Chapter 11: Self and Personality
1. The most accurate description of a dispositional trait is that it is
a.
a unique life event.
b.
a situation-specific way of acting.
c.
the cultural in which we live.
d.
a broad and relatively stable dimension of personality.
2. Around the holidays, Holly feels motivated to change her ways and become a more generous individual. This goal is
best characterized as a
a.
narrative identity.
b.
self-evaluation.
c.
dispositional trait.
d.
characteristic adaptation.
3. Which of Tela’s statements best exemplifies a narrative identity?
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. At the motocross show, Brian admitted, “Actually, I’m a fairly incompetent motorcycle rider,” giving his buddies a
good sense of his
a.
self-concept.
b.
self-esteem.
c.
self-recognition.
d.
ideal self.
5. Which statement best exemplifies the concept of self-esteem?
a.
“I am white, 52 years old, and live in Wisconsin.”
b.
“All in all, I am a worthless individual.”
c.
“Women find me highly physically attractive.”
d.
“I can recognize my own voice when I hear it on tape.”
6. Who would be most likely to argue that the vast majority of personality is formed between birth and age six?
a.
Leo, a psychodynamic theorist
b.
Javier, a psychometric theorist
c.
Alicia, a social learning theorist
d.
Mina, a behavioral theorist
7. What are the key characteristics of someone with the personality dimension of high agreeableness?
a.
open to fantasy and interested in variety
b.
hostile and anxious
c.
trustworthy and compliant
d.
a high achiever and a person with self-discipline
8. Raven gets invited to all the parties because she seems to love the spotlight and craves excitement. A psychometric
theorist would most likely describe Raven as being
a.
conscientious.
b.
extraverted.
c.
agreeable.
d.
neurotic.
9. The social learning perspective assumes that
a.
there are universal stages in the development of personality.
b.
personality is best described in terms of trait dimensions.
c.
personality traits have a strong genetic basis.
d.
personality development is highly influenced by environmental experience.
10. Vicki was reserved as a baby, shy as a child, and shy as an adult. Social learning theorists would say that Vicki
a.
was genetically predisposed to be shy.
b.
is a product of environments that consistently fostered the same personality trait.
c.
was unable to resolve psychosocial crises in positive ways.
d.
identified with her shy mother, which influenced her id.
11. With regard to personality development, what belief is shared by Albert Bandura and Erik Erikson?
a.
There are universal, age-related changes in personality development.
b.
Biological factors are critical in the development of personality.
c.
Humans are best described in terms of five critical core personality traits.
d.
Personality has the potential to change during adulthood.
12. When Carmelo is playing basketball, he is very aggressive. When he is playing at his house with his young daughter,
he is very passive. These situations best exemplify the concept of
a.
same context, different personality.
b.
different context, different personality.
c.
different context, same personality.
d.
same context, same personality.
13. Nine-month-old Morgan sees a rabbit in the yard. He then looks at his father, Ben, and tries to direct Ben’s focus
toward the bunny by pointing at it. Morgan’s behavior illustrates the process of _____ as an indicator of an emerging self-
awareness.
a.
joint attention
b.
industry
c.
temperament
d.
behavioral inhibition
14. Which of the following utterances clearly demonstrates that an infant has developed a categorical sense of self?
a.
“My car”
b.
“I big girl”
c.
“Pick me up”
d.
“Daddy’s book”
15. When talking to his grandmother on the phone, Riley says, “I am four years old, I am a boy, and I have red hair.” This
statement best illustrates the concept of
a.
a looking-glass self.
b.
self-esteem.
c.
diffusion status.
d.
categorical self.
16. Which of the following accomplishments is typically the LAST to occur?
a.
Recognition of self-image in the mirror
b.
Engaging in joint attention with an adult
c.
Recognition of self as physically distinct from others
d.
The influence of social feedback on the sense of self
17. Three-month-old Dontrell is eating strained peas for the very first time. Despite the fact that this is a new experience,
he appears quite happy with his meal. With regard to temperament, Dontrell is best classified as
a.
easy.
b.
extraverted.
c.
surgent.
d.
resistant.
18. The slow-to–warm-up temperament is characterized by
a.
relative inactivity and mild reactions to change in routine.
b.
relative inactivity and intense reactions to change in routine.
c.
high levels of activity and mild reactions to change in routine.
d.
high levels of activity and intense reactions to change in routine.
19. While she does not scream when her parents attempt to cuddle with her, Marwa does tend to look away and
demonstrate some discomfort with this activity. With regard to temperament, Marwa is best classified as
a.
diffused.
b.
difficult.
c.
slow-to-warm-up.
d.
foreclosed.
