Chapter 6: Personality, Motivation, Attitudes, and Psychological Disorders Flashcards
personality
the individual pattern of thinking, feeling, and behavior associated with each person
Sigmund Freud
developed the idea of psychoanalytic theory
psychoanalytic theory
the idea that personality is shaped by a person’s unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories, which are derived from his or her past experiences (especially interactions with their primary care giver)
According to psychoanalytic theory, what two instinctual drives motivate human behavior?
- libido- drives behaviors focused on survival, growth, creativity, pain avoidance, and pleasure
- death instinct- drives aggressive behaviors fueled by an unconscious wish to die or hurt oneself or others
According to psychoanalytic theory, what three components make up personality?
- id
- ego
- superego
id
is largely unconscious; is the source of energy and instincts; is ruled by the pleasure principle (seeks to avoid pain and gain pleasure); does not use logic or reasoning
(young children function almost entirely from the id)
ego
is ruled by the reality principle (uses logical thinking and planning to control consciousness and the id); tries to find realistic ways to satisfy the id
superego
inhibits the id and influences the ego to follow moralistic and ideal goals, rather than just realistic goals; makes judgments of right and wrong and strives for perfection
Freud’s Five Psychosexual Stages
- The Oral Stage (the child seeks sensual pleasure through oral activities such as sucking and chewing)
- The Anal Stage (the child seeks sensual pleasure through control of elimination)
- The Phallic Stage (the child seeks sensual pleasure through the genitals); during this stage, the child is sexually attracted to the opposite sex parent and hostile to the same sex parent (is called the Oedipus complex in males and the Electra complex in females); during this stage, females develop penis envy because they don’t have one
- The Latency Stage (sexual interests subside and are replaced by other interests)
- The Genital Stage (begins in adolescence when sexual themes resurface)
Followers of Freud
Carl Jung
Karen Horney
Alfred Adler
Erik Erikson
(had more optimistic views of humanity than Freud and saw personality as more changeable throughout the lifespan, rather than as determined only by childhood experiences)
Erik Erikson
extended Freud’s theory of developmental stages by adding social an interpersonal factors to supplement Freud’s focus on unconscious conflict within a person
(developed 8 fundamental stages)
psychoanalytic therapy
uses various methods to help a patient become aware of his or her unconscious motives and to gain insight into the emotional issues and conflicts that are presenting difficulties; tries to strengthen the ego, so that choices can be made based on reality, rather than on instinct (id) or guilt (superego)
Carl Rogers
developed the idea of humanistic theory
humanistic psychology
the idea that humans are inherently good and have a free will, rather than having their behavior determined by early relationships
According to humanistic theory, what is the most basic motive for all people?
the actualizing tendency (an innate drive to maintain and enhance oneself)
humanistic therapy (person-centered therapy)
provides an environment that will help clients trust and accept themselves and their emotional reactions, so that they can learn and grow from their experiences (uses the term client rather than patient to suggest the inherent health of the person)
behaviorist perspective
the idea that personality is a result of learned behavior patterns based on a person’s environment (environmental reinforcement and punishment completely determine an individual’s subsequent behavior and personality)
According to behaviorism, learning occurs through what two forms of conditioning?
- classical conditioning (a person acquires a certain response to a stimulus after that stimulus is repeatedly paired with a second, different stimulus that already produces the desired response)
- operant conditioning (behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them; consequences can be either positive or negative, referring to whether they involve the presence or absence of a particular stimulus)
behavioral therapy
uses conditioning to shape a client’s behaviors in the desired direction; uses the ABC model (the therapist determines the antecedents (stimulus) and consequences of the behavior)
social cognitive perspective
personality is formed by reciprocal interactions among behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors
cognitive behavioral therapy
focuses on the idea that a person’s feelings and behaviors are reactions not to actual events, but to their thoughts about those events; therapy helps to get rid of these irrational thoughts and substitute them with rational and actual beliefs
personality trait
a generally stable predisposition towards a certain behavior
According to trait theorists, what two types of traits exist?
