Contemporary Personality Theories
Practice Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores major contemporary theories of personality, emphasizing developments from the late 20th century to the present. Students will examine cognitive, social-cognitive, humanistic, biological, trait, and psychodynamic perspectives, with a focus on empirical research, assessment techniques, and the integration of cultural and contextual factors. Through the analysis of case studies and current debates, learners will critically evaluate how these theories explain personality development, individual differences, and adjustment in an increasingly complex world. The course also encourages application of theoretical concepts to real-life situations and personal self-reflection.
Recommended Textbook
Theories of Personality Understanding Persons 6th Edition by Susan C. Cloninger
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17 Chapters
2036 Verified Questions
2036 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Personality Theory
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146 Verified Questions
146 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Theories that apply to only a narrow range of behavior are not
A) comprehensive.
B) refutable.
C) scientific.
D) empirically verifiable.
Answer: A
Q2) Case studies and psychobiography are examples of the __________ approach.
A) idiographic
B) eclectic
C) nomothetic
D) correlational
Answer: A
Q3) Personality psychologists, unlike clinical psychologists, are not concerned with adaptation and adjustment.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Freud: Classical Psychoanalysis
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144 Verified Questions
144 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The conscious mind is
A) the major component of the personality (according to Freud).
B) experience of which we have awareness.
C) expressed in dreams.
D) repressed.
Answer: B
Q2) "Let me introduce today's topic, psychoanalysis, developed by Dr. FRAUD," says the instructor. This error illustrates a A) countertransference.
B) conversion hysteria.
C) Freudian slip.
D) cathexis.
Answer: C
Q3) As the infant develops from the oral erotic to the oral sadistic phase, he or she becomes increasingly passive.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Jung: Analytical Psychology
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133 Verified Questions
133 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) People whose psychic energy tends to "flow outward" toward external reality are __________ types.
A) feeling
B) sensation
C) intuitive
D) extraverted
Answer: D
Q2) Jung suggested that personality growth would be improved if people would focus consistently on conscious experience.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) According to Jung, the relationship between the conscious and unconscious aspects of personality is best understood as A) inflation.
B) conflict.
C) repression.
D) compensation.
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Adler: Individual Psychology
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How do parents contribute to their children's personality development, according to Adler? What parental behaviors does he warn against?
Q2) Organ inferiority, the aggressive drive, masculine protest, superiority striving, and perfection striving are
A) stages that occur, one after the other, in the development of normal personality.
B) stages that occur, one after the other, in the development of unhealthy personality.
C) stages in the development of Adler's thinking about personality.
D) various diagnostic categories.
Q3) Research consistently supports Adler's claim that the second-born child is most favorable.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the disagreement between Adler and Freud about the importance of the unconscious.
Q5) Adler thought that Freud had underestimated the importance of repression. A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Erikson: Psychosocial Development
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124 Verified Questions
124 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research on generativity has found that young adults whom are not yet parents
A) are higher on generativity than people that have children.
B) have a strong attachment to pets, which may be a way of practicing their generativity potential.
C) often become authoritarian-style parents if they have children at a young age.
D) have low levels of ego integrity.
Q2) Erikson's theory describes the attainment of __________ in old age.
A) financial security
B) love
C) generativity
D) wisdom
Q3) According to Erikson's theory, adolescents are especially vulnerable to developing a sense of
A) identity confusion.
B) inferiority.
C) shame.
D) despair.
Q4) What ideas does Erikson contribute to the understanding of racial conflicts?
Q5) Describe the process of identity formation for members of a cultural minority.
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Chapter 6: Horney and Relational Theory: Interpersonal
Psychoanalytic
Theory
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140 Verified Questions
140 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In response to Freud's assertion that women experience penis envy, Horney replied that
A) men also experience penis envy.
B) women outgrow penis envy when they get married.
C) men experience breast envy.
D) men experience womb envy.
Q2) Horney's four major adjustment strategies, when followed conscientiously, eliminate neurosis.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Horney used the term __________ to refer to projection of inner conflicts onto the outside world.
