Why is extraversion not the most precise predictor of health-related behaviors such as engaging in unprotected sex, pursuing risky hobbies, or taking chances in life?
What will be an ideal response?
A good answer would include the following key points:
- Like all Big Five personality dimensions, extraversion has many facets.
- Extraversion in and of itself may be a better or worse predictor of health-related behaviors, but the sensation-seeking and risk-taking facets of extraversion show clearer associations with health outcomes.
- For example, someone high in sensation-seeking may engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners, choose to snowboard in restricted areas, or cliff dive into unfamiliar waters, all behaviors that carry with them a risk to life and limb.
- The impulsivity associated with these sensation-seeking acts also pulls the concept a bit further away from extraversion. In fact, impulsivity is a better predictor of risk-taking behaviors relevant to health than is sensation-seeking.
- So, a shorthand assessment that someone is "so extraverted" misses the nuances of what that may or may not entail. A person can be quite extraverted (in terms of gregariousness, cheerfulness, or assertiveness) but lack the sensation-seeking, risk-taking, or impulsive elements that predict poorer health outcomes.
You might also like to view...
The major difference between cocaine and amphetamine is __________
a. cocaine is more rapidly metabolized b. amphetamine is more addictive c. tolerance develops to cocaine d. amphetamine produces withdrawal symptoms
Another name for theoretical reasoning is _____ reasoning.
A) adductive B) deductive C) discursive D) syllogistic
Your friend asks to borrow $50 from you. You tell him no. Then he asks for a mere $10, which you gladly give him. While you feel glad to have helped him out, you may have just experienced the
A) foot-in-the-mouth technique. B) foot-in-the-door technique. C) door-in-the-face technique. D) door-in-the-foot technique.
Mental health professionals holding the humanistic perspective view mental disorders to be
the result of a. intrapsychic conflict. b. malfunctioning of the brain and nervous system. c. learned maladaptive behavior patterns. d. oversensitivity to the demands and criticisms of others. e. one of four body humors or a combination thereof.