John always wears a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. He is a heavy beer drinker, fiercely patriotic, and is friendly with everyone. How can we easily sum up John's characteristics?
A. They are defense mechanisms.
B. They are parts of his self-concept.
C. They
C. They are parts of his personality.
Modern personality researchers typically focus on:
A. the unconscious processes of eros and thanatos.
B. the instincts that underlie personality traits.
C. prior events and anticipated events that may shape personality.
D. the cognitive processes of the m
C. prior events and anticipated events that may shape personality.
A psychologist who studies personality may ask people to discuss events in their childhood and may also ask them how they might respond to a hypothetical event. Why?
A. The psychologist is looking for the existence of defense mechanisms.
B. All personalit
C. An understanding of prior and anticipated events is crucial to explaining personality.
The two major kinds of measures used by psychologists to measure personality are:
A. naturalistic observations and projective techniques.
B. the MMPI and the TAT.
C. personality inventories and naturalistic observations.
D. personality inventories and pro
D. personality inventories and projective techniques.
The Rorschach Inkblot Test is an example of:
A. an intelligence test.
B. a self-report.
C. the MMPI-2-RF.
D. a projective technique.
D. a projective technique.
What characteristic do the Thematic Apperception Test and the Rorschach Inkblot Test have in common?
A. They are both highly reliable.
B. They are both considered to be highly valid.
C. They are standard tests of personality.
D. They are neither reliable
D. They are neither reliable nor valid in predicting behavior.
Which statement regarding the trait approach to personality is true?
A. Traits are only evident in specific stages of life.
B. Traits change rapidly depending on circumstances.
C. Traits are relatively consistent across a variety of settings.
D. Traits ar
C. Traits are relatively consistent across a variety of settings.
Studies of personality and sex have shown that:
A. on average, women are more extraverted than men.
B. women are, on average, more open to new ideas than men.
C. sex drives are higher for men than for women.
D. there are no reliable personality difference
A. on average, women are more extraverted than men.
Research has demonstrated that introverts typically respond _____ to stimuli as compared to extraverts.
A. more strongly
B. about the same
C. slightly less
D. significantly less
A. more strongly
According to the psychodynamic approach, activities such as football and dancing are a form of _____ and allow unconscious wishes and desires to be transformed into socially acceptable behaviors.
A. sublimation
B. reaction formation
C. repression
D. ident
A. sublimation
Tinisha's boss is loud and obnoxious, so she dislikes him. Yet Tinisha finds herself becoming louder and more obnoxious as time goes by. Tinisha may be engaging in the defense mechanism known as:
A. rationalization.
B. identification.
C. sublimation.
D. r
B. identification.
According to Freud, fixations occur throughout the psychosexual stages due to:
A. deprivation of pleasurable experiences associated with each stage.
B. overindulgence in pleasurable experiences at a given stage.
C. either deprivation or overindulgence in
C. either deprivation or overindulgence in pleasurable experiences at a given stage.
According to the humanistic approach, the last need humans pursue is that of:
A. safety.
B. hunger.
C. self-actualization.
D. intimacy.
C. self-actualization.
The _____ is pivotal for personality according to the humanistic approach.
A. self-actualization tendency
B. genetic predisposition tendency
C. unconscious morality principle
D. locus of control one has
A. self-actualization tendency
Xing is starting a new job and beginning a volunteer experience at a homeless shelter. If the sum of these demands is matched to her ability, Xing should experience what humanist theorists describe as:
A. self-actualization.
B. anxiety.
C. boredom.
D. flo
D. flow.
Anthony is nice to you in class but rude to you in the dining hall. This situation provides an example of the _____ controversy.
A. interpersonal
B. person-situation
C. hunger-deprivation
D. context-dependent
B. person-situation
According to the work of Mischel, what is the relationship between traits and behavior?
