Chapter 14 Textbook Flashcards
Personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
psychodynamic theories
theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
psychoanalysis
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
unconscious
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware
free association
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
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
ego
the largely conscious 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
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represent internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations
psychosexual stages
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
Oedipus complex
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Fixation
a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage in which conflicts were unresolved
defence mechanisms
the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defence mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
6 Defence mechanisms
1) regression
2) reaction formation
3) rationalization
4) displacement
5) denial
6) projection
Regression
retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixed
ex: little boy reverts to the oral comfort of thumb sucking in the car on the way to his first day of school
Reaction Formation
switching unacceptable impulses to their opposites
ex: repressing angry feelings, a person displays exaggerated friendliness
Projection
disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
ex: the thief thinks everyone else is a thief
Rationalization
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 jut to be sociable
Displacement
shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
ex: kicking the dog
Denial
refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
Ex: the partner denies evidence of his loved one’s affair
collective unconscious
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history
projective test
a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
thematic apperception test
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interest through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach inkblot test
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the dots
terror-management theory
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioural responses to reminders of their impending death
Three big ideas from Freud’s work
1) the importance of childhood experiences
2) the existence of the unconscious mind
3) our self-protective defence mechanisms
humanistic theories
view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth
self-actualization
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
unconditional positive regard
an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “who am I?”
personality inventory
a questionnaire (often there-false, 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
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders. This test is now used for many other screening purposes
Empirically derived test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Hans Eysenck and Sybil Eysenck
Introversion and Extroversion and emotional stability and instability
Big 5 Personality Factors
1) Conscientiousness
2) Agreeableness
3) Neuroticism
4) Openness
5) Extraversion
(CANOE)
Why are the big 5 personality factors scientifically useful
these factors may be objectively measured, and research suggests that these factors are relatively stable over the life span and apply to all cultures in which they have been studied
Personality stability
with age, personality traits become more stable
social-cognitive perspective
view behaviour as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and social context
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behaviour, internal cognition, and the environment
Internal personal factors: thoughts and feelings about risky activities
Behaviour: learning to climb
Environmental factors: rock climbing friends
Major Personality Theories
1) psychoanalytic (Freud)
2) Psychodynamic (Adler, Horney, Jung)
3) Humanistic (Rogers, Maslow)
4) Trait (Allport, Eysenck, McCrae, Costa)
5) Social-cognitive (Bandura)
Psychoanalytic
Emotional disorders spring from unconscious dynamics such as unresolved sexual and other childhood conflicts, and fixation at various developmental stages. Defence mechanisms fend off anxiety
Psychodynamic
The unconscious and conscious minds interact. Childhood experiences and defence mechanisms are important
Humanistic
Rather than examining the struggles of sick people, it’s better to focus on the ways healthy people strive for self-realization
Trait
We have certain stable and enduring characteristics influenced by genetic predispositions
Social Cognitive
Our traits and the social context interact to produce our behaviours
Self
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the centre of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
spotlight effect
overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
Best way to predict a persons future behaviour
to examine the person’s past behaviour patterns in similar situations
self-esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self worth
Self-efficacy
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favourably
the tendency to accept responsibility for success and blame circumstances or bad luck for failures (unfair test)
narcissism
excessive self-love and self-absorption
