Chapter 11-Personality

Question 1

What is a projective test?

Answer 1

A personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides an unclear image designed to trigger projection of the test-taker’s unconscious thoughts or feelings.

Question 2

What is personality?

Answer 2

An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Question 3

What is unconscious?

Answer 3

According to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories.

Question 4

What is free association?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What is psychoanalysis?

Answer 5

Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed that the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.

Question 6

What is the id?

Answer 6

A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.

Question 7

What is the ego?

Answer 7

The largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, balances the demands of the id, superego, and reality.

Question 8

What is the superego?

Answer 8

The part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future goals.

Question 9

What are the psychosexual stages?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

What are defense mechanisms?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What is repression?

Answer 11

In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness the thoughts, feelings, and memories that arouse anxiety.

Question 12

What is psychodynamic theory?

Answer 12

View of personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences.

Question 13

What is self-acutalization?

Answer 13

According to Maslow, the psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill our potential.

Question 14

What is a trait?

Answer 14

A characteristic pattern of behavior or a tendency to feel and act in a certain way, as assessed by self-reports on a personality test.

Question 15

What is the social-cognitive perspective?

Answer 15

Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between persons (and their thinking) and their social context.

Question 16

What is self-esteem?

Answer 16

Our feelings of high or low self-worth.

Question 17

What is individualism?

Answer 17

Giving priority to our own goals over group goals and defining our identity in terms of personal traits rather than group membership.

Question 18

What is collectivism?

Answer 18

Giving priority to the goals over our group (often our extended family or work group) and defining our identity accordingly.

Question 19

According to Freud’s ideas about the three-part personality structure, the _ operates on the reality principle and tries to balance demands in a way that produces long-term pleasure rather than pain; the _ operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification; the _ represents the voice of our internalized ideals (our conscience).

Answer 19

Ego; Id; Superego

Question 20

In the psychoanalytic view, conflicts unresolved during one of the psychosexual stages may lead to _ at that stage.

Answer 20

Fixation

Question 21

Freud believed that our defense mechanisms operate _ (consciously/unconsciously) and defend us against _.

Answer 21

Unconsciously; Anxiety.

Question 22

What are the Big Five personality factors?

Answer 22

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (emotional stability vs instability), Openness, and Extraversion. (CANOE)

Question 23

How well do personality tests predict our behavior?

Answer 23

Our scores on personality tests predict our average behavior across many situations much better than they predict our specific behavior in any given situation.

Question 24

According to the social-cognitive perspective, what is the best way to predict a person’s future behavior?

Answer 24

Examine the person’s past behavior patterns in similar situations.

Question 25

The tendency to accept responsibility for success and blame circumstance or bad luck for failures is called - _. The tendency to overestimate other’s attention to and evaluation of our appearance, performance, and blunders is called the _ _.

Answer 25

Self-serving bias; Spotlight effect

Question 26

_ (secure/defensive) self-esteem correlates with aggressive and antisocial behavior. _ (secure/defensive) self-esteem is a healthier self-image that allows us to focus beyond ourselves and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Answer 26

Defensive; Secure