Exam 3 Flashcards
(260 cards)
personality
a characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving that is unique to each individual, and remains relatively consistent over time and situations
trait
a characteristic of an individual, describing a habitual way of behaving, thinking or feeling
idiographic approach
creating detailed description of a specific persons unique personality characteristics in an attempt to understand that person better
nomothetic approach
examining personality in large groups of people, with the aim of making generalizations about personality structure
i.e. “what personality characteristics are linked to excessive alcohol consumption”
Psychodynamic theories of personality
relate personality to the interplay of conflicting ‘energy dynamics’ within the individual
What is freud’s legacy
he started psychotherapy
the mind consists of 3 structures (freud)
the id, ego and superego
Psychodynamic theory
basic representation of the mind
the idea that we have an unconscious and conscious mind
most of our thinking is in the unconscious (think about the iceberg)
unconscious mind
a vast and powerful but inaccessible part of your consciousness, operating without your conscious endorsement or will to influence and guide your behaviours
conscious mind
your current awareness, containing everything you are aware of right now
we are not aware of the push-pull that we go through every day
only a small part of mental life is conscious
id
represents a collection of basic biological drives, including those directed toward sex and aggression
please principle: do what feels good
superego
comprised of our values and moral standards
internalized values telling us what we ought to do (our conscience)
ego
the decision maker, frequently under tension, trying to reconcile the opposing urges of the id and superego
do vs. don’t
operates on the reality principle
anxiety
is produced when the components are imbalanced (when the id and superego are in conflict)
“personality” (Freud)
emerges from the interplay of the id, ego and superego.
defender mechanism
are unconscious strategies the Ego uses to keep the Id’s impulses out of conscious awareness and balance the competing demands of pleasure, reality and morality
denial
when people refuse to admit something unpleasant is happening, that they have a problem, or that they are feeling a forbidden emotion
reaction formation
behaving in a way that is exactly the opposite of one’s true feelings
expressing feelings of purity when experiencing unconscious feelings about sex
rationalization
creating false but plausible exudes to justify unacceptable feelings or behaviours
repression
keeping distressing desires or wishes from conscious awareness by burying it in the unconscious
from Freud’s “the Id and the Ego”
projection
seeing one’s own traits in other people, especially if seeing that threatening trait in others helps the individual to avoid recognizing it in their self
what should you beware of with personality quizzes?
view them as a source of amusement
they are not accurate
good research into personality produces a much more nuanced view than just “you’re this type of that type”
displacement
altering the target of one’s urges
i.e. angry at boss: come home and yell at children instead
catharsis
that one can reduce these anxieties by “working them out” on unrelated targets