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TASPsychologyQuick questions
Unit 4: Social and Developmental Psychology
Quick questions on Theories of Personality - TCE Psychology (Tasmania)
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What is humanist theory?Show answer
The humanist approach rejects determinism and stresses free will, growth and the drive toward self-actualisation, realising one's full potential. Abraham Maslow placed self-actualisation at the top of a hierarchy of needs, reachable only after physiological, safety, belonging and esteem needs are met. Carl Rogers emphasised the self-concept and argued that a healthy personality develops when a person receives unconditional positive regard and the self-concept matches the ideal self (congruence). Conditions of worth and incongruence, by contrast, undermine wellbeing.
What is trait theory?Show answer
Trait theories describe personality as a set of stable dimensions on which people differ. Hans Eysenck proposed a small set of biologically based dimensions, extraversion and neuroticism (later adding psychoticism), and linked extraversion to differences in cortical arousal. The widely used Big Five (or OCEAN) model identifies five broad traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Trait theories are good at describing and measuring personality but are often criticised for describing rather than explaining how traits arise.
What is social-cognitive theory?Show answer
Albert Bandura's social-cognitive theory bridges behaviourism and cognition. Personality emerges from the interaction of the person, their behaviour and the environment, a process he called reciprocal determinism. Central to it is self-efficacy, a person's belief in their ability to succeed at a task, which shapes the challenges they attempt and how they respond to setbacks. This approach stresses that thinking and the situation, not just traits or unconscious drives, shape consistent behaviour.
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