⋆
]]
⋆
PYC2601: PERSONALITY THEORIES
OCT/NOV Examination 2026 Preparation
Covers Past Papers from 2023 to 2025
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
[ Psychology — Personology [
_ Exam Revision Guide
PYC2601
Module Code:
Personality Theories (Personology)
Module Name:
OCT/NOV Examination 2026
Paper / Exam:
OCT/NOV 2023 to OCT/NOV 2025
Coverage:
60 MCQs (10 per theory)
Format:
2 Hours
Duration:
60
Total Marks:
Study for understanding, not memory. Each answer has the why built in.
Exam Revision Notes | PYC2601 | 2023–2025 Coverage
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
ò Module Overview: How the Exam Works
PYC2601 exams consist of 60 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), split evenly
across six personality theories — 10 questions per theory. Questions test application as
much as recall: you’ll read a short scenario describing a person’s behaviour and identify
which concept or theorist explains it. Each question carries 1 mark.
Six theories examined:
1. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
2. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Learning Approach
3. Maslow’s Self-Actualisation Theory
4. Rogers’ Self-Concept Theory
5. Frankl’s Existential / Logotherapy Theory
6. African Perspectives on Personality
Prescribed book: Meyer, Moore & Viljoen (MMV) — Personology: From Individual
to Ecosystem (2008/2016), published by Heinemann.
Page 2 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Theory 1: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory [10 marks]
Key Concept
Core premise: Personality is shaped by unconscious forces — instinctual drives
(id), reality-based reasoning (ego), and internalised moral values (superego). Early
childhood experiences and psychosexual development permanently influence adult
personality.
Question 1 [1 mark]
Question: Thandi regularly has nightmares in which she is chased by faceless figures.
According to Freud, these dreams most likely represent:
(1) Random neurological firing during sleep
(2) The disguised expression of repressed unconscious wishes or fears
(3) The superego punishing the id
(4) A fixation at the latency stage
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) The disguised expression of repressed unconscious wishes or
fears
Freud regarded dreams as the royal road to the unconscious. During sleep, the ego’s de-
fences relax, allowing repressed material to surface in disguised (manifest) form. The actual
hidden meaning is the latent content. Option (1) is a biological, not psychoanalytic, explana-
tion. Option (3) misapplies structure theory — the superego does not directly produce dreams.
Option (4) refers to developmental stage issues, not dream function.
⋆ Exam Tip
When a question mentions dreams, slips of the tongue, or forgetting — think un-
conscious expression. When it mentions irrational fear, guilt, or anxiety — think
defence mechanisms.
Page 3 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Question 2 [1 mark]
Question: Sipho constantly criticises others for being lazy, yet his colleagues notice that
he himself avoids difficult tasks. According to Freud, which defence mechanism is Sipho
most likely using?
(1) Rationalisation
(2) Reaction formation
(3) Projection
(4) Displacement
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) Projection
Projection is attributing your own unacceptable impulses or traits to someone else. Sipho
unconsciously recognises his own laziness (which is unacceptable to his ego) and projects it
onto others. Reaction formation (2) would mean he overtly acts industriously to mask the
impulse — which is not described here. Rationalisation (1) involves inventing logical reasons
for one’s behaviour. Displacement (4) redirects a drive onto a substitute target.
Question 3 [1 mark]
Question: A man becomes extremely attached to his car, polishing it daily and becoming
furious when anyone criticises it. According to Freud’s structural model, which struc-
ture is primarily responsible for managing the tension between the desire for immediate
gratification and social expectations?
(1) The id
(2) The superego
(3) The ego
(4) The libido
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) The ego
The ego operates on the reality principle: it mediates between the id’s raw demands and the
superego’s moral standards, while also engaging with external reality. The id (1) operates on
the pleasure principle — it wants instant gratification. The superego (2) enforces moral rules.
Page 4 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Libido (4) is Freud’s term for sexual energy, not a structural component.