A. They are not related.
B. They are somewhat correlated.
C. They are strongly correlated.
D. They are perfectly correlated.
B. They are somewhat correlated.
Personal constructs are:
A. the unconscious expectations cast onto situations by different people.
B. art projects undertaken by the mentally challenged.
C. dimensions people use in making sense of their experiences.
D. a nativist approach to the sense of
C. dimensions people use in making sense of their experiences.
_____ refers to our knowledge of ourselves, while _____ refers to whether we like ourselves.
A. Self-esteem; self-concept
B. Self-concept; self-esteem
C. Self-concept; narcissism
D. Self-concept; self-verification
B. Self-concept; self-esteem
Our self-esteem is more likely to be influenced by something in a domain that is ____ to us rather by a domain that is _____ to us.
A. novel; familiar
B. familiar; novel
C. unimportant; important
D. important; unimportant
D. important; unimportant
_____ is the human tendency to take credit for one's successes and downplay one's role in losses.
A. The self-serving bias
B. Low self-esteem
C. Narcissism
D. Self-verification
A. The self-serving bias
The _____ involves more than 300 descriptive statements that individuals answer with either "true," "false," or "cannot say."
A. Rorschach
B. TAT
C. MMPI-2-RF
D. BDI
C. MMPI-2-RF
What is a drawback of personality inventories?
A. People may not know themselves well enough to accurately report certain factors.
B. Psychologists do not believe personality inventories are valid.
C. Many people cannot understand what the inventories are
A. People may not know themselves well enough to accurately report certain factors.
How well-supported are projective personality tests by research?
A. very well supported
B. somewhat well supported
C. not well supported
D. it depends on the test
C. not well supported
_____ is a computational method that can help researchers identify core traits of personality.
A. A one-way ANOVA
B. Factor analysis
C. Multidimensional scaling
D. Mapping
B. Factor analysis
In a _____, "moody" and "anxious" may be associated with the trait of neuroticism.
A. personality structure
B. factor analysis
C. projective test
D. trait hierarchy
D. trait hierarchy
In research on judging personality traits of people based on some superficial cues, participants could:
A. guess others' personality traits with high accuracy.
B. guess others' personality traits with moderate accuracy.
C. not accurately guess others' per
A. guess others' personality traits with high accuracy.
Which component of the mind did Freud describe as operating according to the pleasure principle, serving as the source of bodily needs, drives, desires, and impulses?
A. the ego
B. the superego
C. the id
D. consciousness
C. the id
In the Freudian unconscious, the _____ is responsible for balancing out the conflicts between the _____.
A. ego; id and superego
B. id; ego and superego
C. superego; id and ego
D. id; ego and itself
A. ego; id and superego
Tyra is very afraid of letting people get close to her. She breaks up with her boyfriend because she says he is afraid of intimacy. Which defense mechanism may Tyra be using?
A. sublimation
B. identification
C. projection
D. displacement
C. projection
Cara has taken on new responsibilities at work while adopting a child and getting married. If these challenges are greater than her abilities, she will experience _____ according to humanistic theorists.
A. self-actualization
B. anxiety
C. boredom
D. phys
B. anxiety
The _____ approach views personality as a result of our individual choices and decisions in the context of the realities of life and death.
A. trait
B. psychodynamic
C. humanistic
D. existential
D. existential
_____ are the differences in the way situations are interpreted by different people.
A. Person-situation controversies
B. Social cognitive approaches
C. Mental intra-selective experiences
D. Personal constructs
D. Personal constructs
Rotter would describe people who believe they are in control of their own destiny as having a(n):
A. strong self-control.
B. internal locus of control.
C. external locus of control.
D. poor self-control.
B. internal locus of control.
When you answer the question, "Who are you?" you will probably describe your:
A. self-esteem.
B. name.
C. values.
D. self-concept.
D. self-concept.
Individuals with _____ are more likely to develop eating disorders.
A. low self-esteem
B. poor self-concept
C. high self-esteem
D. good self-concept
A. low self-esteem
According to psychodynamic theory, _____ helps to relieve our anxiety about death.