A) detachment
B) transference
C) moving away
D) externalization
Q4) A "moving away" type person uses the major adjustment strategy of detachment.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List and describe Horney's three interpersonal orientations.
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Chapter 7: Allport: Personological Trait Theory
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124 Verified Questions
124 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Allport defined personality as "the __________ within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to the environment."
A) development
B) dynamic organization
C) nurturance
D) existence
Q2) According to Allport, personality traits should be abandoned as theoretical concepts because of circular reasoning.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to Allport, the study of prejudice should primarily emphasize
A) the social conditions in which people live.
B) economic conflict among people.
C) early messages taught to children.
D) individual personality.
Q4) Discuss Mother Teresa in the context of Allport's theories of personality. What were her cardinal and central traits? What was her religious orientation?
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Chapter 8: Two Factor Analytic Trait Theories: Cattells 16
Factors and the Big Five
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134 Verified Questions
134 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Cattell maintained that since his second-order factors were similar to the Big 5 factors, they were as useful in predicting behavior as his 16 primary factors.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Cattell defined personality as that which permits A) adaptation to the social world.
B) becoming all that we have the potential to become.
C) the prediction of behavior.
D) self-esteem and the respect of others.
Q3) Factor analysis is used to
A) determine how much of personality is caused by heredity.
B) determine whether intervention programs are effective.
C) simplify a large data set with many variables.
D) determine whether a computer program has any bugs.
Q4) Scores on the 16PF can be simplified to fewer factors by a technique called A) correlation.
B) first-order factor analysis.
C) second-order factor analysis. D) MAVA.
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Chapter 9: Biological Theories: Evolution, Genetics, and Biological
Factor Theories
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165 Verified Questions
165 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Gray's theory, extraverts and introverts respond differently to A) reward but not punishment.
B) punishment but not reward.
C) both reward and punishment.
D) neither reward nor punishment.
Q2) According to the text, the communication of _______ make social living possible.
A) Social norms
B) Emotions
C) Altruism
D) Empathy
Q3) Describe the implications of Pavlov's conditioning studies for human personality.
Q4) Many dimensions of personality have been shown to be influenced by genetics.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Eysenck's three factors of personality are theorized to be caused by A) biology.
B) early experience.
C) patterns of thinking.
D) learning throughout life.
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Chapter 10: The Challenge of Behaviorism: Dollard and Miller,
Skinner, and
Staats
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183 Verified Questions
183 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the first stage of development, Dollard and Miller described conflicts over A) talking back.
B) feeding.
C) toilet training.
D) masturbation.
Q2) The act-frequency approach is used to assess personality from a behavioral perspective.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Desirable behavior can be increased by using A) primary reinforcers.
B) secondary reinforcers.
C) schedules of reinforcement.
D) all of the above
Q4) In addition to Freud's first three psychosexual stages, Dollard and Miller described a fourth stage, concerned with conflict over A) anger.
B) sex roles.
C) siblings.
D) playmates.
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Chapter 11: Kelly: Personal Construct Theory
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117 Verified Questions
117 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Kelly, we make choices in life in order to
A) reduce tension.
B) increase pleasure.
C) increase the predictability of events.
D) improve our reputation in other people's eyes.
Q2) The last step of the C-P-C cycle involves taking action.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Kelly understood differences between individuals as due to
A) different early experience.
B) different personal constructs.
C) heredity.
D) misunderstandings by researchers.
Q4) According to Kelly, all constructs have __________ pole(s).
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) many
Q5) Describe cognitive complexity. How is it measured? How does it influence behavior?
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Chapter 12: Mischel: Traits in Cognitive Social Learning Theory
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49 Verified Questions
49 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which behavior best illustrates Mischel's concept of self-regulatory systems and plans?
