How Would a Personality Psychologist Most Likely Explain the Mass

question 140

Multiple Choice

How would a personality psychologist most likely explain the mass suicide in Jonestown?

• A) An increasingly complex and mobile society creates confusion and the need to belong to a group at any cost.
• B) People who have traits of being unstable are more likely to join cults.
• C) She wouldn't try to explain it; personality psychologists are not interested in suicide.
• D) The leader's control over his followers increased slowly over time.

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Definitions:

ERG Theory

A motivational theory developed by Clayton Alderfer that categorizes human needs into three groups: Existence, Relatedness, and Growth, suggesting that individuals are motivated to satisfy these needs.

Clayton Alderfer

An American psychologist known for his expansion of Maslow's hierarchy of needs with the development of the ERG (Existence, Relatedness, Growth) theory.

Hierarchy of Needs

A psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow that depicts human motivations as a five-tier model of hierarchical needs, ranging from basic (physiological) to higher-order (self-actualization) needs.

Self-Actualization Need

The highest level in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, referring to the realization and fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities.