Exam 3 Flashcards
Personality
Unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits
Consistency
Behaving mostly the same way across a variety of situations
Distinctiveness
Behaving differently from others who are in the same situation
Personality Trait
Durable behavioral tendencies or dispositions
Ex. Honest, dependable, moody, friendly
State
Transitory conditions such as mood
Factor Analysis
Correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clustered variables
Five-Factor model
- Openness to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
OCEAN
Openness to Experience
Five-Factor model
Curious, flexible, creative, unconventional
Conscientiousness
Five-Factor model
Diligent, well-organized, dependable
Extraversion
Five-Factor model
Outgoing, social, friendly, assertive
Agreeableness
Five-Factor model
Sympathetic, trusting, cooperative, modest
Neuroticism
Five-Factor model
Anxious, hostile, insecure, vulnerable
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Structure of Personality
Id
Superego
Ego
Id
- Primary-Process thinking
- Primitive, unconscious drives, demands instant gratification
-Pleasure principle
-Demands immediate gratification of its urges
(Devil on shoulder)
Superego
Morality
Social standards about right and wrong
Angel on shoulder
Ego
Secondary-Process thinking
-Decision-making component, delay gratification until appropriate outlets are found
- Reality principle
- Decider of either side
Conscious
Whatever one is aware of at a particular point in time
Preconscious
Contains material just beneath the surface of awareness that can be easily retrieved
Unconscious
Contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below surface of conscious awareness
But nonetheless exert great influence on behavior
Defense mechanisms
Unconscious reactions that protect you from feeling unpleasant emotions
Repression
Defense mechanisms
Keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious
Ex. Forgetting deaths of parents
Regression
Defense mechanisms
Using immature patterns of behavior
Ex. Adult throws temper tantrum when he doesn’t get his way
Displacement
Defense mechanisms
Diverting feelings from original source to a substitute target
Ex. Baseball player breaking bat
Reaction Formation
Defense mechanisms
Expressing the opposite of true emotions
Ex. Joe is attracted to Jane, so he teases her
Projection
Defense mechanisms
Attributing one’s own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another
Ex. Jessica accuses her husband of an affair because she is attracted to neighbor
Rationalization
Defense mechanisms
Creating false but plausible excuses in order to justify unacceptable behavior
Ex. Stealing pennies from the company is okay because no one will notice
Denial
Defense mechanisms
Blatant dismissal/denial of facts, thought or feelings
Fixation
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Failure to move forward from one stage to another
Leads to overemphasis on psychosexual needs during fixated stage
Types of Fixation
Oral Fixation
Anal Fixation
Phallic Stage
Oral Fixation
Fixation
Overemphasis on ingesting behaviors
Such as smoking, drinking, obsessive eating
Anal Fixation
Anal expulsive personality (messy, cruel, destructive, and hostile)
Or anal retentive personality (orderly, stingy, obstinate)
Result of supportive vs. punitive parenting
Phallic Stage (fixation)
Oedipus Complex
Boys develop sexual desires toward mother and hostility toward father
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
Personal Unconscious
Collective Unconscious
Archetypes
Personal Unconscious
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
Very similar to Freud
(1st Layer)
Houses material that is not in awareness because it has been
Collective Unconscious
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
Deeper level of unconscious
(2nd layer)
Houses latent memory traces inherited from people’s ancestral past
Entire human race shares this collective unconscious
Archetypes
Jung’s Analytical Psychology
Emotionally charged images and thought forms that have universal meaning
Ex.
Mandala- Circles that symbolize unity
Adler’s Individual Psychology
Humans strive for superiority
Universal drive to adapt, improve one’s self, and master challenges
Adler’s Individual Psychology- Compensation
Efforts to overcome imagined or real inferiorities
Adler’s Individual Psychology- Inferiority Complex
Exaggerated feelings of weakness and inability
Leads to overcompensation
- Efforts to conceal feelings of inferiority, achieve status
- Ex. Fancy cars, expensive clothes, etc.
Adler’s Individual Psychology- Birth
First-Born Personality
Two traits-
Aggressive
Natural leaders, perfectionists, driven, assertive
Complaint
People pleasers, nurturers, caregivers, reliable, cooperative
Behaviorism
Theoretical orientation based on premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior
Skinner’s perspectives on personality
Response tendencies are constantly being strengthened or weakened by new experiences
People show consistent patterns of behavior because they have response tendencies
Skinner’s perspectives on personality: Personality
A collection of response tendencies that are tied to various stimulus situations
Bandura’s social cognitive theory
Personality is shaped through observational learning
Learning can occur indirectly through observation
Therefore, a person’s characteristic pattern is shaped by the models they are exposed to
Walter Mischel’s ideas about personality
People make responses they think will lead to reinforcement in the situation at hand
If you believe your job will lead to raises and promotions, you’ll work hard and vice versa
Humanism
Theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth.