Key Concept
Structural Model Summary:
• Id — pleasure principle, unconscious, instinctual drives
• Ego — reality principle, mediates id and superego
• Superego — moral principle, internalised parental/social rules
Question 4 [1 mark]
Question: Five-year-old Pieter is intensely possessive of his mother, often pushing
his father away and saying “Daddy is bad.” According to Freud, Pieter is most likely
experiencing:
(1) Separation anxiety
(2) The Oedipus complex
(3) The Electra complex
(4) Anal retentiveness
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) The Oedipus complex
The Oedipus complex occurs in the phallic stage (ages 3–6) in boys. The boy develops an
unconscious desire for the mother and hostility toward the father as rival. Resolution involves
identification with the father and internalisation of the superego. The Electra complex (3)
applies to girls. Separation anxiety (1) is not a Freudian psychosexual concept. Anal retentive-
ness (4) relates to the anal stage, not the phallic stage.
Question 5 [1 mark]
Question: An adult woman is extremely controlling, orderly, and obsessed with cleanli-
ness. According to Freud, this pattern of behaviour most likely indicates:
(1) Oral fixation
(2) Anal fixation
(3) Phallic fixation
(4) Genital fixation
Page 5 of 25
, PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) Anal fixation
During the anal stage (ages 1–3), the child’s pleasure is focused on retaining or expelling
faeces. Overly strict toilet training can result in an anal-retentive character: rigid, orderly,
controlling, stingy. Oral fixation (1) produces dependency or aggression. Phallic (3) relates to
issues around the Oedipus/Electra complex. Genital (4) is the mature adult stage.
Question 6 [1 mark]
Question: After a traumatic car accident, Lerato cannot recall the event at all, even
though witnesses say she was conscious throughout. According to Freud, this is best
explained by:
(1) Displacement
(2) Regression
(3) Repression
(4) Sublimation
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) Repression
Repression is Freud’s most fundamental defence mechanism — the involuntary exclusion of
threatening memories or impulses from consciousness. Lerato is not choosing to forget; the
ego has banished the traumatic memory to the unconscious. Displacement (1) redirects drives.
Regression (2) means reverting to earlier behaviour. Sublimation (4) channels drives into
socially acceptable activities.
. Watch Out
Don’t confuse suppression (conscious, voluntary) with repression (unconscious,
involuntary). UNISA exams specifically test this distinction.
Page 6 of 25
]]
⋆
PYC2601: PERSONALITY THEORIES
OCT/NOV Examination 2026 Preparation
Covers Past Papers from 2023 to 2025
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
[ Psychology — Personology [
_ Exam Revision Guide
PYC2601
Module Code:
Personality Theories (Personology)
Module Name:
OCT/NOV Examination 2026
Paper / Exam:
OCT/NOV 2023 to OCT/NOV 2025
Coverage:
60 MCQs (10 per theory)
Format:
2 Hours
Duration:
60
Total Marks:
Study for understanding, not memory. Each answer has the why built in.
Exam Revision Notes | PYC2601 | 2023–2025 Coverage
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
ò Module Overview: How the Exam Works
PYC2601 exams consist of 60 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), split evenly
across six personality theories — 10 questions per theory. Questions test application as
much as recall: you’ll read a short scenario describing a person’s behaviour and identify
which concept or theorist explains it. Each question carries 1 mark.
Six theories examined:
1. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
2. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Learning Approach
3. Maslow’s Self-Actualisation Theory
4. Rogers’ Self-Concept Theory
5. Frankl’s Existential / Logotherapy Theory
6. African Perspectives on Personality
Prescribed book: Meyer, Moore & Viljoen (MMV) — Personology: From Individual
to Ecosystem (2008/2016), published by Heinemann.
Page 2 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Theory 1: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory [10 marks]
Key Concept
Core premise: Personality is shaped by unconscious forces — instinctual drives
(id), reality-based reasoning (ego), and internalised moral values (superego). Early
childhood experiences and psychosexual development permanently influence adult
personality.
Question 1 [1 mark]
Question: Thandi regularly has nightmares in which she is chased by faceless figures.
According to Freud, these dreams most likely represent:
(1) Random neurological firing during sleep
(2) The disguised expression of repressed unconscious wishes or fears
(3) The superego punishing the id
(4) A fixation at the latency stage
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) The disguised expression of repressed unconscious wishes or
fears
Freud regarded dreams as the royal road to the unconscious. During sleep, the ego’s de-
fences relax, allowing repressed material to surface in disguised (manifest) form. The actual
hidden meaning is the latent content. Option (1) is a biological, not psychoanalytic, explana-
tion. Option (3) misapplies structure theory — the superego does not directly produce dreams.
