COMM 151 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Observational Learning, Internal Control, Positive Affectivity

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Commerce
• Course: COMM 151
• Professor: Christopher Miners

Document Summary

Personality: the relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influences the way an individual interacts with his or her environment. Dispositional approach: individuals possess stable traits or characteristics that influence their attitudes and behaviors. Situational approach: characteristics of the organizational setting influence people"s attitudes and behavior. Interactionist approach: individual"s attitudes and behavior are a function of both dispositions and the situation. Trait activation theory: traits lead to certain behaviors only when the situation makes the need for the trait salient. Locus of control: high external control defined by fate, luck and powerful people, high internal control defined by self-initiative, personal actions and free will. Self-monitoring: the extent to which people observe and regulate how they appear and behave in social settings and relationships. Self-esteem: the degree to which a person has a positive self-evaluation. Behavioral plasticity theory: people with low self-esteem tend to be more susceptible to external and social influences than those who have high self-esteem.