Chapter 14 - Personality

Question 1

personality

Answer 1

an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting

Question 2

sigmund freuds psychoanalytic theory

Answer 2

said that children sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality

Question 3

humanistic approach

Answer 3

focused on our inner capacities for growth and self fulfillment. focus on the healthy potential self growth

Question 4

trait theories

Answer 4

examine characteristic patterns of behaviour

Question 5

social cognitive theories

Answer 5

explore the interactions between peoples traits and their social context

Question 6

psychodynamic theories

Answer 6

view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Question 7

psychoanalysis

Answer 7

frauds 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

Question 8

unconscious

Answer 8

according to freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. according to contemporary psychologists, info processing of which we are unaware

Question 9

free association

Answer 9

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says what ever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarassing

Question 10

id

Answer 10

a recevoir 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

Question 11

ego

Answer 11

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

Question 12

superego

Answer 12

around 4 or 5, a child is able to recognize it. the part of personality that, according to freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations

Question 13

psychosexual stages

Answer 13

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 (pleasure sensitive areas)

Question 14

Oral stage

Answer 14

0-18 months. pleasure centres on the mouth, sucking, biting, chewing.

Question 15

anal stage

Answer 15

18-36 months. pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control.

Question 16

phallic stage

Answer 16

3-6 years. pleasure zone in the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings. boys hate for father, attraction to mother

Question 17

latency

Answer 17

6-puberty. a phase of dormant sexual feelings.

Question 18

genital

Answer 18

puberty on. maturation of sexual interests

Question 19

oedipus complex

Answer 19

according to freud, a boys sexual desires towards his mother, and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the father. it was also believed that girls experienced a parallel electra complex

Question 20

identification

Answer 20

according to freud, the process by which children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos

Question 21

fixation

Answer 21

according to freud, a lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

Question 22

defence mechanism

Answer 22

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Question 23

repression

Answer 23

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defence mechanism that banishes from consciousness, anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories,

Question 24

manifest content

Answer 24

remembered content of dreams

Question 25

latent content

Answer 25

dreamers unconscious wishes

Question 26

what are the six defence mechanisms?

Answer 26

regression, reaction formation, projection, rationalization, displacement and denial

Question 27

regression

Answer 27

retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated (in certain circumstances doing something you would have done when you were younger)

Question 28

reaction formation

Answer 28

switching unacceptable impulses to their opposites (angry to excited)

Question 29

projection

Answer 29

disguising ones own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Question 30

rationalization

Answer 30

offering self justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for ones actions

Question 31

displacement

Answer 31

shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person

Question 32

denial

Answer 32

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Question 33

Freud overestimated ____________ and underestimated ___________

Answer 33

parental influence, peer influence

Question 34

collective unconscious

Answer 34

carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history

Question 35

projective test

Answer 35

a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of ones inner dynamics

Question 36

thematic apperception test

Answer 36

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.

Question 37

rorschach inkblot test

Answer 37

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Question 38

false consensus effect

Answer 38

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviours

Question 39

terror management theory

Answer 39

the theory of death related anxiety; explores peoples emotional and behavioural responses to reminders of their impending death

Question 40

self actualization

Answer 40

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 full fill ones potential

Question 41

self transcendence

Answer 41

meaning, purpose, and communion beyond the self

Question 42

unconditional positive regard

Answer 42

according to rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

Question 43

self concept

Answer 43

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question: who am I?

Question 44

trait

Answer 44

a characteristic pattern of behaviour or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self report inventories and peer reports

Question 45

personality inventory

Answer 45

often true or false. questionnaires covering a wide range of feelings and behaviours - assess several traits at once

Question 46

Minnesota multiphase personality inventory (MMPI)

Answer 46

the most widely used researched and clinically used of all personality tests. originaly developed to identify emotional disorders, this test is now used for many other screening purposes

Question 47

empirically derived tests

Answer 47

a test (such as MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups

Question 48

social cognitive perspective

Answer 48

views behaviour as influenced by the interaction between people traits (including their thinking) and their social context

Question 49

reciprocal determinism

Answer 49

the interacting influences of behaviour, internal cognition and environment

Question 50

self

Answer 50

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the centre of personality, the organizers of our thoughts, feelings and actions

Question 51

spotlight effect

Answer 51

overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as we presume a spotlight shines on us)

Question 52

self esteem

Answer 52

ones feeling of high or low self worth

Question 53

self efficacy

Answer 53

ones sense of competence and effectiveness

Question 54

self serving bias

Answer 54

a readineess to perceive oneself favourably

Question 55

narcissism

Answer 55

excessive self love