Chapter 14 Flashcards
personality def
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
-assumes there is consistency
psychodynamic theories
-proposes that behavior is the dynamic interaction between the conscious and unconscious mind
-Textbook def: theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
-doesn’t depict reality bc it is based on studies of people who were ill
“pyschic energy needed to come out by life instinct or death instinct
psychoanalysis
1) Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.
2) Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the analyst’s interpretations of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.
Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective
concluded that their problems reflected unacceptable thoughts and feelings, hidden away in the unconscious mind
unconscious def
a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.
free association def
in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
id def
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.
-operates on the pleasure principle
-demanding immediate gratification
*totally unconscious
-ex: infant
ego def
the partly conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, the superego, and reality.
-operates on the reality principle
-satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
*unconscious and conscious
-ex: about 2 years old
superego def
the partly conscious part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
*unconscious and conscious
psychosexual stages def
he 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.
psychosexual stages: Oral (0–18 months)
Pleasure centers on the mouth—sucking, biting, chewing
*denial of this leads to pathology
psychosexual stages: Anal (18–36 months)
Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control
*crisis: toilet training/ control
psychosexual stages: Phallic (3–6 years)
Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings
*conflict: boys are sexually attached to their mother’s so boy worships his father, girls are envious of the penis
psychosexual stages: Latency (6 years to puberty)
A phase of dormant sexual feelings
*demands of environment
psychosexual stages: Genital (puberty on)
Maturation of sexual interests
*mutual sexual gratification with a partner
Oedipus complex def
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father.
identification def
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
fixate def
in psychoanalytic theory, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
defense mechanism def
ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
repression def
basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.
-1st line of defense
-sometimes it may be incomplete and may be manifested as symbols in dreams or slips of the tongue
*blocks memories
regression def
Retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
-ex:A little boy reverts to the oral comfort of thumb sucking in the car on the way to his first day of school.
Reaction formation def
Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites
-ex: Repressing angry feelings, a person displays exaggerated friendliness.
projection def
Disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
-ex: “The thief thinks everyone else is a thief” (an El Salvadoran saying).
rationalization def
Offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions
-ex: A habitual drinker says she drinks with her friends “just to be sociable.”
displacement def
Shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
-ex: A little girl kicks the family dog after her mother puts her in a time-out.
Denial def
Refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
-ex: A partner denies evidence of his loved one’s affair.
*only one that comes outside of the self
collective unconscious def
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.
Modern research contradicts many of Freud’s ideas
-development is lifelong, not fixed in childhood
-parental influence is overestimated and peer influence underestimated
-oedipus complex is questioned
-gender identity develops earlier than Freud theorized and is possible without the influence of a same-sex parent in home
-belief that dreams disguise and fulfill wishes is disputed as is the idea that suppressed sexuality causes psychological disorders
Freud’s major contributions
-drew attention to vast unconscious
-struggled to cope with sexuality
terror-management theory
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
projective test def
a personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of people’s inner dynamics.
Rorschach inkblot test
the most widely used projective test. Designed by Hermann Rorschach, the test seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots
humanistic theorists def
theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.
hierarchy of needs def
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before people can fulfill their higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs
Self-actualization def
according to 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 one’s potential
self-transcendence def
according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self
person-centered perspective def
held that people are basically good and are endowed with self-actualization tendencies
-became a therapy
-characteristics of growth: genuineness, acceptance, and empathy
unconditional positive regard def
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance
Genuineness def
being honest, direct, not using a facade
acceptance def
acknowledging feelings, even problems, without passing judgement; honoring not devaluing
*unconditional positive regard
empathy def
turning into the feelings of others, showing your efforts to understand, listening well
self-concept def
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?
Evaluating humanistic theories
*influences
-influenced counseling, education, child raising, and management
-laid groundwork for positive psychology
-renewed interest in the concept of the self
*criticisms
-present vague and subjective concepts
-advance individualism and self-centered values
-offer naively optimistic assumptions
traits
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.
trait theorist def
-see personality as a stable and enduring pattern of behavior
-describe differences rather than trying to explain them
-use factor analysis to identify clusters (5) of behavior tendencies that occur together
-suggest that genetic predispositions influence many traits
Factor analysis def
statistical procedure that identifies clusters (factors) of test items that tap basic components of a trait/intelligence
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire
Extraversion and emotionality factors inevitably emerged as basic personality dimensions
*introversion/extroversion and emotional stability are connected directly to philosophical systems
biology and personality
-brain-activity scans of extraverts indicate that they seek stimulation because normal brain arousal is relatively low
-dopamine and dopamine-related neural activity tend to be higher in extraverts
Stigma of introversion
introversion is often misunderstood as shyness, but introverted people often simply seek low levels of stimulation from their environment
Personality inventories
a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.
empirically derived test
a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups.
The Big Five Factors
researchers identified five factors—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—that describe personality.
*CANOE
Conscientiousness def
-orientation towards work
-disorganized, careless, impulsive
-organized, careful, disciplined
Agreeableness def
-nice, warm, friendly
-ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative
-soft-hearted, trusting, helpful
Neuroticism def
-orientation towards emotion
-calm, secure, self-satisfied
-anxious, insecure, self-pitying
openness def
-orientation towards activities/ideas
-practical, prefers routine, conforming
-imaginative, prefers variety, independent
Extraversion def
-orientation towards preference of people
-retiring, sober, reserved
-sociable, fun-loving, affectionate
Big Five Research Questions
-traits are very stable
-self-ratings on these traits match others ratings
-traits do reflect differing brain structure
-traits reflect birth order
-traits apply well to various cultures
-predict our actual behaviors
Person-situation controversy
-behavior is influenced by the interaction of our inner disposition with our environment
-personality traits are predictors of morality, divorce, and occupational attainment
-consistency of specific behaviors from one situation to another is weak
-average behaviors are predictable
-situation powerfully influences a person’s behavior
social-cognitive perspective def
a view of behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context.
-emphasize interaction of our traits with our situations
-applies principles of learning, cognition, and social behavior to personality
*you elicit the responses you get from the environment
reciprocal determinism def
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
Interaction of individuals and environment
-different people choose different environments
-personalities shape how people interpret and react to events
-personalities help create situations to which people react
self def
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
social-cognitive theorists def
-build on concepts of learning and cognition
-contend that the best way to predict behavior in a given situation is to observe that behavior in similar situations
-downplay the importance of unconscious motives, emotions, and biologically influenced traits
spotlight effect def
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
self-esteem def
our feelings of high or low self-worth
-correlates with less pressure to conform, persistence at difficult tasks, happiness
-increases dramatically throughout life span
self-efficacy def
our sense of competence and effectiveness
costs of self-esteem
-excessive optimism
-may lead to complacency
-may prevent recognition of real risks
-may be self-defeating when dealing with temptations
-may be directed toward a group
Costs of self-esteem
-blindness to one’s own incompetence
-self-serving bias
self-serving bias def
a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably
narcissism def
excessive self-love and self-absorption
Defensive self-esteem def
-fragile
-threatened by failure and criticism, and more vulnerable to perceived threats that feed anger and feelings of vulnerability
Secure self-esteem
-less fragile
-less contingent on external evaluations and more likely to achieve a greater quality of life
