Chapter 12: Personality Flashcards
antisocial personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by extreme and callous disregard for the feelings and rights of others.
borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by severe instability in emotions and self-concept and high levels of volatility.
defence mechanisms
unconscious tactics employed by the ego to protect the individual from anxiety.
ego
according to psychoanalytic theory, the personality element that works to help satisfy the drives of the id while complying with the constraints placed on behaviour by the environment.
-unconscious
five-factor theory
personality inventory-NEO-PI-RI - Costa & McCrae
an empirically derived trait theory that proposes five major trait categories: agreeableness/disagreeableness, extroversion/introversion, neuroticism/stability, conscientiousness/irresponsibility, and openness to experience/unimaginativeness.
id
according to psychoanalytic theory, the personality element representing basic instinctual drives, such as those related to eating, sleeping, sex, and comfort.
-unconscious
interactionism
a view emphasizing the relationship between a person’s underlying personality traits and the reinforcing aspects of the situations in which they choose to put themselves.
neurosis
an abnormal behaviour pattern caused by unresolved conflicts between the id, ego, and superego.
personality
the unique characteristics that account for enduring patterns of inner experience and outward behaviour.
personality disorder
an inflexible pattern of inner experience and outward behaviour that causes distress or difficulty with daily functioning.
personality inventory
a questionnaire designed to assess various aspects of personality.
personality traits
tendencies to behave in certain ways that remain relatively constant across situations.
phrenology
a method of assessing a person’s mental and moral qualities by studying the shape of the person’s skull.
positive psychology
an area of psychology focusing on positive experiences and healthy mental functioning.
projective test
a personality assessment device intended to tap a person’s unconscious by presenting the person with an ambiguous stimulus and asking the person to interpret what the stimulus means.
-out dated
psychosexual stages
according to psychoanalytic theory, stages in the development of personality; the stages—labelled
- oral
- anal
- phallic, latency, and genital—are primarily influenced by sexuality and aggression.
repression
the most basic defence mechanism; the process of keeping unpleasant memories or thoughts buried deep within the unconscious mind.
self-actualization
the need of humans to fulfill their full and special potential; the highest level of need in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
self-concept
a pattern of self-perception that remains consistent over time and can be used to characterize an individual.
situationism
the view that behaviour is governed primarily by the variables in a given situation rather than by internal traits.
socially desirable responding
tailoring answers on personality inventories to try to create a good impression.
social role theory
theory that gender differences occur because girls and boys develop different behaviours and skills based largely on differences in gender role expectations.
superego
the personality element in charge of determining which impulses are acceptable to express openly and which are unacceptable; develops as we observe and internalize the behaviours of others in our culture.
-subconscious and conscious
superfactor
a fundamental dimension of personality made up of a related cluster of personality traits.
unconditional positive regard
acceptance without terms or conditions.
Some common defence mechanisms
- Repression
- Denial
- rationalization
- reaction formation
- sublimation
- regression
- identification
- intellectualization
neo-Freudians
some of Freud’s followers (Alfred Adler, Carl G. Jung, and Karen Horney) split away to form their own schools of though
Alfred Adler
believed that social needs and conscious thoughts are more important to human behaviour than sexual needs and other unconscious motivations
Carl G. Jung
- added a new dimension: the collective unconscious
- Jung’s system, the unconscious has two parts. The personal unconscious, formed from individual experiences, is similar to the unconscious as seen by Freud. The collective unconscious, however, is not a private entity like the personal unconscious. Instead, it is a cumulative storehouse of inherited memories shared by all humankind
Extroversion
the degree to which a person is outgoing and enjoys interacting with others. An extrovert has personality traits such as impulsiveness, sociability, and assertiveness. At the other end of the spectrum, an introvert displays traits such as thoughtfulness, reliability, and passivity.
Neuroticism
the degree to which a person tends to experience negative emotions, also known as mental instability.
Psychoticism
the degree to which a person is vulnerable to developing the serious disorders known as psychoses, in which contact with reality is lost in key ways.