Ch. 13 Personality Flashcards
4 Main Perspectives of Personality
psychoanalytic
humanistic
trait
social-cognitive
Psychoanalytic Perspective
proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influenced personality (Freud)
-“personality” arises from efforts to resolve conflict between impulse and restraint
Unconscious
Reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, feelings (Freud)
Processing of which we are unaware (modern)
Free Association
method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes & says whatever comes to mind (in psychoanalysis)
3 Levels of Personality Structure (freud)
Id: reservoir of unconscious energy that wants to satisfy basic sexual & aggressive drives (pleasure principle)
Ego: conscious “executive” part that mediates among demands of id, superego, & reality (reality principle)
Superego: voice of moral compass (conscience) that forces ego to consider not only the real but the ideal
Oedipus Complex
boy’s sexual desires toward mother & feelings of hatred/jealousy for father
- parallel for girls is Electra Complex
- identification: try to become like rival parent= gender identity
Identification
process by which children incorporate parent’s values into their developing superegos
Fixation
lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
Defense Mechanisms
way to resolve conflict; ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality (indirect & unconscious)
Regression, reaction formation, projection, rationalization, displacement, denial, repression
Regression
retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
ex: boy reverts to oral comfort of thumb sucking in car on 1st day of school
Reaction Formation
switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites
ex: repressing angry feelings, a person displays exaggerated friendliness
Projection
disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
ex: “The thief thinks everyone else is a thief”
Rationalization
offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions
ex: habitual drinker says drinks w friends “just to be sociable”
Displacement
shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
ex: girl kicks fam dog after her mother sends her to her room
Denial
Refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
ex: partner denies evidence of loved one’s affair
Critiques of Freud’s Theory
- unconscious mind correct, but a diff. kind than he thought
- Patriarchal
- Not testable, scientific; after-the-fact explanations; can’t predict personality, fixations, or defense mechanisms
- ideas haven’t stood up to empirical testing
What of Freud’s data is supported?
unconscious mind, reaction formation, projection
What of Freud’s data is NOT supported?
development fixed in childhood, gender identity from Oedipus Complex, repression, & that dreams disguise/fulfill wishes
Critiques of projective tests (Rorschach)
- doesn’t show all emotions
- only a few have showed reliability/validity
- have inaccurately diagnosed normal people as pathological
Humanistic Perspective
focused on inner capacity for growth and self-fulfillment (Maslow)
Hierarchy of Needs
- Physiological needs
- Safety needs
- Belongingness and love needs
- Esteem needs
- Self-actualization needs
- Self-transcendence needs
Self Actualization
ultimate psychological needs after basic needs & self esteem; motivation to fulfill one’s potential
3 Requirements for growth-promoting environment
- genuineness
- acceptance (unconditional positive regard)
- empathy
Critiques of humanistic psychology
- concepts vague, subjective, lack scientific basis
- culturally biased (western)
- sometimes higher level needs met before lower level needs
- doesn’t allow for human capacity for evil/aggression
Trait Perspective
examine characteristic patterns of behavior (traits)
-personality is an individual’s unique array of durable dispositions & consistent ways of behaving (traits)
Big 5 Trait Dimensions
- Conscientiousness
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
- Openness
- Extraversion
CANOE
Are 5 trait factors stable over time?
generally stable, but do change over development
How heritable are 5 trait factors?
heritability is 40% for each trait
Are 5 trait factors consistent across cultures
yes, can predict behavior
Critiques of Trait Perspective
- Traits vs. Behaviors (traits consistent, behaviors not)
- Personality test scores weak predictor of behavior in any given situation
Avg. outgoingness, carelessness, etc. across many situations predictable; we are certain type of person on avg. across many situations
Social-cognitive Perspective
behavior is influenced by interaction between people’s traits & their social context
- personality is result of trait & social context interaction
Best predictor of behavior (social-cognitive)
past behavior in a similar situation
Critiques of social-cognitive perspective
focus more on situation & fail to appreciate inner traits
Self Esteem
degree in which the self is perceived positively or negatively
-feelings of high/low self worth
Is self esteem good? how & how not?
-good: + correlated w health & success
-bad: - correlated w depression & anxiety
Needs to be based in reality!
What type of self esteem is most likely to lead to aggression?
Inflated high self esteem
Narcissism
excessive self love & absorption
3 components: unrealistic sense of superiority, entitlement, lack of empathy
Self-control
capacity to regulate attention, emotion, behavior in presence of temptation
control impulses, delay gratification, resist temptations
What do marshmallows tell us about self control?
The kids who waited to eat the marshmallows had more self control
What does self control predict?
healthy, higher SAT, lower BMI, lower divorce rate
5 self-control strategies
- Situation Selection/ Modification
- Cognitive Reappraisal
- Temptation Bundling
- Implementation Intentions
- Response Modulation
Situation Modification
remove temptations from view or easy reach
ex: move candy dish out of reach
Cognitive Reappraisal
rethink the temptation (abstractly or in 3rd person)
ex: what would you tell your friend to do?
Temptation Bundling
pair boring thing w something fun
ex: listen to audio book only while at gym
Implementation Intentions
specify when, where, and how of goal-directed behavior in advance (“if…then” statement)
ex: “when i get home from dinner, then i will read ch 3”
Response Modulation
using effortful “willpower” to not five in to temptation
Just don’t do it! Plain self control
ex: piece of cake in front of you & just don’t eat it
LAST RESORT
