Helplessness as emotional
fixation in infancy: the External LOC person wants others to meet
his/her needs
ii. Learning Theories and Personality
1. Stress-magnifying behavior is learned, like most other behaviors
2. People who show Type A behaviors have been reinforced for them,
and/or punished for Type B behavior
iii. Biological Theories of Personality
1. Stress-prone traits like Type A behavior and External LOC
behavior are largely inherited
iv. Humanistic Theories of Personality
1. Type A people believe that they have to earn other peoples love
and respect by being perfect
a. The cure:
i. Unconditioned love
Hassles
Conflicts
a. Approach
i. Approach
b. Approach
i. Avoidance
c. Avoidance
i. Avoidance