Chapter 10: Personality Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

personality

A

an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

psychodynamic theories

A

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

psychoanalysis

A

(1) Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. (2) Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique used in treating psychological disorders. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the therapist’s interpretations of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

unconscious

A

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

free association

A

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

ego

A

the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

id

A

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

superego

A

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

psychosexual stages

A

the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Oedipus complex

A

according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

identification

A

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

fixation

A

(1) in cognition, the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving. (2) in personality theory, according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

defense mechanisms

A

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

collective unconscious

A

Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

repression

A

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

projective test

A

a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Thematic Apperception Test

A

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

17
Q

Rorschach inkblot test

A

the most widely used projective test; a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

18
Q

terror-management theory

A

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

19
Q

humanistic theories

A

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

20
Q

hierarchy of needs

A

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active

21
Q

self-actualization

A

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

22
Q

self-transcendence

A

according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

23
Q

unconditional positive regard

A

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

24
Q

self-concept

A

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

25
Q

trait

A

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

26
Q

personality inventory

A

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

26
Q

social-cognitive perspective

A

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context

27
Q

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

A

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes

28
Q

empirically derived test

A

a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups

29
Q

self

A

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

29
Q

behavioral approach

A

focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

30
Q

reciprocal determinism

A

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

31
Q

self-esteem

A

one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

32
Q

spotlight effect

A

overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)

33
Q

self-efficacy

A

one’s sense of competence and effectiveness

34
Q

self-serving bias

A

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably

35
Q

narcissism

A

excessive self-love and self-absorption

36
Q

individualism

A

giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

37
Q

collectivism

A

giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly