PERSONALITY EXAM 1 2025/2026 GRADED A
personality - individual's characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and
behaviour, together with the psychological mechanisms— hidden or not—
behind those patterns
important concepts - psychological triad, 3 levels of personality analysis, five
different approaches home in on one level of analysis
3 levels of personality analysis - (a) like all other people [human nature], (b) like
some other people [group and individual differences], (c) like no other person
[individual uniqueness]
human nature - how we are like ALL other people.
language, social exchange, cooperation, social cognition
group and individual (trait) differences - how are we like SOME other people
individual uniqueness - how we are like NO other person
goal of personality psychology - to explain the whole person
NO BIG THEORY YET
trait approach - how people differ psychologically
biological approach - understand the mind in terms of the body
psychoanalytic approach - unconscious mind and internal mental conflict
, phenomenological approach - focus on the conscious experience
learning and cognitive approach - focus on rewards and punishments in the
physical and social world
self-report data - S- Data
person's evaluation of his/her own personality
most frequent data source (surveys/questionnaires)
high face validity
s-data advantages - -based on large amount of info
-access to thoughts, feelings, and intentions
-efficacy expectations
-simple & easy
efficacy expectations - -what you believe yourself to be capable of & kind of
person you think you are
s-data disadvantages - -people wont tell you
-limited imperfect memory
-lack of self-insight
-too easy
-active memory distortion
informant report - I-Data
personality - individual's characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and
behaviour, together with the psychological mechanisms— hidden or not—
behind those patterns
important concepts - psychological triad, 3 levels of personality analysis, five
different approaches home in on one level of analysis
3 levels of personality analysis - (a) like all other people [human nature], (b) like
some other people [group and individual differences], (c) like no other person
[individual uniqueness]
human nature - how we are like ALL other people.
language, social exchange, cooperation, social cognition
group and individual (trait) differences - how are we like SOME other people
individual uniqueness - how we are like NO other person
goal of personality psychology - to explain the whole person
NO BIG THEORY YET
trait approach - how people differ psychologically
biological approach - understand the mind in terms of the body
psychoanalytic approach - unconscious mind and internal mental conflict
, phenomenological approach - focus on the conscious experience
learning and cognitive approach - focus on rewards and punishments in the
physical and social world
self-report data - S- Data
person's evaluation of his/her own personality
most frequent data source (surveys/questionnaires)
high face validity
s-data advantages - -based on large amount of info
-access to thoughts, feelings, and intentions
-efficacy expectations
-simple & easy
efficacy expectations - -what you believe yourself to be capable of & kind of
person you think you are
s-data disadvantages - -people wont tell you
-limited imperfect memory
-lack of self-insight
-too easy
-active memory distortion
informant report - I-Data
