PSYCH356 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Personality Psychology, Behavioural Genetics
24 May 2013
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Document Summary
Different people respond differently to similar events. One goal is personality psychology is to find and describe those individual differences between people that are psychologically meaningful and stable. Personality refers to qualities of individuals that are relatively stable. Psychologists try to understand what it is that underlies these differences. Pervin: personality is the complex organization of cognitions, affects, and behaviours that gives direction and pattern (coherence) to the person"s life. Like the body, personality consists of both structures and processes and reflects both nature (genes) and nurture (experience). In addition, personality includes the effects of the past, including memories of the past, as well as constructions of the present and future. Personality thus includes the person"s unique patterns of coping with, and transforming, the psychological environment. To capture the richness of human behaviour, the personality construct has to encompass the following aspects: Personality is expressed in many ways from overt behaviour through thoughts and feelings.
