Chapter 11 - Personality Flashcards
What is personality?
the unique characteristics that account for enduring patterns of inner experience and outward behaviour
What did Freud do?
decided that people are influenced by their “unconscious” (based on clinical practice); developed psychoanalysis; was the first to emphasize early childhood experiences
Conscious
thoughts and feelings that we are aware of at any given moment
Preconscious
holds memories or feelings that we aren’t consciously thinking of but can be brought to consciousness
Unconscious
holds memories or feelings that are so unpleasant or anxiety provoking that they are repressed
id (Structure of Personality)
a hedonistic, self-satisfying element that operates entirely by the pleasure principle; seeking immediate gratification for all it desires
Superego (Structure of Personality)
moral part of mind; wants to do what’s right; perfection principle; mostly unconscious
Ego (Structure of Personality)
mediator that tries to satisfy id and superego; operates according to reality principle; if it cannot strike a compromise it results in anxiety
Defense Mechanisms
Unconscious tactics used by ego to protect us from anxiety in knowing our unconscious desires
What did Freud suggest about psychosexual stages?
a child’s personality develops as they pass through stages driven by sexuality and aggression; named for the pleasure producing areas of the body that the id focuses o (erogenous zones; oral, anal, etc); conflicts between forces of the mind are centered around issues associated with the body part
Fixation (Psychosexual Stages)
can get stuck at any stage (unresolved conflict/trauma) resulting in certain personalities
ex. oral fixation when trying to wean
Oral Personality
needy/childlike behavior, demanding to be consoled, may have an oral fixation as an adult
Anal Personality
completely uptight, always wanting control OR the other end: apathy, little self control, hostility
Phallic Personality
sexual obsession OR despise all sex
Latency Personality
no fixations
Genital Personality
sexual dysfunction and unsatisfactory relationships
What were the beliefs of neo-Freudians?
human functioning is shaped by dynamic (interacting) psychological factors (id, ego, superego); defense mechanisms; much of mental life is unconscious; childhood shapes personality; we struggle with inner conflicts; disagreed with Freud’s fixation with sex
Individual Psychology
focus on feelings of control were important; need for power in compensation for feelings of inferiority
What did Alfred Adler do?
coined the term “inferiority complex”; development through social motives and social connections; birth order relating to personality
What did Erik Erikson do?
social relationships at various stages of life have different impacts on our personality; healthy personality develops through demonstrating ones competencies during each stage’s task
What did Carl Jung do?
proposed introversion and extroversion; publicly disagreed with Freud on 1. sexual drive being a primary motivator 2. the unconscious has two parts;
Analytical Psychology
balance opposing forces of conscious and unconscious thought; continuous process
Personal Unconscious
forms individual experiences
Collective Unconscious
Cumulative storehouse of inherited memories shared by humankind; universal version of personal unconscious