20. Children who are behaviorally inhibited are
a.
high in extraversion and openness to new experience.
b.
low in emotionality and extraversion.
c.
high in neuroticism and low in extraversion.
d.
low in sociability and neuroticism.
21. Which statement would indicate that an individual has a high level of surgency?
a.
“Paying attention to boring people is hard.”
b.
“I am always excited, in a good way, to meet people.”
c.
“Meeting people makes me nervous.”
d.
“I hate people.”
22. One-year-old Takumi loves interacting with his peers. A developmental theorist would most likely describe Takumi as
being high on the _____ dimension of temperament.
a.
initiative
b.
effortful control
c.
diffusion
d.
surgency
23. When asked to describe his sister Maggie, Jake says, “It’s like she is afraid all the time.” If accurate, this statement
indicates that Maggie would likely score high on a measure of
a.
foreclosure.
b.
conscientiousness.
c.
effortful control.
d.
negative affectivity.
24. Which behavior would indicate that Manny has a high level of effortful control?
a.
He is very easily frustrated.
b.
He can quickly shift his attention from one topic to another.
c.
He makes friends very easily.
d.
He likes taking on new challenges.
25. Research on early temperament and later development suggests that
a.
temperament and personality are developmentally unrelated concepts.
b.
there is a meaningful relationship between early childhood temperament and later adult personality.
c.
behavioral inhibitions in early life are related to extraversion in later life.
d.
“easy” children may turn out to be maladjusted adults, but “difficult” children are certain to do so.
26. Goodness-of-fit is best defined as
a.
the extent to which the child’s temperament is compatible with the social world.
b.
a child’s ability to distinguish himself from his environment.
c.
the amount of impact genetic factors has on the development of personality.
d.
the extent to which a child develops an attachment to a caregiver.
27. In most settings, an easy temperament is associated with more positive adaptation. However, in times of famine,
infants with “difficult” temperaments in the Masai tribe have been known to outlive babies with “easy” temperaments.
This finding is used to illustrate the important effect that ____ has on developmental outcomes.
a.
goodness-of-fit
b.
parenting style
c.
self-esteem
d.
life review
28. As a typical three-year-old, when asked about his self-concept, Rashid’s answer would most likely be,
a.
“I am smart.”
b.
“I am funny.”
c.
“I am small.”
d.
“I am excitable.”
29. A significant change in self-description that appears at about age eight is a shift from descriptions focusing on
a.
physical characteristics to descriptions focusing on social qualities.
b.
inner qualities to descriptions focusing on action statements.
c.
subjective to objective self-evaluations.
d.
action statements to physical characteristics.
30. While Madison has always thought of herself as the best dancer in the world, she has just begun to notice that some of
the other kids in her class are better than her. This realization indicates that Madison has begun to engage in
a.
behavioral inhibition.
b.
social comparison.
c.
disengagement.
d.
joint attention.
31. Sitting under a tree after school one day, Justin says to himself, “I should be smarter, less afraid of taking chances, and
good at biology.” These thoughts best represent Justin’s
a.
ideal self.
b.
temperament.
c.
self-recognition.
d.
joint attention.
32. Children who are high in self-esteem tend to have parents who
a.
have few rules and generally let children decide for themselves what is best.
b.
make decisions for their children so they are not burdened with making choices.
c.
have a “warm” and democratic parenting style.
d.
do not discipline their children.
33. Which statement between temperament and later personality is FALSE?
a.
Well-adjusted three-year-olds tend to be well-adjusted adults
b.
Highly emotional and difficult to control three-year-olds tend to be impulsive teens
c.
Behavioral inhibition in preschool is predictive of low extraversion in middle childhood
d.
An infant’s high ability to exhibit effortful control predicts a lack of conscientiousness in later life
34. Rosa is 16 years old and her sister Yasmin is nine. In terms of their self-perceptions, research would suggest that
a.
Rosa’s self-description is more likely to be based on physical attributes than Yasmin’s.
b.
Rosa’s self-portrait would be less abstract than Yasmin’s.
c.
Rosa would be more self-aware than Yasmin.
d.
Rosa would have a less differentiated self than Yasmin.
35. Who is most likely to experience a decrease in self-esteem in early adolescence?
a.
Katy, a white female
b.
Manuela, a Latina female
c.
Lance, a white male
d.
Javier, a Latino male
36. Which question best exemplifies the identity and role confusion conflict?
a.
What kind of moral values do I have?
b.
Has my life been worthwhile?
c.
Am I the fastest runner in my class?
d.
Have I produced something that will outlive me?
