Personality

• Personality definitions

  An individual’s behavioural characteristics that make him or her different from others
• Trait theory

  Personality is made up of a range of traits inherited from parental genes

  traits are behaviours that are pre-determined rather than learned

  doesn’t consider life experiences
• Extrovert

  Affiliate well to other people

  outgoing and sociable

  likes excitement

  lacks concentration

  e.g. Captain of a rugby team
• Neurotic/unstable

  displays extreme unpredictable emotions (mood swings)

  experience high degrees of stress

  e.g. not good at accuracy sports such as darts
• Introvert

  Shy and reserved

  prefers isolation

  good concentration

  solo sports e.g. darts
• Stable

  Display predictable emotions in appropriate situations

  mood I’d consistent

  dont experience intense stress

  central team player e.g. CAM in football
• Interactionist approach (3 levels)

  Psychological core

  • true self (trait theory)

  typical response

  • the way we typically respond to certain situation
  • response is learned
  • e.g. always performing a tennis serve the same

  role related behaviour

  • external personality
  • behaviour will be completely different at different times and in different situations
• Attitude definition

  Attitude is a predisposition to act in a particular way towards something or someone in a person’s environment
• triadic model

  Cognitive

  • what we believe to be true

  affective

  • feelings or emotional reactions towards an attitude

  behavioural

  • concerns how an individual behaves towards an attitude

  all components must be consistent if an attitude is stable
• Cognitive dissonance (changing attitudes)

  If two or more attitude components are opposing then the attitude will be negative

  to be comfortable once again all components must be consistent