PSYC 356 Final: Chapter1_StudyGuide_Answers
19 Jun 2018
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Chapter 1
Introduction to Personality Theory
1. Express your own definition of personality.
The term personality comes from the Latin word persona, meaning the mask people
wear or the role they play in life. However, most
psychologists use the term to refer to much more than the face or
facade people show to others. Personality can be defined as a pattern of relatively
permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and
individuality to human behavior
2. Differentiate theory from (a) philosophy, (b) speculation, (c)
hypothesis, and (d) taxonomy.
People often confuse theory with philosophy, speculation, hypothesis,
or taxonomy. Although theory is related to each of these concepts, it
is not synonymous with any of them. Philosophy—the love of wisdom—is a
broader term than theory, but one branch of philosophy—epistemology—relates to
the nature of knowledge, and theories are used by scientists in pursuit of
knowledge. Theories rely on speculation, but speculation must be based on the
controlled observations of scientists. Science is the branch of study concerned with
observation and classification of data and with the verification of general laws.
Theories are practical tools used by scientists to guide research. A theory is more
general than a hypothesis and may generate a multitude of hypotheses, that is,
educated guesses. A taxonomy is a classification system, and classification is
necessary to science. Taxonomies, however, do not generate hypotheses—a
necessary criterion of a useful theory
3. Defend the need for more than one theory.
Psychologists and other scientists have developed a variety of personality theories
because they have differed in their personal
background, their philosophical orientation, and the data they chose to observe. In
addition, theories permit individual interpretation of the same observations, and
each theorist has had his or her own way of looking at things.
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Document Summary
The term personality comes from the latin word persona, meaning the mask people wear or the role they play in life. However, most psychologists use the term to refer to much more than the face or facade people show to others. Personality can be defined as a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to human behavior. Differentiate theory from (a) philosophy, (b) speculation, (c) hypothesis, and (d) taxonomy. People often confuse theory with philosophy, speculation, hypothesis, or taxonomy. Although theory is related to each of these concepts, it is not synonymous with any of them. Philosophy the love of wisdom is a broader term than theory, but one branch of philosophy epistemology relates to the nature of knowledge, and theories are used by scientists in pursuit of knowledge. Theories rely on speculation, but speculation must be based on the controlled observations of scientists.
