Chapter Fifteen : Personality Flashcards
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
personality
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
free association
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thought and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the technique used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
psychoanalysis
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories; according to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware
unconscious
contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives; it operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
id
the largely conscious, “executive” part of the personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality; it operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
ego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
superego
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
psychosexual stages
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Oedipus complex
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
identification
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
fixation
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
defense mechanisms
the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
repression
defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
regression
defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; thus, people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety arousing unconscious feelings
reaction formation
defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
projeciton
defense mechanism that offers self justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one’s actions
rationalization
defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet
displacement
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history (instincts, urges)
collective unconscious
a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
projective test
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
the most widely used projective test, a set of ten inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Rorschach inkblot test
introduced his psychoanalytic theory that propsed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality; the humanistic approach focused on our inner capacities for growth and self fulfilment
Sigmund Freud
introduced the inferiority complex: a pattern of avoiding feelings of inadequacy rather than trying to overcome their source
Alfred Adler
she agreed that childhood is important, but that social, not sexual tensions are crucial for personality formation; childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security
Karen Horney
introduced collective unconscious and archetypes: an inherited idea based on the experiences of one’s ancestors, which shapes one’s perceptions of the world
Carl Jung
