Deck 14: Personality

Question 1

Studying a particular person in great detail illustrates the nomothetic approach to personality.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Jung stressed the possibility of personality changes in adulthood,under the influence of the goals people set.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The big five personality traits are: neuroticism,extraversion,agreeableness,conscientiousness,and openness to experience.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Research on the Barnum effect suggests that the best way to validate a personality test is to determine whether the person who completed the test agrees with the assessment.

Question 5

Personality states are personality characteristics that are persistent over time.

Question 6

The research evidence strongly supports Freud's concept of repression.

Question 7

When asked to describe your current love interest,you say s/he is "funny,honest,and outgoing." Your description reflects the trait approach to personality.

Question 8

Humanistic psychologists view humans as being essentially good.

Question 9

One of the major strengths of Freud's theory is that it is highly parsimonious.

Question 10

The temporary activation of a particular behavior is known as a trait.

Question 11

A psychologist is interested in validating her new personality questionnaire.One common method of validating the test is to correlate scores on the test with measures of relevant behaviors.

Question 12

According to Jung,the collective unconscious is present in each individual at birth.

Question 13

According to Freud anyone who has fixated a great deal of libido in an earlier stage has little libido left for the genital stage.

Question 14

According to Adler,a healthy personality involves the development of social interest.

Question 15

Attributing one's own undesirable characteristics to other people is known as projection.

Question 16

A psychologist discovers that almost all paranoid people say "true" to the statement "I prefer penguins to polar bears" while almost all non-paranoid people say "false." Even though there is no theory or explanation for this difference,this would be a good item for the Paranoia scale on the MMPI.

Question 17

According to Freud,personality traits such as stubbornness are determined primarily by genetics.

Question 18

The big five personality traits were derived by psychologists who observed thousands of people behaving in hundreds of different situations.

Question 19

Freud's influence within psychology has declined substantially over time.

Question 20

The Rorschach Inkblot test rarely gives unique information about a person that could not be easily obtained through other methods.

Question 21

____________________ theory of personality emphasized people's search for a spiritual meaning in life and the continuity of human experience,past and present.

Question 22

According to Freud,the ____________________ is the rational,decision-making aspect of the personality.

Question 23

The idea that individuals are basically good and will achieve noble goals if not restrained by society are views that were expressed by ____________________ and ____________________.
or

Question 24

According to Freud,in the ____________________,children begin to play with their genitals and according to Freud become sexually attracted to the opposite-sex parent.

Question 25

According to Jung,the ____________________,present at birth,pertains to the cumulative experience of preceding generations.

Question 26

According to research,our personality gets more ____________________ as we age.

Question 27

____________________ is defined as a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions relatively easily.

Question 28

According to humanistic psychology,the goal of life is ____________________.

Question 29

You describe a friend as being friendly,energetic,and having a good sense of humor.This description would be consistent with the ____________________ approach to personality.

Question 30

In Freud's terms,blockage of normal sexual development at some stage is called ____________________.

Question 31

The pattern of behavior or role that males and females are expected to follow is known as ____________________;the biological aspect of being male or female is known as ____________________.

Question 32

The approach to the study of individual differences that seeks general laws about how some aspect of personality affect behavior is the ____________________ approach.

Question 33

Sigmund Freud's approach is called ____________________.Alfred Adler's approach is called ____________________.

Question 34

When people attempt to prove that their actions are rational and justifiable and thus worthy of approval,they are using ____________________.

Question 35

A theory that relates personality to the interplay of conflicting forces within the individual is known as a ____________________ theory.

Question 36

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)is a test of normal personality,loosely based on ____________________ theories.

Question 37

The idea that individuals are basically destructive and have to be held in check by society are views that were expressed by ____________________ and ____________________.
or

Question 38

The process of releasing an emotion,getting it out of one's system,is called ____________________.

Question 39

Freud's theory of personality is an example of a ____________________ theory.

Question 40

Striving for success is to ____________________ as collective unconscious is to ____________________.

Question 41

The idea that individuals are basically good and will achieve noble goals if not restrained by society are views that were expressed by __________ and __________.

A)Jean-Jacques Rousseau...Carl Rogers
B)Thomas Hobbes...Carl Rogers
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau...Sigmund Freud
D)Thomas Hobbes...Sigmund Freud

Question 42

Freud's theory of personality is an example of a __________ theory.

A)functional
B)Gestalt
C)humanistic
D)psychodynamic

Question 43

According to Freud,children go through five stages of psychosexual development,and each leaves its mark on the adult personality.If normal sexual development is blocked or frustrated at any stage,part of the libido becomes fixated at that stage.Describe Freud's five stages of sexual development and the sexual interest that accompanies each stage.