37. The period of experimenting with different roles that is so common during adolescence is referred to as the _____
period.
a.
foreclosure
b.
joint attention
c.
moratorium
d.
temperament
38. According to James Marcia, adolescent identity can be classified into one of four statuses that are based on the key
issues of
a.
crisis and commitment.
b.
commitment and conscientiousness.
c.
conscientiousness and comparison.
d.
comparison and crisis.
39. The _____ identity status would best be described as “no conflict, no crisis, and no clue.”
a.
foreclosure
b.
moratorium
c.
identity achievement
d.
diffusion
40. Which best represents “identity diffusion status”?
a.
Glenn plans to be a teacher because his parents and siblings are all teachers.
b.
Beatriz doesn’t really know what she wants to be when she “grows up” and couldn‘t care less about even
exploring the possibilities.
c.
Jiang has taken a battery of interest inventories and is exploring different majors at the university, thinking
about possibilities for her future career.
d.
Hafez has talked with career counselors, his parents, peers, and instructors, and has determined that he is best
suited for a career in teaching. He is now doing his student teaching.
41. The _____ identity status would best be described as “I haven’t really thought about it, but my parents think…”
a.
foreclosure
b.
moratorium
c.
identity achievement
d.
diffusion
42. Rhonda’s mother and father are both professional singers, as are her two older sisters. Rhonda is in college, enrolled in
a music curriculum. When asked about her career goals, she states, “I’ll be a singer, of course. Everyone in my family is a
singer. I’ve never thought of being anything else.” Rhonda’s identity status is best described in terms of
a.
foreclosure
b.
moratorium.
c.
identity achievement.
d.
diffusion.
43. Cedric has always considered a career in professional baseball as his best career option. Lately, he’s begun to question
this choice. In fact, he’s been trying other sports to see if they may be more of what he wants in life. James Marcia would
say that Cedric is currently experiencing _____ status concerning his career goals.
a.
diffusion
b.
moratorium
c.
foreclosure
d.
identity achievement
44. The reliable gender difference concerning identity achievement during adolescence is that
a.
males tend to attach more emphasis on aspects of identity involving interpersonal relationships.
b.
females tend to attach more emphasis on aspects of identity involving career identity.
c.
males tend to attach a greater emphasis on aspects of identity involving sexuality.
d.
females tend to attach a greater emphasis on aspects of identity involving family and career goals.
45. If you were to assess the domain identity status of 100 typical high school juniors concerning occupational choice,
gender-role attitudes, religious beliefs, and political ideologies, you should expect to find
a.
the same level of status in all for domains.
b.
the highest status on gender roles and the lowest on religious beliefs.
c.
the highest status on political ideologies and the lowest on occupational choice.
d.
different levels of status in most of the domains.
46. A positive sense of ethnic identity
a.
is seldom found in African-American adolescents.
b.
can protect an adolescent from damaging effects of racial prejudice.
c.
tends to be completed by elementary school.
d.
has little to do with parental behavior.
47. The main development trend concerning vocational identity in late adolescence is that
a.
for the first time in life, individuals actively explore vocational possibilities.
b.
one’s sex comes first into consideration when thinking about career options.
c.
choices begin to reflect real-life concerns such as education cost and preferred lifestyle.
d.
the match between personality and occupation is seen more and more as irrelevant.
48. Which statement concerning vocational development in adolescence is true?
a.
The fit between one’s self-concept, personality, and occupation is unimportant.
b.
Chance events seldom impact career decisions.
c.
Minority status may lead one to lower or compromise one’s career plans.
d.
In women, holding traditional gender-role attitudes tends to lead to higher vocational aspirations.
49. Who would likely be rated highest for self-esteem?
a.
17-year-old Jenna
b.
36-year-old Diane
c.
63-year-old Bessie
d.
91-year-old Lorena
50. Which statement concerning self-esteem development is true?
a.
Most older adults suffer from a poor sense of self-image.
b.
Older individuals may retain a high sense of self-image by reducing the ideal-real self gap.
c.
The average level of self-esteem at age 60 is half of that at age 16.
d.
Males show higher levels of self-esteem across all developmental age levels.
51. What is the developmental relationship between ideal self, present self, and future self?
a.
The three aspects of self are most similar in the teenage years.
b.
The three aspects of self are most similar in the young adult years.
c.
The three aspects of self are most similar in the middle-aged years.
d.
The three aspects of self are most similar in the elderly adult years.
52. Holding a negative image (stereotype) of aging
a.
may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in adulthood.
b.
can lead to physically slower behavior in older adulthood.
c.
tends to lead to improvements in memory in old age as people know they need to try harder.
d.
does not appear to have any measurable impact on adult physical or mental status.
53. Parents living in an individualistic culture tend to socialize children to be