Exam 14: Theories of Personality

What is the "Barnum effect"? Why is it important to understand the Barnum effect when evaluating the validity of personality profiles? Describe three ways that a person can avoid being taken in by the Barnum effect.

Members of collectivist cultures:

What does the empirical evidence show about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator's ability to predict a person's behavior on the job or in relationships?

One way the genetic contribution to personality can be explored is by studying the temperaments of human infants and children.

In the object-relations view of development:

One example of the lasting influence of the humanist psychologists is the interest of many contemporary psychologists in studying:

In a cross-cultural study of children's altruism, researchers found that the least altruistic children were from _______________.

As an infant, Melanie would lie in her crib without fussing and would rarely cry. As a toddler, she was curious and fairly extroverted. Melanie would most likely be classified as a ___________ child.

_______________, one of the oldest theories of personality, was very influential and still appeals to some psychologists today.

A patient confides his homosexual orientation to his psychoanalyst. If the psychoanalyst shares the opinions of Sigmund Freud, he will view this sexual orientation as:

For Rollo May, our personalities reflect:

In psychoanalysis, which component of personality is present at birth and is the reservoir of unconscious psychological energy and the motives to avoid pain and obtain pleasure?

Objective tests are standardized questionnaires that require written responses.

To object-relations theorists, the central problem in life is to find a balance between the need for independence and the need for others.

In behavioral genetic research, _______________ includes the family background in which you grew up and the experiences you shared with your siblings and parents.

Stan and Olga are siblings who were both abused by their father when they were young. Stan considers himself a victim, whereas Olga thinks of her life as a story of survival. According to a relatively new theory of personality, the main difference between Stan and Olga is:

Abraham Maslow suggested that the most important personality traits were the "Big Five."

In collectivist cultures, group harmony takes precedence over the wishes of the individual.

Critics of psychodynamic theories argue that these theories are guilty of three scientific failings. Name the failings discussed in your textbook and then share your personal reaction to psychodynamic theory and its critics.

_______________ is defined as a distinctive and relatively stable pattern of behaviors, thoughts, motives, and emotions that characterizes an individual.