Question 44

Freud's influence within psychology is

A)as strong as ever.
B)especially significant in modern times.
C)very much on the decline.
D)more significant than his impact on sociology and literature.

Question 45

Psychodynamic approaches claim that personality is

A)the result of hidden motives.
B)the result of conflicting motivations.
C)strongly influenced by motives that may be subconscious.
D)all of these

Question 46

According to Freud's psychodynamic theory:

A)all neurotic behavior can be traced to overindulgence in sexual behavior.
B)libido focuses on different parts of the body.
C)catharsis is what happens if the libido becomes fixated.
D)the unconscious has no thoughts,memories,or emotions.

Question 47

The idea that individuals are basically destructive and have to be held in check by society are views that were expressed by __________ and __________.

A)Jean-Jacques Rousseau...Carl Rogers
B)Thomas Hobbes...Carl Rogers
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau...Sigmund Freud
D)Thomas Hobbes...Sigmund Freud

Question 48

The original goal of psychoanalysis was to

A)prevent the process known as catharsis.
B)help the patient reexamine the assumptions behind his or her style of life.
C)bring the contents of the unconscious mind into the conscious mind.
D)help the patient probe the contents of the collective unconscious.

Question 49

The term personality comes from the Latin word persona,which means

A)nice,or friendly.
B)experience.
C)mask.
D)stable,or permanent.

Question 50

For a few years,Freud argued that disorders stem from __________.Later he switched to arguing that they result from __________.

A)imbalances among neurotransmitters;abnormal avoidance learning
B)childhood sexual fantasies;childhood sexual abuse
C)abnormal avoidance learning;imbalances among neurotransmitters
D)childhood sexual abuse;childhood sexual fantasies

Question 51

Which of the following does a psychoanalyst hope to produce?

A)reaction formation
B)a latent period
C)an Oedipus complex
D)catharsis

Question 52

The process of releasing an emotion,getting it out of one's system,is called

A)displacement.
B)obsession.
C)catharsis.
D)transference.

Question 53

According to Freud,the ego defends itself against conflicts and anxieties by relegating unpleasant thoughts and impulses to the unconscious.Among the defense mechanisms that the ego employs are repression,denial,rationalization,displacement,regression,projection,reaction formation,and sublimation.Briefly describe repression,displacement,and regression.

Question 54

Psychologists have devised questionnaires to measure belief in a just world,self-esteem,and hundreds of other traits.Measuring hundreds of traits is impractical.Researchers have instead used factor analysis to develop five major clusters of personality traits which they call the big five personality traits.Name and describe three of the five traits.

Question 55

Freud's influence within psychology __________;his influence outside of psychology __________.

A)is greater than it has ever been...is almost nonexistent
B)was never very great...was significant at one time,but has declined
C)continues to be very high...is very much on the decline
D)is very much on the decline...continues to be very high

Question 56

Freud's influence within psychology is on the decline because

A)there is little scientific evidence to support any of his theories.
B)most people find his emphasis on sexuality distasteful.
C)in spite of good scientific support,many people find his theories objectionable.
D)most university professors no longer teach or discuss his ideas.

Question 57

Psychologists study personalities in two ways,called the nomothetic and the idiographic approaches.Discuss the difference between the nomothetic and idiographic approaches to personality.

Question 58

A theory that relates personality to the interplay of conflicting forces within the individual is known as a

A)psychodynamic theory.
B)cognitive theory.
C)humanistic theory.
D)trait theory.

Question 59

Catharsis refers to

A)the release of pent-up emotions.
B)gaining access to the collective unconscious.
C)treating the therapist like a parent.
D)an increase in anxiety.

Question 60

Freud's original goal in psychoanalysis was to help a patient by

A)examining the assumptions behind the patient's style of life.
B)providing reinforcement for new learned patterns of behavior.
C)making the person conscious of memories that had been previously unconscious.
D)probing the collective unconscious,as revealed in symbols and art.

Question 61

How would Sigmund Freud explain why some person has lasting concerns about dependence and independence?

A)The person has a strong id and a weak superego.
B)The person has a very high level of libido.
C)The person is engaging in projection and rationalization.
D)The person had a fixation during the oral stage.

Question 62

Early in his career,Freud believed that some people overreacted to mildly traumatic events in adult life because of

A)a failure to understand their own style of life.
B)impaired attention processes.
C)symbolism contained in their collective unconscious.
D)early childhood sexual events.

Question 63

Which of the following was NOT true of Sigmund Freud?

