10 key terms Flashcards
Personality
An individuals characteristic pattern of thinking feeling and acting
Free association
In psychoanalysis
A method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxed and says whatever comes to mind no matter how trivial or embarrassing
Psychoanalysis
Freuds theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
Used to treat psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
Unconscious
According to Freud
A reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts wishes feelings and memories
Contemporary psych says it’s information processing or which we are unaware
Id
A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that according to Freud arrives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.
Operates on pleasure principle immediate gratification
Ego
The largely conscious part of personality that according to Freud mediated Among the demands of the id superego and reality
Operates on reality principle
Realistically being pleasure than pain
Superego
Part of personality that (Freud) represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement and for future aspirations
Psychosexual stages
The childhood development (oral,anal, phallic,latency, genital) during which according to Freud the id pleasure seeking energy focus on distinct erogenous zones
Oedipus complex
Freud, a boys sexual desires toward mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Identification
Process (Freud) children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos
Fixation
(Freud) a lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage in which conflicts were resolved with
Defense mechanisms
In psychoanalysis, the egos protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Repression
In psychoanalysis, defense mechanism that vanishes anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories Fromm consciousness
Regression
Psychoanalytical defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
Reaction formation
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. This people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety arousing unconscious feelings
Projection
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Rationalization
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism that offers self justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for ones actions
Displacement
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet
Sublimation
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people re channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities
Denial
Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe or even perceive painful realities
Collective unconscious
Carl jungs concept of a shared inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history
Projective test
A personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of ones inner dynamics
Thematic apperception test (TAT)
A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach ink blot test
The most widely used projective test, a set of ten ink blots which seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Terror management theory
A theory of death related anxiety, explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Self actualization
(Maslow) one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self esteem achieved
The motivation to fulfill ones potential
Unconditional positive regard
(Rogers) an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
Self concept
All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question who am I
Trait
A characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act as assessed by self report inventories and peer reports
Personality inventory
A questionnaire ( t or f) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors used to assess selected personality traits
Minnesota multiphase personality inventory (MMPI)
The most widely used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders, test now used for many other screening purposes
Empirically derived test
A test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Social cognitive perspective
Views behavior as influences by the interaction between peoples traits and their social context
Reciprocal determinism
The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment
Personal control
The extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless
External locus of control
The perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate
Internal locus of control
The perception that you control your own fate
Positive psychology
The scientific study of optimal human functioning, aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
Self
In contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of or thoughts feelings and actions
Spot light effect
Overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance performance and blunders (spotlight shines on us)
Self esteem
Ones feelings of high or low self worth
Self serving bias
A readiness to perceive one self favorable
Individualism
Giving priority to ones own goals over group goals and defining ones identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism
Giving priority time the goals of ones group and defining ones identify accordingly
Gordon allport
Personality traits
Signing Freud
Unconscious
Abraham Maslow
Self actualization
Albert bandura
Personal control
Carl rogers
Unconditional positive regard
Carl jung
Collective unconscious