Option (4) refers to developmental stage issues, not dream function.
⋆ Exam Tip
When a question mentions dreams, slips of the tongue, or forgetting — think un-
conscious expression. When it mentions irrational fear, guilt, or anxiety — think
defence mechanisms.
Page 3 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Question 2 [1 mark]
Question: Sipho constantly criticises others for being lazy, yet his colleagues notice that
he himself avoids difficult tasks. According to Freud, which defence mechanism is Sipho
most likely using?
(1) Rationalisation
(2) Reaction formation
(3) Projection
(4) Displacement
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) Projection
Projection is attributing your own unacceptable impulses or traits to someone else. Sipho
unconsciously recognises his own laziness (which is unacceptable to his ego) and projects it
onto others. Reaction formation (2) would mean he overtly acts industriously to mask the
impulse — which is not described here. Rationalisation (1) involves inventing logical reasons
for one’s behaviour. Displacement (4) redirects a drive onto a substitute target.
Question 3 [1 mark]
Question: A man becomes extremely attached to his car, polishing it daily and becoming
furious when anyone criticises it. According to Freud’s structural model, which struc-
ture is primarily responsible for managing the tension between the desire for immediate
gratification and social expectations?
(1) The id
(2) The superego
(3) The ego
(4) The libido
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) The ego
The ego operates on the reality principle: it mediates between the id’s raw demands and the
superego’s moral standards, while also engaging with external reality. The id (1) operates on
the pleasure principle — it wants instant gratification. The superego (2) enforces moral rules.
Page 4 of 25
,PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Libido (4) is Freud’s term for sexual energy, not a structural component.
Key Concept
Structural Model Summary:
• Id — pleasure principle, unconscious, instinctual drives
• Ego — reality principle, mediates id and superego
• Superego — moral principle, internalised parental/social rules
Question 4 [1 mark]
Question: Five-year-old Pieter is intensely possessive of his mother, often pushing
his father away and saying “Daddy is bad.” According to Freud, Pieter is most likely
experiencing:
(1) Separation anxiety
(2) The Oedipus complex
(3) The Electra complex
(4) Anal retentiveness
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) The Oedipus complex
The Oedipus complex occurs in the phallic stage (ages 3–6) in boys. The boy develops an
unconscious desire for the mother and hostility toward the father as rival. Resolution involves
identification with the father and internalisation of the superego. The Electra complex (3)
applies to girls. Separation anxiety (1) is not a Freudian psychosexual concept. Anal retentive-
ness (4) relates to the anal stage, not the phallic stage.
Question 5 [1 mark]
Question: An adult woman is extremely controlling, orderly, and obsessed with cleanli-
ness. According to Freud, this pattern of behaviour most likely indicates:
(1) Oral fixation
(2) Anal fixation
(3) Phallic fixation
(4) Genital fixation
Page 5 of 25
, PYC2601 | Exam Revision Personality Theories
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (2) Anal fixation
During the anal stage (ages 1–3), the child’s pleasure is focused on retaining or expelling
faeces. Overly strict toilet training can result in an anal-retentive character: rigid, orderly,
controlling, stingy. Oral fixation (1) produces dependency or aggression. Phallic (3) relates to
issues around the Oedipus/Electra complex. Genital (4) is the mature adult stage.
Question 6 [1 mark]
Question: After a traumatic car accident, Lerato cannot recall the event at all, even
though witnesses say she was conscious throughout. According to Freud, this is best
explained by:
(1) Displacement
(2) Regression
(3) Repression
(4) Sublimation
Answer:
¥ Correct Answer: (3) Repression
Repression is Freud’s most fundamental defence mechanism — the involuntary exclusion of
threatening memories or impulses from consciousness. Lerato is not choosing to forget; the
ego has banished the traumatic memory to the unconscious. Displacement (1) redirects drives.
Regression (2) means reverting to earlier behaviour. Sublimation (4) channels drives into
socially acceptable activities.
. Watch Out
Don’t confuse suppression (conscious, voluntary) with repression (unconscious,
involuntary). UNISA exams specifically test this distinction.
Page 6 of 25