- surface traits (evident from a person’s behavior)
- source traits (factors underlying human personality and behavior)
traits are not binary, but exist on a continuum
Raymond Catell
identified 16 surface traits, 15 of which could be reduced down to 5 global factors (source traits): extroversion, anxiety, receptivity, accommodation, and self-control
McCrae and Costa’s Five Factor Model
Extroversion Neuroticism Openness to Experience Agreeableness Conscientiousness
biological perspective
the idea that personality is at least partly due to innate biological difference among people; is supported by the fact that basic personality traits are heritable
the person-situation controversy (trait versus state controversy)
considers the degree to which a person’s reaction in a given situation is due to their personality or to the situation
traits
internal, stable, and enduring aspects of personality that should be consistent across most situations
states
unstable, temporary, and variable aspects of personality that are influenced by the external environment
instincts
unlearned behaviors that are present in fixed patterns throughout a species (represent the contribution of genes)
drives
urges originating from physiological discomfort such as hunger, thirst, or sleepiness
needs
in addition to physiological drives, includes higher level needs such as aspirations, a need for belonging, etc.
incentives
external stimuli, objects, and events in the environment that help or discourage certain behaviors (as opposed to drives, which are internal)
Abraham Maslow
sought to describe human behavior by creating a hierarchy of needs (first we meet physiological needs; when those are met, we seek safety; then love and belongingness; then self esteem needs; and finally self actualization
psychological disorder
a set of behavioral and/or physiological symptoms that are not in keeping with cultural norms and that are severe enough to cause significant personal distress and/or significant impairment to social, occupational, or personal functioning
panic disorders
a type of anxiety disorder; a person has suffered at least one panic attack and is worried about having more of them (can be causes by something, but are often uncued)
panic attacks
causes a person to experience intense dread along with shortness of breath, chest pain, a choking sensation, and cardiac symptoms; last less than 30 mins, but can be debilitating
generalized anxiety disorder
a type of anxiety disorder; causes a person to feel tense or anxious most of the time about many issues, but does not lead to panic attacks; the source of the stress can change or there may be no identifiable source; the distress is not severe and includes restlessness, tiring easily, difficult concentrating, irritability, etc.
phobia
a type of anxiety disorder; occurs when a person feels a strong fear that they recognize as unreasonable, but almost always causes either generalized anxiety or a panic attack when presented with it; can either be a specific phobia or a social phobia
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a type of anxiety disorder; arises when a person feels intense fear, horror, or helplessness while experiencing, witnessing, or otherwise confronting an extremely traumatic experience that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury to the self or others; symptoms must be present for at least one month
acute stress disorder
is similar to PTSD, but symptoms are present for less than one month
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
a type of anxiety disorder; occurs when a person has obsessions, compulsions, or both
obsessions
repeated, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts or impulses that cause distress or anxiety; the person knows the thoughts are irrational and tries to disregard them or neutralize them through compulsive behaviors
compulsions
repeated mental or physical behaviors that are done in response to an obsession in order to reduce stress or prevent something dreaded from occurring; the person realizes that the behavior is not reasonable
somatoform disorders
psychological disorders characterized primarily by physical symptoms, which may mimic physical diseases, but are not explainable medically and do not improve with medical treatment
conversion disorder
a type of somatoform disorder; occurs when a person experiences changes in sensory or motor function that has no discernible cause and seems to be affected by psychological factors
pain disorder
a type of somatoform disorder; occurs when a person experiences clinically important pain whose onset or severity seems significantly affected by psychological factors
somatization disorder
a type of somatoform disorder; occurs when a person experiences a variety of physical symptoms over an extended period that have caused significant impairment
body dysmorphic disorder
a type of somatiform disorder; occurs when a person is preoccupied with a slight physical anomaly or imagined defect in appearance
hypochondriasis
a type of somatiform disorder; occurs when a person is preoccupied with a fear of having a serious illness for at least 6 months and the fear is not relieved even when medical investigation reveals no illness
schizophrenia
a chronic, incapacitating disorder by which a person is out of touch with reality (psychotic) and suffers material impairment in social, occupational, or personal function; symptoms of psychosis can either be positive (meaning something has been added) or negative (meaning something has been taken away); symptoms must be present for at least 6 months