A. egotism
B. oral fixation
C. high self-esteem
D. narcissism
C. high self-esteem
Since projective tests are based on _____, they are a controversial practice in psychology.
A. the interpretation of the scorer
B. the interpretation of the responder
C. implicit measures of personality
D. physiological responses
A. the interpretation of the scorer
Friendly, flirtatious, aggressive, and domineering are all:
A. subconscious desires.
B. personality traits.
C. thought patterns.
D. physiological states.
B. personality traits.
According to Eysenck, there are _____ major factors of personality: _____.
A. five; conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion.
B. three; conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion.
C. two; introversion/extraversion
C. two; introversion/extraversion and neuroticism/emotional stability.
According to Freud, the _____ is where hidden instincts, memories, and desires are located,.
A. id
B. ego
C. superego
D. dynamic unconscious
D. dynamic unconscious
You have had a very bad day. Your car broke down, you received a low grade on an exam, and you spilled ketchup on your white shirt. When you get home and see dirty dishes in the sink, you start yelling at your roommate. Which defense mechanism may you be
B. displacement
As a reaction to Freud's psychosexual theory and its dark view of human nature, humanistic psychologists focused on how humans _____, leading to personality development.
A. respond to their environment
B. form plans
C. make healthy choices
D. deal with co
C. make healthy choices
According to humanists such as Maslow, in order to try and find meaning in life and strive toward self-actualization, one must first:
A. silence the id.
B. satisfy basic physiological and safety needs.
C. accept death as part of life.
D. resolve anxiety f
B. satisfy basic physiological and safety needs.
According to existential thinkers, drug abuse, compulsive web browsing, and excessive television watching may all serve what purpose?
A. enriching life
B. demonstrating how painful life is
C. numbing the mind to existential reality
D. providing entertainm
C. numbing the mind to existential reality
What is essential in order to predict someone's behavior?
A. One must know something about the person's personality and situation.
B. One must know something about the person's personality.
C. One must know something about the person's situation.
D. One m
A. One must know something about the person's personality and situation.
A person's assumptions about the likely consequences of a future behavior are called:
A. responsible behavior.
B. irresponsible behavior.
C. outcome expectancies.
D. Gestalt learning tools.
C. outcome expectancies.
Based on your standing in the most recent Winter Olympics, you are the second-best cross country skier in the world. If you compare yourself to the gold medal winner, your self-esteem will probably _____, and it may _____ if you compare yourself to everyo
D. decrease; increase
When you ask your friends to tell you their favorite number, they tell you the number of the house where they grew up, demonstrating:
A. self-esteem.
B. narcissism.
C. self-concept.
D. implicit egotism.
D. implicit egotism.
A psychologist asks Sharon to agree or disagree with statements such as "I'll try anything once" and "I like a lot of variety in my workday." Sharon is completing a(n) _____ personality measure.
A. observational
B. self-report
C. projective
D. descriptive
B. self-report
The Rorschach Inkblot test and Thematic Apperception Test are both:
A. explicit measures of personality.
B. personality surveys.
C. personality self-reports.
D. projective techniques.
D. projective techniques.
With respect to similarity of personality, twins who grow up apart are _____ those raised together.
A. somewhat less similar than
B. drastically less similar than
C. at least as similar as
D. much more similar than
C. at least as similar as
Which statement is false?
A. Nonhuman animals do not have personalities.
B. Nonhuman animals seem to have many personality traits that are similar to human traits.
C. Octopi have demonstrated traits like neuroticism and extraversion.
D. Research suggestin
A. Nonhuman animals do not have personalities.
Which description is most appropriate for people with highly reactive behavioral activation systems?
A. introverted
B. extraverted
C. psychologically ill
D. depressed
B. extraverted
According to the psychodynamic model, if a child never had anyone tell him what was right and wrong, he would never develop a(n) _____ and his unconscious mind would be underdeveloped.
A. id
B. ego
C. superego
D. dynamic unconscious
C. superego
According to Freud, _____ are useful because they help people to overcome anxiety.
