Chapter 11: Personality Flashcards
Personality
- long standing traits and patterns that influences how one thinks, feels, and behaves
- long term, stable, not easily changed
Psychodynamic Perspective
Proposed by Sigmund Freud.
unconscious drive influenced by sex, aggression, and childhood sexuality, are the forces that influence personality
Id
- unconscious
- contains our primitive drives and urges (inner desires)
- present at birth
- operates on the pleasure principle, where id seeks immediate gratification
Bad angel on one’s shoulder.
Superego
- conscience
-
moral compass, how one should behave
- judges poor behavior
- develops as a child interacts with others and learns what is socially acceptable
Good angel on one’s shoulder.
Ego
- rationale
- part of personality seen by others
- one’s self
- if one has a strong ego, they balance the needs of the id and superego and have a healthy personality
What could imbalances between the id, superego, and ego lead to?
- neurosis - tendency to experience negative emotions
- anxiety disorders
- unhealthy behaviors
Defense Mechanism
Proposed by Sigmund Freud.
- results from conflict between the id and the superego
- ego seeks to restore balance (avoid mechanisms) by using defense mechanisms
What are the 8 defense mechanisms?
- Denial - refuse to accept real events because they are unpleasant
- Displacement - transfer inappropriate urges or behaviors to a more acceptable or less threatening target
- Projection - attribute unnacceptable desires to others
- Rationalization - justify behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less acceptable reasons
- Reaction Formation - reduce anxiety by adopting beliefs contrary to own beliefs
- Regression - return to coping strategies for less mature stages of development
- Repression - supress painful memories and thoughts
- Sublimation - redirect unnacceptable desires through socially acceptable channels
What are the 5 psychosexual stages of personality development?
Proposed by Sigmund Freud.
- Oral Stage (0-1 years)
- Anal Stage (1-3 years)
- Phallic Stage (3-6 years)
- Latency Period (6-12 years)
- Genital Stage (12+)
Remember that it is the Latency PERIOD, not Latency STAGE.
Oral Stage (0-1 years)
- erogenous zone: mouth
- conflict: weaning off the breast or bottle
- adult fixation: smoking
- adults who bite their nails are fixated in this stage
Anal Stage (1-3 years)
- erogenous zone: anus
- conflict: toilet training
- adult fixation: neatness, messness
- anal-retentive - stingy, stubborn
- anal-expulsive - messy, prone to emotional outbursts
Phallic Stage (3-6 years)
- erogenous zone: genitals
- conflict: Oedipus/Electra Complex, Penis Envy
- Oedipus Complex for boys - desire for mother, urge to replace father who is seen as rival for mother’s attention
- Electra Complex for girls - desire for father’s attention, wishes to take her mother’s place
- Penis Envy - girls experience because they do not have a penis
- adult fixation: vanity
Failure to resolve one’s Electra Complex will result to neurosis and mental illness.
Latency Period (6-12 years)
- erogenous zone: none
- conflict: none
- adult fixation: none
- sexual feelings are dormant, focused on other pursuits
Genital Stage (12+ years)
- erogenous zone: genitals
- conflict: none
- adult fixation: none
- have mature sexual interests
What concepts did Alfred Adler propose?
- Inferiority Complex - a person feels that they lack worth and do not measure up to the standards of society
- birth order shapes personality
Adler founded a school of psychology called Individual Psychology.
Analytical Psychology
Proposed by Carl Jung.
does not accept sexual drive as a primary motivator in a person’s mental life
Collective Unconsciousness
Proposed by Carl Jung.
- memory traces and ancestral (early) memories called archetypes
- archetypes - common experiences represented by “symbolisms,” which could be dreams and biology
- integration of these archetypes lead to self-realization and self-actualization
What are the 4 archetypes?
Proposed by Carl Jung.
- The Hero - achieve certain goals and overcome obstacles
- The Maiden - the female character in need of rescuing, usually by the male hero
- The Sage - profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom and sound judgement
- The Trickster - “raft” of human traits and concerns
Persona
Proposed by Carl Jung.
“mask,” how we present ourselves to the world
Anima/Animus
Proposed by Carl Jung.
- sex roles/gender identity
- Anima - feminine aspect of men
- Animus - masculine part of women
What theory did Karen Horney disagree with? What concept did she propose?
- disagreed with penis envy
- proposed that men have womb envy, jealous that women can conceive children
What are Horney’s 3 coping styles? What traits are associated with each coping style?
- moving towards people - affiliation and dependence
- moving against people - aggression and manipulation
- moving away from people - detachment and isolation
Self-Regulation
- identify a goal or set of goals
- in pursuit of these goals, use:
- internal (thoughts and effect)
- external (response to the environment)
What occurs during the Marshmallow Test? What is the purpose of the study and what does it link?
- researcher leaves child in a room with a marshmallow - can eat immediately or wait and eat two marshmallows
- study delayed gratification and self-regulation in children
- links self-control as a child and success as an adult
- the children who have self-control are more successful later in life
What do updated studies of the marshmallow test show?
- self-control is not essential for success
- reactions are based on economic status
- high income - better self control, typically do not have to wory about food
- low income - lack self control, used to scarce and stolen resources
Temperament
- inborn (born with)
- genetics
Nature, rather than nurture.
Culture
beliefs, customs, art, traditions of a particular society
What leads to regional differences, especially in the United States?
selective migration - people choose to move to a place that is compatible with their needs
