Chapter 14 Flashcards
personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Personality
view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
Psychodynamic Theories
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
Psychoanalysis
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.
Unconscious
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
Free Association
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.
Id
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
Ego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
Superego
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
Psychosexual Stages
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Oedipus Complex
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Identification
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
Fixation
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Defense Mechanism
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
Repression
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
Collective Unconscious
a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
Projective Test
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Rorschach Inkblot Tests
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Terror Management Theory
theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth
Humanistic Theories
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active
Hierarchy of Needs
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-Actualization
according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self
Self-Transcendence
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance
Unconditional Positive regard
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Self-Concept
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Trait
a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits
Personality Inventory
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.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Empirically Derived Test
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context.
social-cognitive perspective
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
Reciprocal Determinism
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
Self
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
Spotlight Effect
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth
Self-Esteem
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
Self-Efficacy
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
Self-Serving Bias
excessive self-love and self-absorption
Narcissism