A)he spent much time observing children's behavior
B)he believed that behavior has causes
C)he inferred unconscious influences that his clients didn't know about
D)he emphasized the influence of early experience on later behavior

Question 64

According to Freud,a boy who develops a sexual interest in his mother and competitive aggression toward his father is experiencing

A)an Oedipus complex.
B)an Electra complex.
C)an Othello complex.
D)catharsis.

Question 65

According to Sigmund Freud,libido referred to:

A)repressed memories.
B)infantile behaviors.
C)aggressive tendencies.
D)sexual energy.

Question 66

Sigmund Freud believed that one important determinant of personality was

A)striving to achieve self-actualization.
B)the influence of images from the collective unconscious.
C)fixation at an immature stage of psychosexual development.
D)behaviors learned through classical and operant conditioning.

Question 67

Freud developed his view of the most common cause of psychological disorders based on

A)claims his patients made about childhood experiences of sexual abuse.
B)claims his patients made about early childhood sexual fantasies.
C)inferences he made regarding his clients' childhood experiences.
D)both survey results and laboratory experiments.

Question 68

According to Freud,what made certain people highly vulnerable to psychological disorders?

A)symbolism contained in their collective unconscious
B)hereditary physiological weakness
C)sexual fantasies during early childhood
D)a failure to understand their own style of life

Question 69

In Freud's earliest psychological writings,he said the cause of mental illness was __________.Several years later he changed his mind and said the cause was __________.

A)the Oedipal complex...the Electra complex
B)biological disorders...ideas related to sex
C)ideas related to sex...ideas related to striving for superiority
D)childhood sexual abuse...sexual fantasies during childhood

Question 70

According to Freud,people have a psychosexual energy,which he called

A)catharsis.
B)libido.
C)superego.
D)ego.

Question 71

How would Sigmund Freud explain why someone eats,drinks,or smokes too much?

A)The person has a strong id and a weak superego.
B)The person has a very high level of libido.
C)The person is engaging in projection and rationalization.
D)The person had a fixation during the oral stage.

Question 72

Sigmund Freud based his theories mainly on what kind of evidence?

A)surveys of other psychiatrists
B)his inferences from his patients' dreams and self-reports
C)double-blind experiments
D)careful observations of preschool children

Question 73

Early in Freud's career,he changed his theory about whether psychological disorders were due to

A)sexual abuse or sexual fantasies during childhood.
B)adult experiences or childhood experiences.
C)forces of the id or forces of the ego.
D)striving for superiority or sex.

Question 74

According to Freud,libido is FIRST focused on the sensations that an infant feels in their

A)mouth.
B)genitals.
C)anal sphincter.
D)penis.

Question 75

According to Freud,we go through stages of sexual development in the following order:

A)latent,anal,oral,genital,phallic
B)anal,oral,latent,genital,phallic
C)oral,anal,phallic,latent,genital
D)oral,latent,anal,phallic,genital

Question 76

In Freud's terms,blockage of normal sexual development at some stage is called

A)repression.
B)fixation.
C)sublimation.
D)catharsis.

Question 77

Initially,Freud argued that psychological disorders were the product of early sexual abuse.Later he said they were the product of fantasies of early sexual abuse.What evidence did he have for these theories?

A)At first his patients told him they had been sexually abused.Later they admitted that their previous reports were fantasies.
B)At first his patients told him they had been sexually abused.Later Freud interviewed the alleged abusers and believed they were innocent.
C)Both theories were Freud's inferences or guesses,in attempts to make sense of his patients' dreams and other experiences.
D)Freud conducted surveys and other research;his later theories were based on improved statistical analyses.

Question 78

Early in his career,Sigmund Freud changed his position with regard to

A)whether psychological problems stem from early sexual abuse or fantasies about early sexual abuse.
B)whether the primary human motivation is sex or striving for superiority.
C)how many stages of sexual development are normal during childhood development.
D)the probable brain locations of the id,ego,and superego.

Question 79

Sigmund Freud based his theories mainly on

A)the results of scientific experiments.
B)observations of how people behave in natural settings.
C)what his patients told him about their early sexual experiences.
D)what he inferred must have happened in his patients' early experience.

Question 80

According to Freud's original theory,the reason for psychological disturbances was __________.Later he changed his theory and said that the reason was __________.

A)fixation at an early stage of psychosexual development...inadequate methods of striving for superiority
B)inadequate methods of striving for superiority...fixation at an early stage of psychosexual development
C)childhood sexual abuse...sexual fantasies during childhood
D)childhood sexual fantasies...childhood sexual abuse