Activity for the book My Psychology

Instructions

Listen to the following podcast and then answer the questions that follow.

Question 1

Fill in the blank: Rochelle researches personality and believes it grows from an interaction between a person’s environment, thought processes, and social factors. She most likely adheres to the _____BLANK approach.

Choice A, psychodynamic

Choice B, five-factor

Choice C, social-cognitive

Choice D, humanistic

Question 1 SUBMIT

Question 2

If your friend says she most strongly agrees with the humanistic approach to personality, which of these ideas does she believe in most strongly?

Choice A, Personality is shaped by our environment, reinforcements, and punishments.

Choice B, Personality stems from our inherent drive to reach our human potential.

Choice C, Personality is primarily driven by the genes we inherit from our parents.

Choice D, Personality is a product of unconscious anxiety and inner conflict between aspects of our mind.

Question 2 SUBMIT

Question 3

Which of the following is true when it comes to theories of personality?

Choice A, The theories developed as reactions to one another.

Choice B, Only the humanistic theory has unequivocal support.

Choice C, These are related approaches that developed independently.

Choice D, All of the theories take a very scientific approach to explaining personality.

Question 3 SUBMIT

Question 4

You are in a work meeting and your stomach begins to growl. According to Freud’s theory of personality, which internal system encourages you to stand up and immediately leave to seek out food?

Choice A, the id

Choice B, the ego

Choice C, the superego

Choice D, the Electra complex

Question 4 SUBMIT

Question 5

What does Dr. Whitehead provide as an analogy for the different approaches to personality?

Choice A, A boxing ring with a many different boxers competing

Choice B, A museum with various different art installations

Choice C, A basketball game you can see from anywhere in the stadium

Choice D, A large tree being viewed from many different angles

Question 5 SUBMIT

Question 6

Which of the following best describes personality traits as defined by the five-factor model of personality?

Choice A, There are two categories for each factor (“high” and “low”), and you can only fall into one category.

Choice B, Each trait is measured on a continuum, and people can be near one end or somewhere in the middle for each trait.

Choice C, Personality traits remain the same regardless of a person’s situation.

Choice D, People either have a certain trait, or they do not have that trait at all.

Question 6 SUBMIT

Question 7

Which of the following is true of trait approaches to personality?

Choice A, There is no empirical support for the five dimensions of personality proposed.

Choice B, They show us who we are, but don’t explain how we got there.

Choice C, They explain how our personality developed, but not how we’ll act in different situations.

Choice D, They are more theoretical than the other three approaches.

Question 7 SUBMIT

Question 8

What anecdotal experience does Dr. Szeli offer as an example of internal locus of control?

Choice A, Students taking the initiative to ask for extra credit opportunities

Choice B, Students offering to bribe her if she is willing to change their test score

Choice C, Students seeking more detail for questions they got wrong on a test

Choice D, Students coming to her office to complain that a test was too hard or unfair

Question 8 SUBMIT

Question 9

Miguel recently took a test and did very well. His friends say he must have spent a lot of time studying, to which he replies, “I just got lucky because the test was easy.” In this case, Miguel is conveying:

Choice A, displacement.

Choice B, internal locus of control.

Choice C, neuroticism.

Choice D, external locus of control.

Question 9 SUBMIT

Question 10

How does personality develop over time?

Choice A, It tends to be stable over time, but we still have the agency (or power) to make changes.

Choice B, It is dynamic and constantly changing from childhood until young adulthood, then remains the same from young adulthood through older adulthood.

Choice C, It has fully developed by the time we reach adolescence and remains unchanging after.

Choice D, We are born with traits and cannot change them even when we actively attempt it.

Question 10 SUBMIT