Chapter01: Theories of Personality
1. In building theories, which of the following is not a goal of a personality theorist?
a) The theory must not borrow from past theories; it must be original
b) The theory must be based on systematic observations
c) The components of the theory must be related to each other systematically
d) The components of the theory must be testable
Ans: a
2. The text defines personality as the psychological qualities that contribute to an individual’s enduring and unique
patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving. Here, enduring refers to qualities that are:
a) stable across time only
b) stable across situations only
c) stable across time and situations
d) none of the above
Ans: c
3. The concept of personality structure refers to:
a) psychological reactions that are dynamic
b) genetic determinants of behavior
c) the building blocks of personality theory
d) the culture in which one is raised
Ans: c
4. “Different personality theories provide different conceptions of personality structure” is another way of saying
that different theories have different:
a) types
b) traits
c) units of analysis
d) systems
Ans: c
5. The concept of personality processes refers to:
a) psychological reactions that are dynamic
b) genetic determinants of behavior
c) the building blocks of personality theory
d) the culture in which one is raised
Ans: a
6. On the question of how personality develops, personality psychologists tend to agree that:
a) The role of genes and of the environment are still a mystery
b) Genes and the environment interact dynamically
c) Genes play a greater role than does the environment
d) The environment plays a greater role than do genes
Ans: b
7. “People are rational actors” is a statement a personality theorist might say to illustrate his or her:
a) belief in external determinants of behavior
b) belief in consistency of behavior across time
c) concept of the unconscious
d) philosophical view of the person
Ans: d
8. Determining how consistent behavior from situation to situation is difficult because
a) there is disagreement about what counts as an example of consistency vs. inconsistency
b) people disagree about what factors cause personality to be consistent
c) Both ‘a’ and ‘b’ are correct
d) Neither ‘a’ nor ‘b’ are correct
Ans: c
9. That we rarely experience the world as chaotic or our lives as disjointed is illustrative of which of the following
concepts?
a) There is unity to experience and to the self-concept
b) There is consistency in personality across time
c) There is consistency in personality across situations
d) There is variability in consciousness
Ans: a
10. Your text notes that “Some theorists suggest that we are primarily prisoners of our past.” Which of the
following best paraphrases this idea?
a) Our memory of the past may or may not determine present behavior
b) Misdeeds of the past are bound to come back to haunt us
c) Childhood experiences are the primary determinant of personality
d) The past is what we make of it – good or bad
Ans: c
11. Whether we can have a science of persons is made difficult by the fact that:
a) Psychology is not a science
b) People construct meaning
c) It is not ethical to study people
d) None of the above
Ans: b
12. According to the text, personality theory can serve all of the following key functions except:
a) organizing existing information
b) generating new knowledge about important issues
c) aggrandizing the theorists who come up with them
d) identifying entirely new issues that are deserving of study
Ans: c
13. Your textbook authors suggest that there are several theories of personality, rather than just one, because:
a) no theory has gotten it “right” just yet
b) each theory has its strengths and weaknesses
c) the APA has mandated it
d) psychologists enjoy the variety
Ans: b
14. A central focus of psychodynamic theory is
a) the conscious
b) the unconscious
c) the conscience
d) motivation
Ans: b
15. A central focus of phenomenological theory is
a) the conscious
b) the unconscious
c) the conscience
d) motivation
Ans: a
16. Trait theorists believe that one of the most important problems to solve is
a) to identify the uniqueness of each individual
b) to determine which individual differences are most important to measure
c) to determine whether behavior is the result of conscious vs. unconscious processes
d) to find a way to scientifically test the theories of personality
Ans: b
17. The biological foundations of personality are reflected in the study of
a) the genetic bases of personality traits
b) the brain systems that underlie individual differences
c) evolutionary psychology
d) all of the above
Ans: d
18. According to learning approaches to personality, the key determinant of behavior is the
a) environment
b) trait
c) unconscious
d) self
Ans: a
19. The key structural concept of personal construct theory is that of the:
a) construct
b) self
c) trait
d) person
Ans: a
20. One way in which social-cognitive theory expands upon personal construct theory is in its focus on:
a) past conflicts and how they shape current day behavior
b) the biological bases of behavior
c) social settings in which individuals acquire knowledge, skills, and beliefs
d) deriving instruments for measuring individual differences
Ans: c
21. According to the “theories as toolkits” metaphor, a theory is good insofar as it is:
a) simple
b) elegant
c) complex
d) useful
Ans: d