A. defense mechanisms
B. personality traits
C. the id, ego, and superego
D. drugs
A. defense mechanisms
According to existentialists, when do we think about profound concepts related to life and death?
A. all the time on a moment-to-moment basis
B. on a day-to-day basis during our daily routines
C. only occasionally, while dealing with feelings of anxiety t
C. only occasionally, while dealing with feelings of anxiety through superficial means
Researchers taking the social cognitive approach focus on:
A. how people think about situations and their environments.
B. only the psychological "black box" studied by behaviorists.
C. the genetic factors that determine personality.
D. a lifestyle of bot
A. how people think about situations and their environments.
Juan studies hard so that he can do well on his exam. His roommate Donato figures it doesn't really matter because the teacher doesn't like him and will give him a poor grade regardless. Rotter would describe Juan as _____ and Donato as _____ .
A. having
C. being internally controlled; being externally controlled
Humans develop the ability to recognize themselves in mirrors starting at around age:
A. 9 months.
B. 12 months.
C. 18 months.
D. 36 months.
C. 18 months.
How can psychologists measure personality?
A. by following a person and making naturalistic observations about her experiences
B. by asking individuals how well a series of statements reflect their own behavior or thoughts
C. by using ambiguous stimuli th
D. by using observation, self-reports, and/or projective techniques
Most researchers using factor analysis agree that _____ are the core traits of personality.
A. conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion
B. anger, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise
C. orderliness, happine
A. conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion
Robin tells you that he is a completely different person than he used to be. According to what you know about the five-factor theory of personality, is this the case?
A. Yes, because personality changes throughout the life span.
B. Yes, because personalit
D. No, because personality remains relatively constant throughout the life span.
According to Freud, the dynamics of interactions between the id, ego, and superego are largely governed by _____.
A. anxiety
B. desire
C. happiness
D. contentment
A. anxiety
What is the sequence of Freud's psychosexual stages of personality development?
A. oral, phallic, anal, latency, genital
B. oral, genital, anal, phallic, latency
C. oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
D. oral, anal, phallic, genital, latency
C. oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
According to the work of Mischel, what do we learn when we know how a person will behave in one situation?
A. It will be unhelpful in predicting that person's behavior in another situation.
B. It will not be particularly helpful in predicting that person'
B. It will not be particularly helpful in predicting that person's behavior in another situation.
On a job interview, when Mary Eileen is asked to describe herself, she goes into detail about her earliest memories and favorite places she visited as a child. Although this is a description of herself, this type of _____ is probably not what the intervie
B. self-narrative
What does your agreement or disagreement with the statement, "On the whole, I am satisfied with myself," indicate?
A. your self-esteem
B. your self-concept
C. your personality type
D. your locus of control
A. your self-esteem
The newest direction in personality research is:
A. psychophysiological measurement.
B. personality inventories.
C. projective tests.
D. real-time data collection and analysis.
D. real-time data collection and analysis.
The five-factor model of personality is _____ in that it _____ across cultures and language.
A. singular; varies
B. dualistic; varies
C. universal; remains constant
D. culturally specific; remains constant
C. universal; remains constant
Simone is very interested in his neighbor Sally but has anxiety about his attraction to her because his friends would not approve. Every time he sees her he acts very rude and says mean things to her despite his intense attraction to her. This is an examp
B. reaction formation
Unlike the behavioral approach, social cognitive personality researchers believe that the _____ of the environment influences personality.
A. reinforcers
B. punishers
C. interpretation
D. context
C. interpretation
Which factor serves as a source for one's self-esteem?
A. one's hair color
B. one's comparison group
C. one's intelligence level
D. one's height
B. one's comparison group
According to the self-serving bias, if Luigi gets 100 percent correct on Dr. Bower's statistics exam, he is likely to say:
A. "I am really smart."
B. "I got lucky."
C. "The test was too easy."
D. "Dr. Bower must really like me.
A. "I am really smart.