Deck 9: Personality

Question 1

In this chapter's Senior View, Jane Hege told us that midlife crises occur

A) when one partner in not attentive to the needs of the other
B) far more frequently for women than men
C) whenever a middle-aged adult is socially isolated
D) between the ages fo 45 and 55

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In this chapter's Senior View, Tolly Kleckley told us that personality

A) mostly stays the same as you age
B) changes quite a lot as you age
C) changes more for men than for women
D) doesn't change at all no matter how long you live

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The major question researchers have asked about personality and aging is

A) whether or not personality declines with advanced age
B) whether or not personality changes with age
C) whether or not people with certain personalities live longer
D) whether or not men and women have different personalities

Answer 3

B

Question 4

An example of a projective test of personality is the

A) TAT
B) CPI
C) MMPI
D) Myers-Briggs

Question 5

Objective tests of personality are frequently used to help

A) place the right person in the right community setting
B) in the diagnosis of psychological disorders
C) attorneys determine the validity of eyewitness testimony
D) bankers make decisions about granting loans to applicants

Question 6

Objective tests of personality generally ______ than projective tests.

A) take longer to administer
B) probe deeper
C) have higher reliability
D) all of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is not one of McAdam's levels of personality description?

A) traits
B) identity
C) emotionality
D) personal concerns

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the dimensions in the five-factor theory?

A) neuroticism
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) rigidity

Question 9

A person who is very well organized, has high standards, and has a lot of self-discipline would probably score very high on measures of which trait?

A) extraversion
B) conscientiousness
C) flexibility
D) agreeableness

Question 10

A person who is very dependent on others, submissive, and easily persuaded would probably score very high on measures of which trait?

A) introversion
B) neuroticism
C) agreeableness
D) openness

Question 11

A person who is very practical, traditional, and set in their ways would probably score low on measures of which trait?

A) openness
B) agreeableness
C) neuroticism
D) flexibility

Question 12

Costa and McCrae argue that your traits are largely

A) determined by your environment
B) biologically determined
C) very likely to change with advanced age
D) all of the above

Question 13

When personality trait differences have been found for different aged adults they usually turn out to be

A) gender differences
B) cohort differences
C) due to measurement error
D) true age differences

Question 14

Do traits change with age?

A) no
B) yes, traits change a little
C) yes some traits do but others do not
D) all traits change a lot

Question 15

Which trait has been found to show some increase with age?

A) extraversion
B) openness
C) agreeableness
D) all of the above

Question 16

Which trait has been found to show some decrease with age?

A) conscientiousness
B) neuroticism
C) Agreeableness
D) all of the above

Question 17

High levels of one of the following traits is associated with high levels of fear of aging; which trait is it?

A) openness
B) extraversion
C) conscientiousness
D) neuroticism

Question 18

Which level of personality description is assumed to change with age?

A) traits
B) personal concerns
C) identity
D) all are assumed to change with age

Question 19

Erikson's major disagreement with Freud was that

A) Freud relied too much on sex
B) Freud didn't rely enough on sex
C) Erikson didn't believe in ego
D) Erikson believed that personality developed throughout life

Question 20

Generativity refers to

A) the kind of work that a person does
B) whether one works for the advancement of younger people
C) the feelings that one has about helping future generations
D) the likelihood of success in producing a usable product

Question 21

Erikson suggested that people who do not achieve generativity, experience

A) isolation
B) stagnation
C) role confusion
D) despair

Question 22

The text suggests that people who do not experience generativity may be those who experience a(n)

A) mid-life crisis
B) retrogenesis
C) change of identity
D) enlightenment

Question 23

One proposed expansion of Erikson's last stage includes the concern of

A) persistent agreeableness vs. rampant antagonism
B) flexibility vs. rigidity
C) social independence vs. social dependence
D) body transcendence vs. body preoccupation

Question 24

Androgyny means that an individual has

A) a high level of masculine characteristics
B) a high level of feminine characteristics
C) both of the above
D) none of the above

Question 25

Changes in gender roles with age do not seem to be related to

A) culture
B) parenthood
C) cohort
D) gender

Question 26

Research on generativity generally shows that

A) old adults are very generative
B) young and old adults are about equal in generativity
C) middle-aged adults are very generative
D) middle-aged and old adults are about equal in generativity

Question 27

The differences that are found for adult generativity seem to depend to some extent upon

A) how generativity is assessed
B) whether men or women are tested
C) the marital status of those tested
D) all of the above

Question 28

The most frequent coping strategy for adults of all ages appears to be a ____ strategy.

