Chapter 12 Flashcards
personality
an individuals characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and acting
free association
Freud
method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
unconscious
Freud
a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories
psychoanalysis
Freud
- theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
- techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
ego
Freud
largely conscious “executive” part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality
-operates under reality principle, satisfying id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
superego
Freud
part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations
id
Freud
contains a reservoir or unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives
-operates pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
psychosexual stages:
childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
oedipus complex
Freud
a boy’s sexual desires towards his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for rival father
identification
Freud
processing by which children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos
(gender identity)
fixation
Freud
a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
defense mechanisms (Freud)
the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
defense mechanisms:
repression
basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
defense mechanisms:
regression
retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage where psychic energy remains fixated
defense mechanisms:
reaction formation
switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites
defense mechanisms:
projection
disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
defense mechanisms:
rationalization
offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions
defense mechanisms:
displacement
shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable/less threatening object/person
Neo-Freudian
- accept: id, ego, superego, unconscious, shaping of personality in childhood, dynamics of anxiety and the defense mechanism
- disagree: more emphasis should be placed on conscious mind’s role, doubt sex and aggression are all consuming motivations
- collective unconscious
collective unconscious
Carl Jung
concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
projective tests
personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
Rorschach Inkblot test
- most widely used projective test; set of 10 inkblots
- seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
self actualization
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 ones potential
Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Perspective
- people are basically good and endowed with self-actualizing tendencies
- growth-promoting climate requires three conditions: genuineness, acceptance, empathy
genuineness
open with their own feelings, drop their facades, and are transparent and self-disclosing
acceptance
offer unconditional positive regard, an attitude of grace that values us even knowing our failures
empathy
sharing or mirroring other’s feelings and reflecting their meanings
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves
trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel or act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
personality inventories
a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings/behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
originally developed to identify emotional disorders
empirically derived test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and ten selecting those that discriminate between groups
Big five personality factors
- conscientiousness
- agreeableness
- neuroticism
- openness
- extraversion
social-cultural perspective:
Albert Bandura
emphasized interaction of our traits with our situations
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment
biological influences of personality
- genetics
- autonomous nervous system activity
- brain activity
psychological influences of personality
- learned responses
- unconscious thought process
- expectations and interpretations
social-cultural influences on personality
- influence of the situation
- cultural expectations
- social support
personal control
extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless
external locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate
internal locus of control
the perception that you control your own fate
learned helplessness
the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns
spotlight effect
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance
