Chapter 14: Personality

Question 1

personality

Answer 1

an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Question 2

psychodynamic theories

Answer 2

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

Question 3

psychoanalysis

Answer 3

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

Question 4

unconscious

Answer 4

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

Question 5

free association

Answer 5

in psychoanalysis, a method in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarassing

Question 6

id

Answer 6

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

Question 7

ego

Answer 7

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 desire in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Question 8

superego

Answer 8

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscious) and for future aspirations

Question 9

psychosexual stages

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Oedipus complex

Answer 10

according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Question 11

identification

Answer 11

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

Question 12

fixation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

defense mechanisms

Answer 13

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

Question 14

repression

Answer 14

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

Question 15

collective unconscious

Answer 15

Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Question 16

projective test

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Rorschach inkblot test

Answer 18

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

Question 19

terror-management theory

Answer 19

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioural responses to reminders of their impending death

Question 20

humanistic theories

Answer 20

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Question 21

self-actualization

Answer 21

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

Question 22

unconditional positive regard

Answer 22

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

Question 23

self-concept

Answer 23

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

Question 24

trait

Answer 24

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

Question 25

personality inventory

Answer 25

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 behaviours; used to assess selected personality traits

Question 26

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Answer 26

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

Question 27

empirically derived test

Answer 27

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

Question 28

reciprocal determinism

Answer 28

the interacting influences of behaviour, internal cognition, and environment

Question 29

self

Answer 29

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

Question 30

spotlight effect

Answer 30

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

Question 31

self-esteem

Answer 31

one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

Question 32

self-efficacy

Answer 32

one’s sense of competence and effectiveness

Question 33

self-serving bias

Answer 33

a readiness to perceive oneself favourably

Question 34

narcissism

Answer 34

excessive self-love and self-absorption