PSYC 2130- Midterm Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam ( 65 pages long!)

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Document Summary

Personality- is the unique, dynamic organization of characteristics of a particular person, physical and psychological, which influence behavior and responses to the social and physical environment. All these questions are addressed by modern personality psychologists. The scientific study of personality attempts to predict, control, and explain individual differences. Origins- the term personality was derived from the word persona, meaning masks. Instead, each player wore a persona, a full- face mask that told the audience to expect a particular set of attitudes and behaviors. Various personae came to refer not only to the tasks but also to the roles they implied. Although persona is the source of the english word personality, the concept of personality as we use it today (as something more than a set of actors" roles) did not emerge until the 18th century. Sampson (1989) traces the term to the modern idea of a real person. Modern psychology is a very broad field, comprising many specialized areas.