Evaluate the learning approaches to personality.
What will be an ideal response?
Because they ignore the internal processes that are uniquely human, traditional learning theorists such as Skinner have been accused of oversimplifying personality to such an extent that the concept becomes meaningless. Their critics think that reducing behavior to a series of stimuli and responses and excluding thoughts and feelings from the realm of personality leaves behaviorists practicing an unrealistic and inadequate form of science.
Some of these criticisms are blunted by social cognitive approaches, which explicitly consider the role of cognitive processes in personality. Still, learning approaches tend to share a highly deterministic view of human behavior, which maintains that behavior is shaped primarily by forces beyond the individual's control. As in psychoanalytic theory (which suggests that personality is determined by the unconscious forces) and trait approaches (which views personality in part as a mixture of genetically determined traits), learning theory's reliance on deterministic principles de-emphasizes people's ability to pilot their own course through life.
Nonetheless, learning approaches have had a major impact on the study of personality. They have helped make personality psychology an objective, scientific venture by focusing on observable behavior and the effects of their environments. In addition, they have produced important, successful means of treating a variety of psychological disorders. The degree of success of these treatments is a testimony to the merits of learning theory approaches to personality.
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Sexual abuse
a. is sometimes hard to define. b. is usually just misinterpreted and harmless. c. is clear and unambiguous. d. rarely occurs between family members.
Abbey is a strong supporter of the Maudsley approach to treating anorexia. Thus, when considering the role of parents in the treatment process, she would be most likely to suggest that the parents
a. need to accept blame for the problem before therapy can be effective. b. stay out of the way and let the psychotherapists do their job unimpeded. c. must be a critical part of the treatment team with the goal of facilitating weight gain. d. should go on diets in support of their child.
What type of therapy assumes that people are mostly good and that individuals are striving for personal improvement?
A. Humanistic B. Cognitive Behavioral C. Gestalt D. Psychodynamic E. Behavior therapy
Jackson's research with urban, disadvantaged, 13- to 14-year-olds showed that the more often these young teens logged onto the Internet at home,
a. the less focused they were on schoolwork. b. the more aggressive they became in classroom settings. c. the better their scores were on standardized reading tests six months later. d. the less likely they were to drop out of school.