paranoid-type schizophrenia
psychosis occurs in the form of hallucinations and/or delusions, usually relating to a certain theme; negative symptoms, such as disorganized speech and catatonic behavior are not usually present
disorganized-type schizophrenia
psychosis occurs in the form of a flat or inappropriate affect, disorganized speech (in which words are connected by rhymes, sounds, or free associations to the point where speech becomes unintelligible), and disorganized behavior (includes things like disrobing in public and laughing for no reason); delusions and hallucinations are not prominent
catatonic type schizophrenia
psychosis occurs in the form of catatonic behavior; can include extremely retarded or excited motor activity
undifferentiated-type schizophrenia
occurs when the basic criteria for schizophrenia are met, but the symptoms do not fit into one of the subtypes described
residual type schizophrenia
occurs when the acute phase of schizophrenia has resolved and the symptoms are no longer met, but the person still appears off and some symptoms are still present in milder forms
brief psychotic disorder
occurs when a person has displayed one basic psychotic symptom for less than a month
schizophreniform disorder
occurs when a person has displayed the symptoms of schizophrenia for 1-6 months, during which time the symptoms may or may not have interfered with a person’s functioning
schizoaffective disorder
occurs when both the symptoms of schizophrenia and a major depressive, manic, or mixed episode are experiences for at least one month
mood disorders
a persistant pattern of abnormal mood serious enough to cause significant personal distress and/or significant impairment to social, occupational, and personal function
affect
a person’s visible emotion in the moment
mood
a person’s sustained internal emotion that colors his or her view of life
major depressive disorder
a type of mood disorder; occurs when the person has suffered one or more major depressive episodes, in which they have felt worse than usual for most of the day, nearly everyday, for at least 2 weeks
dysthymic disorder
a less intense, chronic form of depression in which a person has felt milder symptoms of depression most days for at least two years, with symptoms never absent for more than two months, without experiencing any major depressive episodes
bipolar disorder
a type of mood disorder; occurs when a person experiences cyclic mood episodes at both extremes or “poles”: depression and mania
bipolar I disorder
occurs when a person has experienced at least one manic or mixed episode
manic episode
occurs when a person has experienced abnormal euphoric, unrestrained, or irritable mood for at least one week, with at least three of the following symptoms: grandiose or delusional self-esteem high energy with no need for sleep increased talking poor judgment increased psychomotor activity distractibility
mixed episode
a person has met the criteria for major depressive and manic episodes everyday for at least 1 week and the symptoms are severe enough to cause psychotic features
bipolar II disorder
occurs when the manic phases are less extreme; a person has experienced cyclic moods, including at least one major depressive episode and one hypomanic episode, and no manic or mixed episodes
hypomanic episode
for at least 4 days, a person has experienced an abnormally euphoric or irritable mood, with at least 3 symptoms of a manic episode, but at less severe levels
cyclothymic disorder
is similar to bipolar disorder but the moods are less extreme; the person has experienced cyclic moods, including hypomanic episodes and many episodes of depressed mood that are milder than major depressive episodes for at least two years
dissociative disorders
disruptions in awareness, memory, and identity that are extreme and/or frequent and cause distress or impaired functioning
dissociative amnesia
a type of dissociative disorder; occurs when a person has had at least one episode of suddenly forgetting some important personal information, usually related to severe stress or trauma; amnesia can be localized (occurs when they forget everything from the event), selective (forget some events during that particular time), or generalized (forget their whole lifetime); usually ends suddenly with full recovery of memory
dissociative fugue
occurs when a person suddenly goes on a journey, during which they cannot recall personal history prior to the journey
dissociative identity disorder
occurs when a person alternates among two or more distinct identities, only one of which interacts with other people at any one time
depersonalization disorder
occurs when a person has a recurring or persistent feeling of being cut off or detached from his or her body or mental processes, as if observing themselves from the outside
personality disorders
an enduring, rigid set of personality traits that deviate from cultural norms
biological basis for schizophrenia
suggests that the pathway for the neurotransmitter, dopamine, is hyperactive in people with schizophrenia (dopamine hypothesis); in addition, schizophrenics have large cavities in their brains and less folding
dementia
severe loss of cognitive ability beyond what is expected from normal aging
Alzheimer’s Disease
characterized by the inability to form new memories (known as anterograde amnesia); is characterized by the formation of neurotic plaques, hard formations of B-amyloid protein and neurofibrillary tangles
Parkinson’s Disease
is a movement disorder caused by death of cells that generate dopamine in the basal ganglia and substantial nigra
