Theories of Personality Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
Theories of Personality examines the major theoretical perspectives on human personality, including psychodynamic, trait, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, biological, and social-cultural approaches. Through critical analysis of classic and contemporary theories, students explore how personality develops, is assessed, and influences behavior across the lifespan. The course also considers the application of personality theories to real-world issues, such as mental health, relationships, and the workplace, and emphasizes the integration of empirical research with theoretical frameworks.
Recommended Textbook
Personality Psychology Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature 5th Edition by Randy Larsen
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20 Chapters
1565 Verified Questions
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Personality Psychology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The textbook presents the example of the three blind men and the elephant to suggest that
A)people are like animals in some ways and all living creatures have a personality.
B)individual and group differences are the most effective approach to studying personality.
C)each of the different approaches to personality research is inadequate for studying the full range of human personality.
D)using ancient legends is an inadequate approach to explaining the full range of differences in human personality.
Answer: C
Q2) The human nature level of personality analysis addresses how every human is A)like all others.
B)like some others.
C)like no others.
D)somewhat like other mammals.
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Personality Assessment, Measurement, and Research Design
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Sample Questions
Q1) One strength of experience-sampling data is that
A)one is able to detect rhythms over time in behavior or feelings.
B)it is easier to collect than other self-report data.
C)it is a completely objective form of self-report data.
D)it is free of biases associated with other self-report data.
Answer: A
Q2) Correlation cannot provide any information about A)significance.
B)causality.
C)directionality.
D)generalizability.
Answer: B
Q3) Which of the following has been noted as a potential problem with the Twenty Statements Test, i.e., the "Who am I?" test?
A)It can be biased by intelligence differences in participants.
B)It can show biases due to the gender of the participants.
C)It can show biases due to the participants' cultural differences.
D)It can show differences between people in adjusted and unadjusted marriages.
Answer: A
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Traits and Trait Taxonomies
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a clear advantage of Wiggins's circumplex model of personality?
A)The relationship of each and every other trait is specified in the model.
B)There is an explicit definition of the nature of interpersonal behavior.
C)It alerts researchers to gaps in knowledge about some interpersonal behaviors.
D)The relationships between traits can be traced to biological-based traits.
Answer: D
Q2) Proponents of the five factor model have not included more traits
A)as they are unwilling to go beyond five traits.
B)as additional traits lack a theoretical basis.
C)as they see the newly proposed traits as already included in the "big five."
D)as no one has suggested additional traits.
Answer: C
Q3) The primary dimensions in Wiggins's circumplex model are love and A)hate.
B)dominance.
C)interpersonal behavior.
D)neuroticism.
Answer: B
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Theoretical and Measurement Issues in Trait Psychology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The concept of aggregation suggests that traits are
A)internal causes.
B)mere descriptions.
C)average tendencies.
D)blended concepts.
Q2) The term _____ refers to making the mistake of thinking that a person was answering a questionnaire truthfully when that person was actually faking.
A)false positive
B)false negative
C)extreme responding
D)restriction of range
Q3) Mischel thought that _____ were most important in determining behavior.
A)situations
B)attitudes
C)traits
D)intellectual abilities
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Chapter 5: Personality Dispositions Over Time: Stability,
Coherence, and Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) A longitudinal study of architects that spanned 25 years found that A)successful architects scored high on independence and spontaneity scales.
B)successful architects scored high on conventionality and conservatism scales.
C)impulsivity and flexibility scale scores increased with age for successful architects.
D)successful architects had fewer health problems then less creative architects.
Q2) Freud's theory of psychosexual stages is an example of personality change at the _____ level of analysis.
A)population
B)group differences
C)individual differences
D)individual uniqueness
Q3) Which level of analysis would consider the question, "Can we predict healthy aging from personality traits?"
A)Population
B)Group differences
C)Individual differences
D)Cultural differences
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Genetics and Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) An extravert who seeks out stimulating environments in which to work demonstrates a(n) _____ genotype-environment correlation.
A)direct
B)active
C)passive
D)reactive
Q2) _____ refers to the proportion of variance in a group of individuals that can be accounted for by genetic variance.
A)Heritability
B)Phenotypic percentage of variance
C)The genome
D)Eugenics
Q3) The Human Genome Project has
A)been a large failure.
B)identified the sequence of DNA molecules in humans.
C)identified the functions of most human genes.
D)discovered that people differ widely in their particular genes.
