why we are what we are

WHY WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

Read the title of the text and guess the main topic.

• What do you expect to read about in this text?• What are the most remarkable personal

characteristics of you?• What adjectives would you use to describe

yourself? • If you were asked to classify people in terms of

their personality, how would you categorize them?

Two Major Personality Dimensions

1- being introverted or extraverted (reserved or outgoing)

2- being stable or unstable (fixed or changeable)

These can also be called as supertraits.

Traits (Characteristics)• moody: temperamental• rigid: inflexible, stiff, strict• sober: serious, controlled, restrained• sociable: outgoing• reserved: silent, quiet, unsociable• touchy: sensitive, easily offended• restless: moving about, nervous• impulsive: who acts without thought• even-tempered: easygoing, unruffled• responsive: quick to react, active

In Eysenck’s model there are two levels of behaviors:

• specific response level• habitual response level

• Can you find the examples for each in the text?

Physiological differences of extraverts and introverts

• cerebral cortex arousal: related with language, memory and thinking

• Extraverts have a lower level of cortical arousal• Introverts have an above-optimal cortical

arousal• How do they behave differently regarding this

physiological makeup?

Target Vocabulary

• hierarchy (n) arrangement of people in a group in order of rank, importance

• hierarchical (adj) ranked, graded, ordered• hierarchically (adv)

• a hierarchical structure, organisation

a hierarchical structure-

dimension (n)

the length, height, width, depth of something• We'll need to know the exact dimensions of

the room.

impulsive (adj)

• motivated by emotion,rather than thought

uninhibited (adj)

free and easy,relaxed,unrestrained

an uninhibited laughter

retiring (adj)

• one who doesn’t want to be with other people

As a child, Elizabeth was very shy and retiring.

introspective (adj)

• Inward-looking, intraverted, contemplative,self-examining

• He is very introspective and shy.

stimulation (n)encouraging someone by making them excited about and interested in something

Children need variety and stimulation.

aversive (adj)causing avoidance of a thing, sth that you dislike

In psychology, aversive conditioning is the use of something unpleasant, or a punishment, to stop an unwanted behavior.

ample (adj)

• more than necessary, plentiful

subtle (adj)

• not easy to notice

• The pictures are similar, but there are subtle differences between them.

• The warning signs of the disease are so subtle that they are often ignored.

in-

• inoffensiveindecisive• inflexible inelegant• indiscreet injudicious• infallible• inefficient• insincere• inconsistent• incorruptable

ir-

• irreproachable• irrational• irresponsible

im-

• impractical• impatient• impersonal

un-

• unenlightened• unbending• unpretentious