Chapter 12 Quiz
Personality
Don’t forget to write your answers on a
separate piece of paper to grade when you’re
done!
1. Adam loved his girlfriend who dumped him,
but acts as if he’s glad to be rid of her. His
behavior most clearly illustrates which of the
following Freudian defense mechanisms?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Repression
Projection
Reaction formation
Sublimation
2. Which Freudian personality system is guided
by the reality principle?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Id
Ego
Unconscious
Superego
3. In contrast to the blank slate (tabula rasa)
view of human nature held by the
behaviorists, humanists believe humans are
born
a. Evil and instinctively selfish
b. Good and with an inner drive to reach our full
potential
c. Neutral and that personality is based on our
perceptions of reality
d. Weak and need others to find a meaning and
purpose
4. One personality trait that is thought to be
highly heritable is:
a) generosity
b) sense of humor
c) inhibition
d) diligence
5. Bertha is tall, thin, and frail. She enjoys studying
and reading science fiction novels. She prefers to
be alone rather than in a large group. According to
Sheldon’s somatotype theory of personality, she is
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
An endomorph
An ectomorph
A mesomorph
An extrovert
An introvert
6. The most commonly used personality
assessments are
a.
b.
c.
d.
Projective tests
Naturalistic observations
Structured interviews
Self-report inventories
7. Adler would not have agreed with the
importance of which of the following ideas?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Birth order
Styles of life
Striving for superiority
Womb envy
8. Roberto believes that he is the master of his
ship and in charge of his destiny. According
to Rotter’s theory of personality, Roberto has
a.
b.
c.
d.
An external orientation to the world about him
An internal locus of control
An extraverted personality
A low sense of self-efficacy
9. Mother Theresa’s altruism showed in
everything she did. According to Allport’s
trait theory, Mother Theresa’s altruism was
a. A common trait she shared with most other
religious people
b. A cardinal trait
c. One of several central traits that characterized her
exceptional life
d. Basically inherited from her father
10. Which is NOT one of the big five
personality traits?
a) honesty
b) extraversion
c) openness
d) agreeableness
11. The order of stages in psychosexual
development is
a.
b.
c.
d.
Anal, oral, phallic, genital, latency
Oral, anal, latency, phallic, genital
Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
Anal, oral, genital, latency, phallic
12. What need was Abraham Maslow expressing
when he said that “what a man can be, he
must be?”
a.
b.
c.
d.
The need for superiority
The need for unconditional love
The need to self-actualize
The need to achieve
13. According to Rogers, troublesome anxiety is
caused by
a.
b.
c.
d.
Unresolved sexual conflicts
Unconditional love
Threats to our self-concept
The use of defense mechanisms
14. American parents are LEAST likely to teach
their children to
a.
b.
c.
d.
Be self-reliant
Feel good about themselves
View themselves as special individuals
Be modest about their personal accomplishments
15. Dr. Li asks her clients to interpret
ambiguous pictures of people in various
settings. The method she is using is called
the
a) Rorschach test
b) MMPI
c) WISC
d) TAT
Chapter 12 Answer Key
1. C
2. B
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. D
7. D
8. B
9. B
10. A
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
C
C
C
D
D
Essay Question Possibilities!!

One of the following essay questions will
appear on your test, be familiar with all of
them!!
Essay Question # 1

Psychodynamic theories have been criticized
for their lack of empirical evidence and poor
testability. Are there some of Freud’s, Jung’s,
and Adler’s ideas that would be easier to test
than others? How might you go about
designing research studies to test some of these
ideas?
Essay Question # 2

How do you think an operant theorist like
Skinner would explain defense mechanisms?
Give several examples.
Essay Question # 3

On first learning about the different theoretical
perspectives on personality, many people like
the views of the humanistic theorists best.
Why do you think this is? Are these reasons
sound, scientific criteria for evaluation a
theoretical perspective on personality?
Essay Question # 4

Modern personality research tends to focus on
specific traits. Psychologists have moved
away from attempting to develop “grand
theories” of personality such as those of the
psychodynamic and humanistic theorists. Why
do you think this has occurred? Do you think
the trend toward “mini-theories” that focus on
specific personality traits is the best way to
advance our understanding of personality?
Essay Question # 5

Discuss ways in which each of the major
perspectives on personality has influence some
aspect of everyday life in modern society.
Good Luck!

Make sure to double check all of your answers
and study them for the upcoming exam.
Remember, AT LEAST FIVE of the questions
from this quiz will make some sort of
appearance on the chapter test along with one
of the essay questions.

Take advantage of this study guide and good
luck on your test!