Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology Cultural Influences- Cultures differ along several important dimensions, including complexity, tightness, and individualism-collectivism, all of which can affect personality development. People from individualistic cultures tend to describe themselves in terms of personal traits, abilities, or dispositions, whereas those from collectivistic cultures are more likely to describe themselves in social identity terms. Modern Perspectives/Trait Approach- The goals of trait theorists are to describe the basic classes of behavior that define personality, to devise ways of measuring individual differences in personality traits, and to use these measures to understand and predict a person’s behavior. Personality traits are relatively stable cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of people that help establish their individual identities and distinguish them from others. Factor Analysis- Is used to identify clusters of behaviors that are highly correlated (positively or negatively) with one another, but not with behaviors in other clusters. Such behavior clusters can be viewed as reflecting a basic dimension, or trait, on which people vary. These behavioral patterns define a general factor, or dimension that we might label introversion-extraversion. The Big Five- The Big Five personality traits represent an attempt to identify traits for which scores correlate highly with each other, because they are fundamental to describing what personality is all about. Proponents of the Big Five believe that, when a person is placed at a specific point on each of these five dimensions by means of a psychological test, behavior ratings, or direct observations of behavior, the essence of his or her personality is captured. The Big Five factors are: Openness- inquiring, independent and curious behavior; Conscientiousness- dependable and self-controlled behavior; Extraversion- outgoing and socially adaptable behavior; Agreeableness- conforming, likable, and trusting behavior; and Neuroticism- anxiety and excitable behavior.

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