Question 1

Which personality test uses True-False items and generates a profile of the test taker on 10 clinical scales?

Accepted Answer

The MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2) uses True-False items and generates a profile of the test taker on 10 clinical scales. The Rorschach Inkblot Test and TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) are projective tests that use ambiguous stimuli to assess personality.

Question 2

After losing a tennis match, which comment is a person MOST likely to make if self-serving bias is operating?

Accepted Answer

Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors and one's failures to external factors. Option C is an example of this, as the person is blaming their loss on their opponent having the advantage of playing on his home court (an external factor), rather than taking responsibility for their own performance. Options A, B, and D are examples of taking personal responsibility for the loss and do not demonstrate self-serving bias.

Question 3

Which trait dimension is one of the "Big Five" personality dimensional labels?

Accepted Answer

The "Big Five" personality dimensions include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. Therefore, the trait dimension of openness is one of the "Big Five" personality dimensional labels. Aggressiveness, effectiveness, and cheerfulness are not part of the "Big Five" personality dimensions.

Question 4

Imagine a patient who was just diagnosed with a serious illness. According to Julian Rotter, if the patient has a strong internal locus of control, what is the patient's MOST likely response to the situation?

Accepted Answer

A person with a strong internal locus of control believes that their actions and choices have a significant impact on their life outcomes. Therefore, they are more likely to take an active role in learning about their illness and taking steps to fight it.

Question 5

Inferiority complex is to basic anxiety as _____ is to _____.

Accepted Answer

Adler is associated with the concept of the inferiority complex, while Horney introduced the idea of basic anxiety.

Question 6

Which theoretical approach uses factor analysis to determine the number of factors necessary to describe human personality?

Accepted Answer

The trait approach uses factor analysis to identify and group personality characteristics into a smaller number of underlying dimensions, or traits, that can describe individual differences in personality. Other approaches may also use factor analysis, but the trait approach specifically seeks to identify and measure these traits.

Question 7

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, _____ needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy, and _____ needs are at the top.

Accepted Answer

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is arranged in a pyramid, with the most fundamental physiological and safety needs at the base and the higher-level self-actualization and self-transcendence needs at the top. Therefore, physiological needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy, including the basic needs for food, water, shelter, and sleep. On the other hand, self-actualization needs include the needs for personal growth, creativity, and fulfilling one's potential.

Question 8

Which neo-Freudian theorist proposed "striving for superiority" as the primary motivation for personality development?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Adler proposed the concept of "striving for superiority" as the primary motivation for personality development. This refers to the innate human drive to overcome feelings of inferiority and achieve a sense of competence and mastery over one's environment. Adler believed that this drive is shaped by early experiences and interactions with others and is expressed in a person's goals, values, and behaviors.

Question 9

"Self-efficacy" is the answer to which question?

Accepted Answer

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their capacity to succeed in a particular situation or accomplish a specific task. It is a sense of one's effectiveness in dealing with a particular situation. A refers to self-actualization, C refers to locus of control, and D refers to self-serving bias.

Question 10

A woman has unacceptable feelings of hatred toward her mother, but lavishes attention and love on her. Freud would say that this is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Freud would say that this is an example of reaction formation, because the woman is unconsciously expressing the opposite of her true feelings. Instead of expressing her hatred, she is demonstrating excessive love and attention.

Question 11

In Rogers's self theory, which contributes greatly to one's self-actualization?

Accepted Answer

Rogers believed that receiving unconditional positive regard (acceptance and love without conditions) from others can contribute greatly to one's self-actualization. This helps individuals feel valued, accepted, and free to express themselves authentically, which can lead to personal growth and fulfillment.

Question 12

According to Freud, the _____, the executive of the personality, is located _____.

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, the ego, the executive of the personality, is located in all three levels of awareness: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. The conscious level is where the ego is most active in managing our thoughts and behaviors, while the preconscious and unconscious levels contain memories, emotions, and impulses that the ego must also navigate. The superego, on the other hand, represents our internalized moral values and is primarily located in the unconscious.

Question 13

Which one of Eysenck's three personality factors is NOT one of the "Big Five" factors?

Accepted Answer

Eysenck's three personality factors are extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. "Openness," "agreeableness," and "conscientiousness" are three of the "Big Five" factors of personality identified by contemporary personality researchers.

Question 14

Glenn's room looks like a tornado hit it. He is incredibly messy. His car is filled with old pizza boxes, last month's newspapers, and dirty laundry. According to Freud, Glenn is MOST likely fixated at the _____ stage.

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, the anal stage occurs between the ages of 18 months and 3 years, during which children experience pleasure and focus on controlling bowel movements. The fixation at this stage can lead to traits such as being excessively orderly or excessively messy, both of which are related to issues with control and orderliness. Therefore, Glenn's messiness and lack of control over his environment suggest fixation at the anal stage.

Question 15

According to social-cognitive personality theorists, which is LEAST likely to lead to depression?

Accepted Answer

Social-cognitive personality theorists suggest that those who use a self-serving bias, or attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors, are less likely to develop depression. This is because they have a more positive outlook and are less likely to feel helpless or powerless. Low sense of self-esteem, external locus of control, and learned helplessness are all factors that can increase the risk of depression according to social-cognitive personality theorists.

Quiz 8: Section 3: Personality Theories and Assessment