1. Personality (Chapter 13)
Second Lecture Outline:
Traits
MMPI
Social-Cognitive approaches

2. How would you describe your personality to someone?
Please write down two traits you are high and low on
How would your roommate (or friend’s) personality to someone?
Please write down two more traits

3. Trait theory
Nomothetic methods: Everyone has a set of common traits they can be judged on
Trait: A consistent attribute that characterizes what a person is like
Surface vs. Source traits: 16 PF
Empirical approach of factor analysis: Grouping similar behaviors or surface traits to determine source traits

4. Depression I am worthless I am sad I feel guilty
I have trouble sleeping
My energy is gone
Depression
Sex doesn’t matter

5. Objective Tests of Personality
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)
550 T/F items
3 validity scales (L, K, & F)
10 clinical scales
You add up items within a scale, and then compare them to a “normative sample” of repsonses
Compare score: Are you significantly high or low, or somewhere in the middle “average range”

6. Validity Scales Lie scale: Are they paying attention Examples:
“I breathe every day”.
“I have never brushed my teeth”.
“Sometimes I have seen a truck”
“There is blood flowing out of my ears”
Social desirability: Do they want to be seen favourably
Examples:
“I read the newspaper editorials every day”
“I always give to charities”
“I like everyone I know”
“I never lie”

7. Normal curve of personality trait scores

8. MMPI Personality profiles
Hypochondriasis
Psychasthenia
Schizophrenia
Psychopathy
Depression
Androgeny
Paranoia
Hysteria
Mania
MMPI Personality profiles 80 70 60 50 40 30 20

9. A small number of constructs
Eysenck: Three constructs dominate
Extroversion: Social, gregarious
Neuroticism: Moody, irritable
Psychoticism: Uncaring, detached
“Big Five”:
Neuroticism
Extroversion vs. Introversion
Openness: Imaginative, curious
Agreeableness: Good-natured, friendly
Conscientiousness: Hard-working, reliable
There are many self-report questionnaires

10. Other traits
Sensation-seeking: Thrill seeking, sexually adventuresome, exotic foods, drug/alcohol use, addictive personality
Climb a mountain, eat jalapeno’s, drink vodka, play poker, and have an orgy
Self-esteem: Personal worth is a component of personality
Cognitive style: Can you see multiple perspectives? This helps with coping

11. Heritability Temperament has continuity with adult personality
Reactivity/ emotional regulation seems somewhat stable
Heritability is only .40, however, and environment has a large influence on personality development (traumas, success)
Family surprisingly not very important

12. Social-Cognitive Approaches
Skinner: Personality shaped by reinforcement history
Rotter: Meaning is given to environmental events
Social learning is important to personality
Internal vs. external locus of control
Bandura: Personality X environment
school motivation, parent reinforcement, go to college, achieve in work world

13. Schemas
Self-schemas: Cognitive frameworks or knowledge about self serve as personality framework: What are you?
Elaborate self-schemas is related to introspectiveness and private self-consciousness
Overly elaborate self-schemas could reflect narcissism or ruminative self-absorbed anxiety

14. Personal Constructs: Kelly
Personanality can be viewed in bipolar constructs
On what dimensions do you judge people?
Happy vs. Sad
Socially entertaining vs. “wet blanket”
Trustworthy vs. Liar
People create their own dimensions to view the world: Idiographic methods

15. Cultural Influences Collectivist Individualistic
Group harmony is more important than individual
Self, individual rights are most important