A) getting an A on a test
B) setting a goal of writing 2 pages a day until a major paper is done
C) going out partying with friends
D) believing that you can pass a test
Q2) If I have confidence that I can do something, I have a high self-efficacy expectancy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to Mischel and his colleagues, the effect of traits on behavior depends upon
A) the person.
B) the time of day.
C) the situation.
D) the observer.
Q4) Describe Mischel's research on the delay of gratification. List some of his important findings.
Q5) Summarize the trait controversy and Mischel's role in it.
Q6) Explain the term "consistency paradox."
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Chapter 13: Bandura: Performance in Cognitive Social Learning Theory
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69 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most important determinant of therapeutic effectiveness, according to Bandura, is the development of A) insight.
B) self-efficacy.
C) identification.
D) motivation.
Q2) Optimism is
A) similar to efficacy in its effects on behavior.
B) the opposite of efficacy in its effects on behavior.
C) immature and unhealthy.
D) an early form of efficacy.
Q3) The term "retention process" refers to A) noticing a model.
B) remembering what a model has done.
C) doing what a model has done.
D) deciding whether it is worthwhile to behave as a model has done.
Q4) Summarize Bandura's research on modeling. List some of his important findings. Explain the relevance of this research for personality development.
15
Q5) Describe the contributions of cognitive social learning theory to psychotherapy.
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Chapter 14: Rogers: Person-Centered Theory
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113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe research on the process of psychotherapy, that is, on therapists' behavior when then they are practicing client-centered therapy.
Q2) Most people find Rogers's theory very pessimistic.
A)True B)False
Q3) Rogers suggested that people not trust their inner experience too much, but rather evaluate it rationally.
A)True B)False
Q4) How parents interact with their preschool children is related to the creativity of the children years later, in adolescence.
A)True B)False
Q5) Rogers encouraged parents to set high standards for their children's behavior. A)True B)False
Page 16
Q6) Describe research testing the effectiveness of client-centered therapy.
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Chapter 15: Maslow and His Legacy: Need Hierarchy Theory and Positive Psychology
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107 Verified Questions
107 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Self-actualization, as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory, does not correlate with other measures of mental health or adjustment.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In order of their emergence, the needs in Maslow's hierarchy are
A) physiological, safety, esteem, love, self-actualization.
B) physiological, esteem, safety, love, self-actualization.
C) physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualization.
D) safety, physiological, love, esteem, self-actualization.
Q3) Which of the following is characteristic of self-actualized people, according to Maslow?
A) close interpersonal relationships with many people
B) conformity to standards of their peer group
C) self-centeredness
D) creativity
Q4) Maslow preferred to speak of "human diminution or stunting" instead of "psychological illness."
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Buddhist Psychology: Lessons From Eastern Culture
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122 Verified Questions
122 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Buddhist way to deal with suffering is to A) allow into consciousness
B) feel sorry for oneself
C) avoid the pain.
D) continually push it aside.
Q2) The Dalai Lama has achieved a higher stage of consciousness by following the Eightfold path. Buddhists call this status
A) enlightenment.
B) actualization.
C) self-actualization.
D) ego-integrity.
Q3) Which empirical practice does Buddhism rely the most on?
A) experimental designs
B) correlational designs
C) factor analysis
D) self-observation
Q4) Buddhism's concept of aggression is similar to Horney's concept of moving against.
A)True
B)False
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Conclusion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Pluralism is an approach that A) respects the integrity of various theories, which are allowed to coexist.
B) attempts to unite various theories into a unified whole. C) combines the best of various theories, without making a systematic whole.
D) selects the one best theory and rejects the rest.
Q2) Explain the various ways one can deal with theoretical diversity, including eclecticism, pluralism, and the search for a unified theory.
Q3) Cognitive theories are most closely associated with the __________ metaphor. A) information processing B) emergent self
C) mechanistic
D) organic
Q4) A pluralistic perspective attempts to combine diverse theories into one unified, systematic whole.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List and describe three metaphors that have been applied to personality.
Q6) Explain the term "paradigm." How does a paradigm influence research?
Page 19
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