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Chapter 7: Physiological Approaches to Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) The increase in blood pressure observed in response to stress is an indication of A)cardiovascular reactivity.
B)alpha waves.
C)skin conductance.
D)hormonal activity
Q2) Which of the following has been shown to fluctuate with a circadian rhythm?
A)Body temperature
B)Extraversion
C)Frontal asymmetry
D)Serotonin
Q3) Mike flies non-stop from San Francisco to London.He finds he has little trouble with the time change.Most likely Mike is a(n)
A)novelty-seeking type.
B)evening type.
C)extraverted type.
D)diurnal type.
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Chapter 8: Evolutionary Perspectives on Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) In some contexts two or more heritable variants evolve in a population.This is called
A)frequency-dependent selection.
B)adaptive self-assessment.
C)xenophobia.
D)the double-shot hypothesis.
Q2) _____ emerge from and interact with recurrent structures of the world in a manner that solves adaptive problems and aids in reproductive success.
A)Strategies
B)Adaptations
C)By-products
D)Dimorphisms
Q3) Women who pursue an unrestricted mating strategy prefer men _____ than women who pursue a restricted mating strategy.
A)who will invest significantly more in their children
B)who are significantly more physically attractive
C)who have a much better set of personality traits
D)who will make strong commitments to their relationship
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Chapter 9: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) The _____ is responsible for balancing the demands of reality and the other parts of the mind.
A)superego
B)ego
C)id
D)Oedipal conflict
Q2) According to Freud, dreams function to
A)reduce anxiety.
B)allow a person to release unconscious tension.
C)fulfill unconscious desires.
D)clarify preconscious thoughts.
Q3) As unconscious thoughts, feelings, and urges can take on a life of their own, Freud called this part of the mind the _____ unconscious.
A)collective
B)motivated
C)universal
D)emotional
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Chapter 10: Psychoanalytic Approaches: Contemporary Issues
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Erikson, the first developmental stage is
A)trust versus mistrust.
B)initiative versus guilt.
C)generativity versus stagnation.
D)the oral stage.
Q2) Who created the "strange situation procedure"?
A)Erikson
B)Ainsworth
C)Horney
D)Roediger
Q3) According to the object relations theory, children _____ the mother in an unconscious representation.
A)repress
B)internalize
C)fixate
D)project
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Chapter 11: Motives and Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of self-actualizing people?
A)They are spontaneous.
B)They have an affinity for solitude.
C)They are creative.
D)They are well enculturated.
Q2) According to Rogers, good parents should
A)give their children unconditional positive regard.
B)set firm expectations for their children.
C)try to self-actualize their child.
D)All of these.
Q3) Examples of esteem needs are
A)food and air.
B)shelter and security.
C)respect and achievement.
D)love and acceptance.
Q4) People high in the need for power are very concerned with
A)making an impact on other people.
B)making money.
C)altruistic acts.
D)a desire for relationships.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Cognitive Topics in Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) People who take personal responsibility for events
A)are field-independent.
B)are field-dependent.
C)have an internal locus of control.
D)have an external locus of control.
Q2) The person most associated with research on reducing/augmenting is
A)Goleman.
B)Petrie.
C)Seligman.
D)Witkin.
Q3) _____ measure(s) field dependence versus field dependence.
A)The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
B)The Rod and Frame Test (RFT)
C)The Embedded Figures Test (EFT)
D)Both the Rod and Frame Test (RFT) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT)
Q4) _____ an important aspect of the self.
A)The ways people evaluate their self-worth is
B)Social roles are
C)Identity is
D)All of these
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Emotion and Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Happiness is usually measured
A)with a polygraph.
B)with life-outcome data.
C)with self-report questionnaires.
D)in the limbic system.
Q2) People who score high on affect intensity
A)experience only negative emotions more strongly than people who score low.
B)experience more physiological arousal than people who score low.
C)experience less physiological arousal than people who score low.
D)Both A and B.
Q3) Questionnaire measures of happiness
A)correlate with measures of social desirability.
B)appear to be valid.
C)are invalid due to response bias.
D)correlate with measures of social desirability and appear to be valid.
Q4) Beck emphasized _____ in explaining depression.
A)vulnerability to negative emotions
B)activity in the limbic system
C)distortions in thoughts
D)the categorical approach to emotions
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Approaches to the Self
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Sample Questions
Q1) The way you see and define yourself is known as your A)self-esteem.
