Name: Payal Chhangani

Prn: 1172220259
Course: FA MA Psychology

1.How does culture affect Personality?

Ans - The culture in which you live is one of the most important environmental factors that shapes
your personality. Western ideas about personality may not be applicable to other cultures. In fact,
there is evidence that the strength of personality traits varies across cultures. Individualist cultures
and collectivist cultures place emphasis on different basic values. People who live in individualist
cultures tend to believe that independence, competition, and personal achievement are important.
People who live in collectivist cultures value social harmony, respectfulness, and group needs over
individual needs.

2. How does Trait theory differ from other theories of personality?

Ans - The essential difference between the trait theory and type theory is this: type theory views
characteristics of people as discrete categories whereas trait theory views these same characteristics
as part of a larger continuum. For example, where a type theorist would claim that introverts and
extroverts are two types of people, a trait theorist would claim there is a gradient leading from
introversion to extroversion and it is possible for individuals to fall somewhere in the middle.

3. List the differences between Humanistic and Psychodynamic theories of personality.

Ans-The underlying principles of psychodynamic perspective is that an individual’s “behaviour is
largely the result of unconscious processes, motivation and early experiences.” (Weston, Burton &
Kowalski, 2005, p. 25). Humanistic theory is centred around behaviour and mental process they
criticised psychoanalytic theorists of being too focussed on the unconscious mind. (Theoretical
perspectives in psychology, n.d, para. 3). Humanistic theory focuses on the positive influences of
behaviour such as uniqueness, choice, self actualisation and free will while psychodynamic focuses
on the negative influences of behaviour such as unacceptable sexual urges and deplorable thoughts.
Humanistic theory emphasises that people are born “good” and psychodynamic theory emphasises
that people are born ‘bad’ and that everything people do has a selfish motive.

4. What are the main tenets of Cattell’s theory?

Ans- According to Raymond Cattell, personality is a pattern of traits and that helps to understand his
personality and predict his behaviour. Traits are permanent and build the personality of an
individual.Surface Traits or Central Traits are the visible qualities of personality like kindness,
honesty, helpfulness, generosity, etc. On further study, he found certain traits that appeared from
time to time which indicated some deeper, more general underlying factors of personality, called as
source traits.The basic structure of the personality of a person is made up of the source traits. They
are the unifying factors of a person’s personality that inter-correlate the surface traits.

5. Describe the phenomena of personality and its contributing factors.

Ans - The word "personality" stems from the Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical mask
worn by performers to play roles or disguise their identities.Personality describes the unique
patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that distinguish a person from others. A product of
both biology and environment, it remains fairly consistent throughout life.Examples of personality
can be found in how we describe other people’s traits. For instance, “She is generous, caring, and a
bit of a perfectionist,” or “They are loyal and protective of their friends.” Heredity: This refers to the
influences on your personality that you are born with. They are in your genes and there is not much
you can do to change these traits. They can include your temperament, which helps to determine
how you react to situations and how easygoing you are. In kids, it may affect how well they get along
with others. Genetics, of course, also determines how someone looks. Environment: Our
environment is the nurturing aspect of our lives. It is the type of environment in which we live and
grow up. Environment would include home, school, work, or other places that you spend a lot of
time. Environmental factors also include such things as languages, religion, etc. Situations: These are
the experiences that each individual person goes through. The various things that people experience
will leave imprints on and help to develop his or her personality. Everything from divorce, death,
trauma, and even happy times fit into the "situations" category of shaping one's personality.

6. What characteristics fully functioning person possess?

Ans- According to the humanist psychologist Carl Rogers, a fully functioning person is one who is in
touch with their deepest and innermost feelings and desires.1 These individuals understand their
own emotions and place deep trust in their own instincts. Unconditional positive regard plays an
essential role in becoming a fully functioning person.
Characteristics of fully functional person:-
Not feeling the need to distort or deny experiences
Flexible self-concept and the ability to change through experience
Lack of defensiveness
Living in harmony with other people
Openness to experience
Openness to feedback; willing to make realistic changes
The ability to interpret experiences accurately
The ability to trust one’s experiences and form values based on those experiences
Unconditional self-regard

7. Critically examine Freud’s theory of personality.

Ans- In simple terms, Sigmund Freud’s theory suggests that human behavior is influenced by
unconscious memories, thoughts, and urges. This theory also proposes that the psyche comprises
three aspects: the id, ego, and superego. The id is entirely unconscious, while the ego operates in
the conscious mind. The superego operates both unconsciously and consciously.Sigmund Freud was
heavily criticised for his theories and focus on sex and aggression. Several critics stated that Freud
was too simplistic and repetitive in his ways and was focused on what could not be seen. He was also
regarded as not being empathetic and projecting his feelings into the theories he conceptualised. His
theories were regarded as mythical with no scientific basis, and even his disciples went on the same
path. On the other hand, using case studies and developing theories on defense mechanisms, His
theories of the ego and the expansion of his theories are still very valid.