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Elements of Personality, Biological Theory. “Personality”. Pattern of Behavior, thought, motives, & emotion that characterizes an individual over time. “Trait” “Factor Analysis”.
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“Personality” • Pattern of Behavior, thought, motives, & emotion that characterizes an individual over time.
“Trait” “Factor Analysis” • Identifies traits & categorizes them into one of 16 common factors of personality • Raymond Cattell’s Theory--1965 • Specific habit, thought, or feeling that is part of individual’s personality Draw a Pig
Get a blank whole sheet of paper,and draw a picture of a pig on it. Just a basic drawing, don't spendall day on it. With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful. With few details, you are emotional and naive, you care little for details and are a risk-taker. With less than 4 legs showing, you are insecure or are living through a period of major change. With 4 legs showing, you are secure, stubborn, and stick to your ideals. If there are more than 4 legs, you are stupid. The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are. The bigger the better. The length of the tail indicates the quality of your Love life!!! (And again more is better!) • The pig serves as a useful test of the personality traits of the drawer. • If the pig is drawn: • Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic. • Toward the middle, you are a realist. Toward the bottom, you are • pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively. • Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates • (birthdays, etc.). • Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don't have a strong • sense of family, nor do you remember dates. • Facing front (looking at you), you are direct, enjoy playing devil's • advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.
Big “5” Factors of personality • Extraversion (sometimes called Surgency). The broad dimension of Extraversion encompasses such more specific traits as talkative, energetic, and assertive. • Agreeableness. This dimension includes traits like sympathetic, kind, and affectionate. • Conscientiousness. People high in Conscientiousness tend to be organized, thorough, and planful. • Neuroticism (sometimes reversed and called Emotional Stability). Neuroticism is characterized by traits like tense, moody, and anxious. • Openness to New Experiences (sometimes called Intellect or Culture). This dimension includes having wide interests, and being imaginative and insightful. • Modern Psychologists narrowed Cattell’s 16 traits into these 5
Biological Theory • Personality traits originate from genes/hormones/body • “Temperaments”—babies are born with dispositions to respond to environment in stable ways. (i.e. babies are born calm, or colicky)
How is “heritability” used to study personality? • Scientists can measure scores of a trait in a group of similarly raised subjects. Any difference will be attributed to genetics. (example: brothers & sisters raised in the same family in the same way, can grow up to have extremely different people) • Best way to use this (heritability) is to study adopted children or twins raised separately.
Why should we be cautious when attributing genes to personality? • Only ½ of the traits connect—In general population; about ½ of all traits are genetic—THE REST OF OUR TRAITS ARE NOT DETERMINED BY OUR GENES! • Experience strengthens / diminishes certain genetic traits (i.e. a person who is genetically born with a learning disability can work very hard at school/job and become very intelligent & successful) • Having a certain Predisposition to something does not mean that this is Inevitable.