Personality helps explain why people tend to think, feel, and behave in characteristic ways. This lesson introduces the meaning of personality and follows key historical attempts to explain individual differences.
Personality refers to the long-standing traits and patterns that propel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in particular ways. It is part of what makes each person unique. A person’s personality includes an idiosyncratic pattern of enduring characteristics and a characteristic way of interacting with other people and the world.
All flashcards
What is personality?
Personality is the relatively enduring pattern of traits and characteristics that influences how a person consistently thinks, feels, behaves, and interacts with the world.
What were Hippocrates's four temperaments?
They were choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic. Hippocrates connected each temperament to one of four bodily humors.
How did Wundt organize temperament?
Wundt proposed two axes: emotional versus nonemotional, and changeable versus unchangeable. The axes offered an alternative to sorting people only into four separate types.
What was phrenology, and why was it rejected?
Phrenology was Gall's proposal that skull bumps and measurements revealed personality traits and mental abilities. It was rejected because it lacked empirical support and is now considered pseudoscience.
What did neo-Freudians emphasize?
Neo-Freudians generally agreed that childhood experiences matter, but placed less emphasis on sex than Freud and gave greater importance to social environments and culture.
Quiz questions
What does personality refer to?Answer: Relatively stable patterns shaping thought, feeling, and behavior.
What did the ancient theatrical word persona refer to?Answer: An actor's mask used to project a character.
Which temperament did Hippocrates associate with optimism and eagerness?Answer: The sanguine temperament.
Why is phrenology considered a pseudoscience?Answer: Its skull-based claims lacked reliable empirical support.
How did neo-Freudians generally differ from Freud?Answer: They kept childhood's role but stressed social and cultural influences more.
Based on Psychology 2e by Rose M. Spielman, William J. Jenkins, Marilyn D. Lovett (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.