A) problem solving
B) emotion managing
C) crisis avoidant
D) liquidation

Question 29

In coping with stress, older adults seem to

A) have great difficulty
B) have a wide variety of strategies
C) persist in using the same strategy
D) all of the above

Question 30

Age differences in coping strategies to presented stories are most likely when the

A) stories are presented only to women
B) emotional content is very high
C) emotional content is very low
D) story is presented more than once

Question 31

Karen wants to live long and remain healthy and she knows that exercise is important so she begins a regular exercise program. Karen's strategy is considered a form of

A) assimilation
B) accommodation
C) immunization
D) recconstruction

Question 32

Bert smokes and has been told by his parents that it is dangerous for your health. Bert says his parents are wrong and that there is no evidence to show that smoking is bad for you. Bert's strategy is considered a form of

A) assimilation
B) accommodation
C) immunization
D) recconstruction

Question 33

Latasha used to want to hunt wild animals but is very concerned about the dangers of guns so she now hunts using a camera. Latasha's strategy is considered a form of

A) assimilation
B) accommodation
C) immunization
D) recconstruction

Question 34

Someone who believes that getting a promotion at work is all a matter of pleasing the boss would be displaying what kind of locus of control?

A) internal
B) internal powerful others
C) external chance
D) external powerful others

Question 35

Older adults seem to show lower levels of internal control

A) in all areas that have been tested
B) only when they are seriously ill
C) in specific domains such as the intellectual
D) when cross-sectional comparisons are made

Question 36

Researchers have found that control in the form of ______ is negatively related to well-being for adults of all ages.

A) reappraising the situation
B) primary control
C) emotion management
D) lowering aspirations

Question 37

For older adults but not younger adults, control in the form of ____ is positively related to well-being.

A) reappraising the situation
B) primary control
C) emotion management
D) lowering aspirations

Question 38

Coping strategies in which the individual modifies the goal that is being sought are referred to as ____ strategies.

A) assimilation
B) accommodation
C) immunization
D) secondary

Question 39

Identity refers to one's

A) use of a particular type of coping strategy over a long period of time
B) control exerted over one's unchanging life story
C) continuing and coherent sense of self over time
D) external appearance and individuality

Question 40

An important characteristic used in examining and analyzing life stories is

A) coherence
B) assimilation
C) structure
D) all of the above

Question 41

An important factor in determining whether or not a person constructs a life story is that person's

A) age
B) perceived control
C) type of identity
D) sense of responsibility

Question 42

One's awareness of self-identity seems to

A) diminish as one grows older
B) increase as one grows older
C) be unrelated to one's age
D) be a function of one's life story

Question 43

Attempting to fit real life events into your preconceived view of who you are and where you are going is referred to as identity _____

A) tabulation
B) accommodation
C) assimilation
D) integration

Question 44

One of the stronger predictors of mortality is

A) a high level of neuroticism
B) an increase in neuroticism
C) a decrease in neuroticism
D) an up and down pattern of neuroticism

Question 45

Those with a strong sense of this kind of control are more likely to take care of themselves.

A) external
B) primary
C) secondary
D) internal

Question 46

Measures of life satisfaction have generally found that older adults

A) are far less satisfied than younger adults
B) are far more satisfied than younger adults
C) are as satisfied as younger adults
D) are very unsatisfied with their lives

Question 47

Some research has found a positive relationship between oral self-care and

A) extraversion
B) neuroticism
C) openness
D) all of the above

Question 48

Risk taking with alcohol has been found to be related to a high level of

A) neuroticism
B) openness
C) introversion
D) agreeableness

Question 49

Describe McAdams three levels of personality. Which level(s) change with age and which do (does) not?

Question 50

Give an example of a theory of personality at each of McAdam's three levels.

Question 51

Describe the five factor trait theory. As researchers have examined age differences in these factors what has been found? Does the type of research design play a role?

Question 52

Why might the stability of traits result in difficulties in adjusting to old age? Which traits are positively or negatively related to a fear of aging?

Question 53

Describe Erikson's three stages of adult personality development. Describe some research that has tested Erikson's predictions.

Question 54

Describe age differences in perceived control and in coping.

Question 55

Discuss the relationships among personality traits, control, health, and healthy behaviors. Give specific examples.