Chapter 6: Identity and personality Flashcards
self-concept
sum of the thoughts and feelings about oneself; includes self-schemas and appraisal of one’s past and future self
identity
a piece of an individual’s self concept based on the groups to which that person belongs and their relationships with other; we have multiple identities that shape who we are; ONE self-concept
Gender identity
appraisal on scales of masculinity and femininity; androgyny: both very masculine & feminine; undifferentiated: low on both scales
Ethnic identity
common ancestry, language, culture
nationality
based on political borders; shared history, cuisine, national symbols
Hierarchy of salience
we let the situation dictate which identity is most important to us at a given moment in order to distinguish ourselves; more salient identities bring us to conform more to role expectations of those identities
Self-discrepancy theory
we have three selves: actual self (self-concept), ideal self (who we want to be), and ought self (our representation of the way others think we should be); closer these selves are to one another, the higher the self-esteem
self-efficacy
our belief in our ability to succeed
learned helplessness
results from being unable to avoid negative consequences, lack of control; possible model of depression
Freud’s theory of psychosocial development
5 stages, based on libido (sex drive): first oral stage (gratification through putting things in your mouth, anal stage (focus on eliminating waste, toilet training), phallic/Oedipal stage (male envies father’s relationship with mother, daughter jealous of not having penis), latency stage (until puberty, and genital stage (enters into normal heterosexual relationships; fixation=frustration in any of these stages
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
emphasizes emotional development and interaction with the social environment; mastery of each stage not required to move on to the next; ex. first stage: trust vs. mistrust-should I trust the world? then autonomy vs. shame-is it ok to be me?
Kohlberg’s theory of personality development
focuses on the development of moral thinking and growth of cognitive abilities; stage 1-preconventional morality (preadolescent thinking), stage 2-conventional morality (normal adults), stage 3-requires level of reasoning that few are capable of
Vygotsky thoery of development
concept of zone of proximal development-skills and abilities that are in the process of development, require help of a more knowledgable other
Theory of mind
ability to sense how another person is thinking/feeling; being able to step inside someone else’s shoes
looking-glass self
ability to recognize how other think about us and respond to these judgments; relies on others reflecting our selves back to ourselves
reference group
who we are comparing ourselves to
personality
how we act and react to the world around us; traits and behaviors that are characteristic of an individual throughout time
Psychoanalytic theories of personality
unconscious internal states motivate actions and determine personality
Freud’s personality model
consists of id, ego, and superego; id: basic urges to survive, aims to achieve pleasure in the now; ego:operates according to the reality principle- aims to postpone pleasure until satisfaction can be achieved, secondary process, also moderates desires of superego; superego: focused on idealism and being a perfectionist
Rorschach inkblot test
used to gain insight into a patient’s mind; ambiguous shapes are interpreted by a patient, who supposedly projects their unconscious feelings onto the shape
thematic apperception test
consists of a series of pictures presented to client, who is asked to make up a story about each one
rationalization
justification of behaviors in a way that is acceptable to the self and society
displacement
transfer of undesired urge from one person/thing to another; ex. someone angry at their boss holds it in but snaps at spouse when they get home
sublimation
transfer of unacceptable urges into socially accepted behaviors