Humanistic Theorists believe people…
- can rise above their primitive animal heritage
- are largely conscious and rational beings who are not dominated by unconscious, irrational conflicts
- are not helpless pawns of deterministic forces
Eysenck’s Theory
Some people can be conditioned more readily than others because of inherited differences in their physiological functioning
Extraversion-introversion
How much does shared family environment impact personality?
Little impact on personality
Social Psychology
Scientific study of how people think about and are influenced by other people
Person Perception
The process of forming impressions of others
Stereotypes
Widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group
Gender, age, membership in ethnic or occupational groups
Ex. Occupational stereotypes: lawyer of manipulative
Ethic stereotype: Italians are passionate
Illusory correlation
Occurs when people estimate that they have encountered more confirmations of an association between social traits then they have actually seen
Ingroup
Group that one belongs to and identifies with
Viewed in a favorable light
Outgroup
Group that one does not belong to or identify with
Negative stereotypes
Attributions
They have a strong need to understand their experiences
Want to make sense out their own behavior, others’ actions, events in their lives
Internal attributions
Ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, feelings
External Attributions
Ascribe the causes of behavior to situational demands and environmental constraints
Ex. Internal/External Attributions:
Friend’s business fails, you might attribute it to your friend’s…
Lack of business knowledge (Internal)
Negative trends in the economic climate (External)
Actor-Observer Bias/Fundamental attribution error
Observers’ bias in favor of internal attributions in explaining others’ behavior
Self-Serving Bias
The tendency to attribute one’s successes to personal factors and one’s failures to situational factor
Conformity
Adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard
Saggy pants
Asch Line Test
- 5-7 confederates (people that know about the experiment) and 1 participant are given test
- Real participant answered last
75% conformed at least once
Factors that increase conformity
Group size
-Larger the group, greater the impact on conformity (up to 7)
Group unanimity
-Conformity decreased if another person deviated from majority view
Informational influence
- Learning
People are accepted or rejected based on how much conform - Affiliation Motivation
We have an inherent need to belong - Informational social influence
Going along with the crowd because you think the crowd knows more than you do
Obedience
When people follow direct commands
Usually from an authority figure
Stanley Milgram’s Research
Teacher, Learner, Experimenter
Subject will be assigned as the teacher and deliver shock to learner
How many went to fatal shock?
65% continued to obey to the end
What increases obedience?
- Legitimate authority figure
- Proximity of victim
- Proximity of authority
Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
1971, Zimbardo randomly assigned Stanford University students to be either “prisoners” or “guards” in a mock prison
Just in a few days, guards became sadistic
Illustrates power of social situations on our behavior
Bystander effect
Psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do NOT offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present
Common stereotypes about psychological disorders
“People are crazy”
“People are dangerous” “People are incurable”
Medical Model of Abnormality
Abnormal behavior is a disease
Diagnosis
Etiology
Prognosis
Diagnosis
Distinguishing one illness from another
Etiology
Causation of an illness
Prognosis
Forecast about the probable course of a disorder
Criteria for abnormal behavior
Deviance
-Violation of standards
Maladaptiveness
-Harmful dysfunction
Personal distress
-Suffering
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Widely used system for classifying psychological disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder
Chronic, high level of anxiety
“Worry about worrying”
Gradual onset
Specific Phobia
Persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Persistent, uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted thoughts (obsessions)
Urges to engage in senseless rituals (compulsions)
Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Enduring psychological disturbance attributed to experience of a major traumatic event
Some symptoms include:
Nightmares, flashbacks, emotional numbness, sleeplessness
Panic disorder
Characterized by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly- physical symptoms of anxiety and heart attacks
Agoraphobia
Which is a fear of going out to public places
Dissociative disorders
Class of disorders in which people lose contact with portions of their consciousness or memory, resulting in disruptions in their sense of identity
Dissociative amnesia
Sudden loss of memory for important personal informational that is to extensive to be due to normal forgetting
Like Amnesia but more severe
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Involves a disruption of identity marked by experience of two or more largely complete, and usually very different personalities