B)self-concept.
C)social identity.
D)self-esteem variability.
Q2) The self-concept begins to develop as early as A)infancy.
B)childhood.
C)adolescence.
D)adulthood.
Q3) "Possible selves" describe who we A)would like to become.
B)do not want to become.
C)think we might become.
D)All of these.
Q4) People who _____ tend to be motivated by a fear of failure.
A)have high self-esteem
B)have low self-esteem
C)are shy
D)have low self-esteem and are shy
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Personality and Social Interaction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Noccolo Machiavelli was a 16<sup>th</sup> century Italian
A)prince.
B)cardinal.
C)diplomat.
D)inventor.
Q2) A study showed that when people had to interact with a person who they expected to be a hostile person they
A)were more hostile toward the person.
B)were more accommodating towards the person.
C)acted more agreeable towards the person.
D)acted more neurotic towards the person.
Q3) Evocation is NOT demonstrated in which of the following situations?
A)When a person acts in a way that causes an emotional response in another person.
B)When a husband's actions cause a wife to behave in ways that anger her husband.
C)When a wife nags her husband to get something accomplished.
D)When a charismatic person walks into a room and a dull party becomes enjoyable.
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Chapter 16: Sex, Gender, and Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Researchers who used to view androgyny as ideal now consider _____, that is, not to use gender and sex-linkage at all in one's processing of social information, as best.
A)undifferentiated gender
B)masculinity
C)femininity
D)gender-aschematic thinking
Q2) People who score high on the tender-mindedness facet of the agreeableness trait in the five factor model of personality tend to A)lack intelligence.
B)be nurturing and empathetic.
C)have a poor grasp of reality
D)be psychologically fragile.
Q3) From an evolutionary perspective, the optimal reproductive strategy for men is to A)withhold sex until you find the perfect mate.
B)invest heavily in one mate.
C)mate indiscriminately with as many women as possible.
D)attempt to mate with a modal number of women.
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18
Chapter 17: Culture and Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a positive aspect of cross-cultural marriages?
A)Limited options in child rearing practices.
B)Ease of communication.
C)More options in gender roles.
D)Restricted cultural bonds.
Q2) The tendency to present oneself using positive attributes is know as A)acculturation.
B)an independent strategy.
C)an interdependent strategy.
D)self-enhancement.
Q3) The German word "schadenfreude" describes A)pleasure in another's misfortune.
B)grief.
C)the fifth factor of personality in Germany.
D)sadness.
Q4) Egalitarianism is associated with A)high-variance conditions.
B)low-variance conditions.
C)agricultural cultures.
D)cultures of honor.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Stress, Coping, Adjustment, and Health
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Q1) The fact that most people underestimate their risk for negative events is known as A)optimism.
B)optimistic-bias.
C)time urgency.
D)general adaptation syndrome.
Q2) It is thought that in the United States, lifestyle contributes to more than _____ percent of premature deaths.
A)10
B)30
C)50
D)90
Q3) Which of the following is NOT a component of Type A behavior pattern?
A)Competitive achievement motivation
B)Time urgency
C)Hostility
D)All of these are components of Type A.
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Chapter 19: Disorders of Personality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ron is 11 years old and enjoys nothing better then torturing snakes.He also defiantly disobeys his parents and frequently stays out almost all night.Ron most likely has _____ personality disorder.
A)schizoid
B)antisocial
C)histrionic
D)schizotypal
Q2) _____ personality disorder is thought to be the result of abuse in early childhood.
A)Obsessive-compulsive
B)Histrionic
C)Borderline
D)Dependent
Q3) The least prevalent personality disorder discussed in your text is A)antisocial.
B)borderline.
C)narcissistic.
D)schizoid.
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21
Chapter 20: Summary and Future Directions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Proponents of the evolutionary perspective on personality will continue to ask which of the following basic questions?
A)"What are the basic traits of personality?"
B)"What is the adaptive function of each psychological mechanism?"
C)"Are there sex differences in every domain of personality?"
D)"How close have evolutionary adaptations come to perfection?"
Q2) This approach to personality dispositions suggests that each person has a distinct psychological signature in terms of the specific ______ relationships between traits and dispositions.
A)temporal
B)if-then
C)cause-effect
D)yin-yang
Q3) The goal of personality psychology is to understand
A)differences between people.
B)how people behave across different cultures.
C)how people are similar to one another.
D)the whole of personality.
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