3. Personality as a Determinant of Behaviour

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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about personality as a determinant of behaviour, focusing in particular on: (i) the definition of a personality trait as a collection of tendencies that predict behaviour across a range of situations; (ii) extraversion as an example of a trait, which can be defined as a collection of tendencies which mean that a person is more engaged with external experiences than inward drives; (iii) the ‘Big Five’ personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism/emotional stability; (iv) the debate around whether honesty/humility belongs under one of those traits, or whether it should be defined as a trait of its own.

Course

In this course, Dr Ayoub Bouguettaya (University of Birmingham) explores the individual versus situational factors debate. In the first lecture, we think about what drives behaviour and the tendency to focus on internal/individual factors when evaluating a person’s behaviour. In the second lecture, we think about the doctrines of traits and situationism, as well as trait activation theory. In the third lecture, we think about how personality acts as a determinant of behaviour and how a trait is defined. Next, we think about social situations and the tendencies of many people to act in similar ways when confronted with certain situations. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about some key questions which surround the individual versus situational factor debate, including whether personality itself is a Western construct.

Lecturer

Dr Ayoub Bouguettaya is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Dr Bouguettaya’s research interests are in social psychology and how knowledge from that field can be applied to others, particularly health, including how we can apply social identity theory to societal problems, as well as investigating the different perspectives one might take on those issues. Some of Dr Bouguettaya’s recent publications include 'The relationship between gambling advertising and gambling attitudes, intentions and behaviours: a critical and meta-analytic review' (2020) and 'The Effect of a Food Addiction Explanation Model for Weight Control and Obesity on Weight Stigma' (2020).