Multiple Personality Disorder
Mood disorders
- Major Depressive disorder
- Dysthymia
- Bipolar disorder
Dysthymia
Persistent mild depression
Less severe, but long-lasting (at least 2 years
Bipolar Disorder
Marked by experience of both depressed and manic periods
Highest incidence of suicide
Major depressive disorder
Persistent feelings of sadness & despair and a loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure
Anhedonia
Manic episode
Anhedonia
Diminished ability to experience pleasure
Manic episode
Excessive pursuit of pleasurable actives, unwarranted optimism, enthusiastic mood
Schizophrenic Disorders
Marked by disorganized thought and speech, delusions, hallucinations, deterioration of adaptive behavior, extra voices
Delusions vs. Hallucinations
Schizophrenia: Positive Symptoms
Delusions
- Fixed False belief
- Ex. He was a college athlete
Hallucinations
-Sensory distortion (Auditory, visual, tactile, etc)
Positive and Negative Effects of Schizophrenic
Positive:
Delusions
Hallucinations
Negative: Flat/inappropriate affect Social withdrawal Inability to initiate activity Poor grooming
Personality Disorders
Marked by extreme, inflexible personality traits that cause personal distress or impaired functioning
Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic
Antisocial
Personality Disorder
Egocentric, deceitful, manipulative, convinced of their own superiority, impulsive
Don’t care about breaking the rules- having adapted to social norms
Borderline
Personality Disorder
Instability in social relationships, self-image and emotional functioning
Fear of abandonment, intense mood swings, anger, depression, self-harm
Histrionic
Personality Disorder
Exaggerated dramatic behavior to attract attention
Narcissistic
Personality Disorder
Grandiose sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, excessive need for attention and admiration
Eating Disorder
Severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight concerns and unhealthy efforts to control weight
Anorexia, Bulimia
Anorexia Nervosa
Fear of gaining weight, disturbed body image, refusal to maintain normal weight
Restricting type: reduce food intake
Binge eating/ purging type: vomit after meals, exercise and misusing laxatives
Bulimia nervosa
Involve habitually engaging in out of control overeating followed by unhealthy compensatory efforts
Self-induced vomiting, fasting, abuse of laxatives and diuretics and excessive exercise
Who seeks treatment and for what?
15% of population seeks treatment
Variety of reasons
Depression and anxiety most common
More women than men
Clinical vs. Psychiatrists vs. Other mental health professionals
Clinical- diagnose
Psychiatrists- prescribe medication
Insight Therapies
Involve verbal interactions intended to enhance client’s self-knowledge, and thus promote healthful changes in personality and behavior
Psychoanalysis, Client-Centered Therapy, Group Therapy
Psychoanalysis
Least Common
Just talking
Plan is analyzed after time has passed
Client-Centered
All about the client
Seen on television with therapist and client laying in chair
Group Therapy
Like Alcoholics Anonymous
Simultaneous treatment of several clients in a group- acceptance and emotional support
Behavior Therapies
Involve the application of the principles of learning and conditioning to direct efforts to change client’s maladaptive behaviors
Behavior is a product of learning
It is assumed that what has been learned can be unlearned
Aversion Therapy
Unwanted behavior is paired with an unpleasant stimulus
Systematic desensitization
Behavior therapy used to reduce client’s phobic responses
Anxiety learned responses are acquired thought classical conditioning
Ex. Harmless stimulus is paired with fear arousing stimulus so it becomes condition to anxiety (weaken the accusation between condition stimulus and condition response)
Steps of Systematic Desensitization
Therapist helps the client build an anxiety hierarchy
Involves training the client in deep muscles relaxation
Client tries to work through the hierarchy, learning to remain relaxed while imagining each stimulus
What does cognitive therapy focus on?
Uses specific strategies to correct habitual thinking errors that underlie various types of disorders
Originally to treat depression- recently many types of disorders
Goal is to change client’s negative thoughts
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Use verbal interventions and behavior techniques to change patterns to thinking
Cogitative component:
- Identify thought patterns- errors
- Theory of cognitive distortions: people focus on insignificant negative events rather than positive
Behavioral Component:
- Thoughts influence feelings and behaviors
- If we can change thought patterns, we can feel and act better
Biomedical Therapies
Physilogical interventions intended to reduce symptoms associated with psychological disorders
Drugs for Biomedical Therapies
Antianxiety drugs
Antipsychotic drugs
Anti Depressant
Mood stabilizers
Electro compulsive therapy
Stimulants
Why do we make snap judgement?
Organize world around us
Guide out actions
Influence our relationships
Free tools snap judgements
- Physical Appearance (Beauty is good)
- Non-verbal signs (body language)
- Environment
- Familiarity
- Overt behaviors
