, IOP2606 ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025 ANSWERS
DUE DATE: 2025
QUESTION 1
COGNITIVE THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
The cognitive approach to personality emphasizes that individuals are active processors of
information who interpret, evaluate, and construct meaning from their experiences. Unlike
behaviorism, which focused narrowly on observable responses, cognitive theories suggest
that personality is largely determined by internal processes such as thoughts, beliefs, and
perceptions. George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (1955) is central in this regard,
proposing that each individual develops a unique system of personal constructs—bipolar
dimensions of judgment (e.g., friendly–hostile, competent–incompetent)—to interpret and
predict events. Personality is shaped by how individuals organize and utilize these
constructs in daily life. Psychological maladjustment, according to Kelly, occurs when
constructs fail to adequately anticipate or explain experiences. Similarly, Aaron Beck (1967)
argued that maladaptive schemas and distorted cognitive patterns underlie emotional and
personality difficulties. For Beck, personality is not a fixed set of traits but an evolving
network of schemas that can be modified through changes in cognitive processing. These
perspectives emphasize that personality is dynamic and capable of change when cognitive
structures are reorganized (Kelly, 1955; Beck, 1967).
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
Social cognitive theories extend the cognitive perspective by recognizing that personality
emerges through continuous interaction between the individual and their environment. Albert
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is particularly influential, introducing the principle of
reciprocal determinism, which posits that behavior, cognitive factors, and environmental
influences mutually shape one another. A critical aspect of this theory is self-efficacy,
defined as an individual’s belief in their capacity to perform behaviors necessary to achieve
desired outcomes. High self-efficacy contributes to persistence, resilience, and adaptive
coping, which become integral to one’s personality (Bandura, 1986). Walter Mischel’s
Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS) further expanded this approach by proposing
that personality is best understood as a network of cognitive-affective units (such as goals,
DUE DATE: 2025
QUESTION 1
COGNITIVE THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
The cognitive approach to personality emphasizes that individuals are active processors of
information who interpret, evaluate, and construct meaning from their experiences. Unlike
behaviorism, which focused narrowly on observable responses, cognitive theories suggest
that personality is largely determined by internal processes such as thoughts, beliefs, and
perceptions. George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (1955) is central in this regard,
proposing that each individual develops a unique system of personal constructs—bipolar
dimensions of judgment (e.g., friendly–hostile, competent–incompetent)—to interpret and
predict events. Personality is shaped by how individuals organize and utilize these
constructs in daily life. Psychological maladjustment, according to Kelly, occurs when
constructs fail to adequately anticipate or explain experiences. Similarly, Aaron Beck (1967)
argued that maladaptive schemas and distorted cognitive patterns underlie emotional and
personality difficulties. For Beck, personality is not a fixed set of traits but an evolving
network of schemas that can be modified through changes in cognitive processing. These
perspectives emphasize that personality is dynamic and capable of change when cognitive
structures are reorganized (Kelly, 1955; Beck, 1967).
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
Social cognitive theories extend the cognitive perspective by recognizing that personality
emerges through continuous interaction between the individual and their environment. Albert
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is particularly influential, introducing the principle of
reciprocal determinism, which posits that behavior, cognitive factors, and environmental
influences mutually shape one another. A critical aspect of this theory is self-efficacy,
defined as an individual’s belief in their capacity to perform behaviors necessary to achieve
desired outcomes. High self-efficacy contributes to persistence, resilience, and adaptive
coping, which become integral to one’s personality (Bandura, 1986). Walter Mischel’s
Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS) further expanded this approach by proposing
that personality is best understood as a network of cognitive-affective units (such as goals,
