Chapter 12: Theory, Research, and Assessment Flashcards
What is personality?
An individuals unique constellation of consistent behavioural traits
What is a personality trait?
A durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations
Define factor analysis
correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables
What are the “big five”?
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Openness to experience
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
Define extraversion
Characterized as outgoing, sociable, upbeat, friendly, assertive, and gregarious
They have a more positive outlook on life
Define neuroticism
Characterized as anxious, hostile, self-conscious, insecure, and vulnerable
Tend to be more impulsive and emotionally instable
Define openness to experience
Characterized with curiosity, flexibility, imaginativeness, intellectual pursuits, interest in new ideas, and unconventional attitudes
Tend to be tolerant of ambiguity
Define agreeableness
Characterized as sympathetic, trusting, cooperative, modest, and straightforward
Correlated with empathy and helping behaviour
Define conscientiousness
Characterized as diligent, well-organized, punctual, and dependable
Tend to have strong self-discipline and the ability to regulate oneself effectively
What are psychodynamic theories?
All diverse theories descended from the work of Sigmund Freud, which focus on unconscious mental forces
Define id
The primitive, instinctive component of personality that operates according the the pleasure principle
What is the pleasure principle?
Demands immediate gratification of it’s urges
Define ego
The decision-making component of personality that operates according to the reality principle
What is the reality principle?
Seeks to delay gratification of the id’s urges until appropriate outlets and situations can be found
Define superego
The moral component of personality that incorporates social standards about what is right and wrong
Explain conscious
Consists of whatever one is aware of at a particular point in time
Explain preconscious
Contains material just beneath the surface of awareness that can easily be retrieved
Explain unconscious
Contains thought, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but nonetheless exert great influence on behaviour
What are defense mechanisms?
Largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and guilt
What is rationalization?
Creating false but plausible excuses to justify unacceptable behaviour
List all different defense mechanisms
- Repression
- Projection
- Displacement
- Reaction formation
- Regression
- Identification
- Sublimation
Define repression
Keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious
Define projection
Attributing one’s own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another
Define displacement
Diverting emotional feelings (usually anger) from their original source to a substitute target
Define reaction formation
Behaving in a way that’s exactly the opposite of one’s true feelings
Define regression
Reversion to immature patterns of behaviour
Define identification
Bolstering self-esteem by forming an imaginary or real alliance with some person or group
Define sublimation
Occurs when unconscious, unacceptable impulses are channeled into socially acceptable, perhaps even admirable, behaviours
What are psychosexual stages?
Developmental periods with a characteristic sexual focus that leave their mark on adult personality
What is fixation?
Failure to move forward from one stage to another as expected
What are Freuds stages of psychosexual development?
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latency
- Genital
Explain the oedipal complex (phallic stage)
Children manifest erotically tinged desires for their opposite-sex parent, accompanied by feelings of hostility towards their same-sex parent
Who proposed analytical psychology? and define it
Carl Jung
Consists of the personal unconscious, similar to Freud’s theory and the collective conscious, latent memories inherited from ancestorial past
Who propose individual psychology? and define it
Alfred Adler
The foremost source of human motivation is the striving for superiority
What is compensation?
Efforts to overcome imagined or real inferiorities by developing one’s abilities
What is behaviourism?
A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behaviour
What is reciprocal determinism?
The idea that internal mental events, external environmental events, and overt behaviour all influence one another
What is observational learning?
When an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of other’s who are called models
What is self-efficacy?
One’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviours that should lead to expected outcomes
What is humanism?
A theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth
What is the phenomenological approach?
One has to appreciate individuals personal, subjective experiences to truly understand their behaviour
What is self-concept?
A collection of beliefs about one’s own nature, unique qualities, and typical behaviour
What is the dunning-kruger effect?
A cognitive bias in which individuals who possess low or no expertise or knowledge in a specific situation are unaware of those deficits
What is incongruence?
The degree of disparity between one’s self-concept and one’s actual experience
What is self-regulation?
The self’s ability to alter it’s actions and behaviours
What is the hierarchy of needs?
A systematic arrangement of needs, according to priority, in which basic needs must be met before less basic needs are aroused
What is self-actualization?
The need to fulfill one’s potential; it is the highest need in maslow’s hierarchy
What are self-actualizing persons?
People with exceptionally healthy personalities, marked by continued personal growth
What is narcissism?
A personality trait marked by an inflated sense of importance, a need for attention and admiration, a sense of entitlement, and a tendency to exploit other
Define the dark triad
Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism
