Identity and personality Flashcards
Self-concept
own internal list of answers to the question “who am I?”
Self-Schema
self-given labels that carries a set of qualities with it
Identity
individual components of our self-concept related to the group to which we belong
Self-Esteem
The closer our actual self is to our ideal self and
our ought self (who others want us to be)
Gender Identity
person’s appraisal of themselves in terms of masculinity and femininity
Androgyny
state of being simultaneously masculine and feminine
Gender Schema
theory that suggests that the key components of gender identity are transmitted through cultural and societal means
Ethnic Identity
one’s ethnic group, where members typically share a common ancestry, cultural heritage and language
Nationality
identity based on political borders
Hierarchy of salience
we let situations dictate which identity holds the most importance for us at any given moment
Self-discrepancy theory
- each person has three versions of themselves –> actual self, ideal self and ought self
- closer these are together = higher self-etseem
Actual self
our self-concept or the way that we see ourselves as we currently are
Ideal self
the person that we would like to be
Ought self
our representation of the way others think we should be
Low Self-Esteem
when one is more critical of themselves
Self-Efficacy
One’s own belief in their ability to succeed
Overconfidence
when self-efficacy levels become too high and leads one to take on tasks that they are not ready for
Learned Helplessness
phenomenon of losing all motivation to get out of a negative situation
Locus of Control
way that one characterizes the influences in their lives
Internal Locus of Control
view themselves as controlling their own influence
External Locus of Control
Life events are caused by luck or outside influence
Freud: Fixation
occurs when a child is overindulged or overly frustrated during a stage of development
Freud’s psychosexual stages of personality development
5 stages based on tensions caused by the libido. Failure at any stage leads to fixation which causes personality disorder.
Freud: Oral stage
+0-1 year
+Gratification is obtained by putting objects into the mouth, biting, and sucking
+Oral fixation would lead to excessive dependency
Freud: Anal Stage
+1-3 years
+Libido is centered on the anus and gratification is gained through the elimination and retention of waste materials
+Fixation results in orderliness (OCD) or sloppiness
Freud: Phallic or Oedipal Stage
+3-5 years
+Centers around oedipal conflict for males and Electra conflict for females
Freud: Oedipal conflict
male child envies the father’s intimate relationship with his mother
Freud: Penis envy
young girls experience anxiety and a sense of inferiority when they realize they do not have a penis
Freud: Latency Stage
occurs once the child’s libido is sublimated. This lasts until puberty is reached
Freud: Genital Stage
+Puberty - adulthood
+If prior development had proceeded correctly, the person should enter a healthy heterosexual relationship
+If development had proceeded incorrectly, then disorders such as homosexuality, asexuality, or fetishism resulted
Erikson’s psychology stages of personality development
+Stages stem from conflicts between needs and social demands
+Do not need to master one stage to move onto the next
Erikson: Trust vs Mistrust
+0-1 year
+If resolved successfully, child will trust their environment as well as themselves
+If mistrust wins, child will be suspicious of the world, possible throughout life
Erikson: Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
+1-3 years
+Successful resolution would result in having a feeling of being able to exert control over the world and to exercise choice as well as self-restraint
+Unfavorable outcome would be to have a sense of doubt and a persistent external locus of control.
Erikson: Initiative vs Guilt
+3-6 years
+Favorable outcome is a sense of purpose, ability to initiate activities, and the ability to enjoy accomplishment
+Unfavorable outcome would be if the child was so overcome with fear of punishment, that they unduly restrict themselves or that they may overcompensate by showing off
Erikson: Industry vs Inferiority
+6-12 years
+Favorable outcome would be a competent feeling child who is able to exercise their abilities and intelligence in the world. The child would be able to affect the world in the way that they desire
+Unfavorable resolution is one in which there is: a sense of inadequacy, a sense of inability to act in a competent matter, and low self-esteem
Erikson: Identity vs Role Confusion
+12-20 years
+Favorable outcome would be fidelity: the ability to see oneself as a unique and integrated person with sustained loyalties
+Unfavorable outcome would result in a confused identity and a shifting personality
Erikson: Intimacy vs Isolation
+20-40 years
+Favorable outcomes are love, the ability to have intimate relationships with others, and the ability to commit oneself to another person and to their own goals
+Unfavorable outcome would be avoidance of commitment, alienation, and distancing of oneself from others and their own ideals
Erikson: Generativity vs Stagnation
+40-65 years
+Favorable outcome would result in an individual who is capable of being a productive, caring, and contributing member of society
+Unfavorable outcome would result from a crisis not being overcome. Would result in a sense of stagnation, and the person would become self-indulgent, bored and self-centered
Erikson: Integrity vs Despair
+ >65 years
+If resolved, one will see wisdom: the detached concern with life itself
+If unresolved, there will be bitterness, a feeling of living a worthless life, and fear for their own impending death.
Kohlberg: Moral Reasoning
- Personality development focuses on moral thinking, rather than resolving conflicts or urges
- 6 stages with 3 phases
Kohlberg: Preconventional morality
- Phase 1
- typical preadolescent thinking that places an emphasis on the consequences of moral choices
Kohlberg: Obediance
- Part of phase 1
- Stage 1
- Concerned with avoiding punishment
Kohlberg: Self interest/Instrumental relativist stage
- Part of phase 1
- Stage 2
- About gaining rewards
Kohlberg: Conventional Morality
- Phase 2
- develop in early adolescence
- individuals beginning to see themselves in terms of their relationships to others. -based on understanding and accepting social rules
Kohlberg: Conformity
- Part of phase 2
- Stage 3
- Emphasis on seeking approval from others
Kohlberg: Law and order
- Part of phase 2
- Stage 4
- Puts social order above all else
Kohlberg: Postconventional Morality
- Phase 3
- level of reasoning that not everyone is capable of attaining
- Based on social mores (customs) that may sometimes conflict with laws
Kohlberg: Social Contract
- Part of phase 3
- Stage 5
- Views moral rules as conventions that are designed to ensure the greater good
- Moral rules focused on individual rights
Kohlberg: Universal Human Ethics
- Part of phase 3
- Stage 6
- Decisions should be made in consideration of abstract principles
Vygotsky: Zone of Proximal Development
skills and abilities that have not yet fully developed, but are in the process of developing
-requires help from a more knowledgeable other (usually an adult)
Role-taking
children experimenting with other identities; like playing house
Theory of mind
ability to sense how another’s mind works
Looking-glass self
development of a personality in relation with societal contexts
Reference group
who an individual is comparing themselves against
Personality
set of thoughts, feelings, traits and behaviors that are characteristic of an individual
Psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic theories of personality
assumes that unconscious internal states motivate the overt actions of an individual and thus determines their personality
Freud: ID
basic, primal, inborn urges to survive and reproduce
Pleasure priniciple
get immediate gratification that can relieve pent-up tension
Freud: Primary process
Id’s response to frustration
Freud: Wish Fulfillment
mental imagery to fulfill the need for satisfaction
Freud: Ego
used to reduce tension on a more permanent basis
Freud: Reality Principle
- how ego operates
- takes in account objective reality as it guides or inhibits the activity of id
Freud: Secondary Process
Ego’s guidance of id’s activity
Freud: Superego
refined desires that are focused on the ideal self
Freud: Superego –> Conscience
collection of improper action for which a child was punished
Freud: Superego –> Ego-ideal
proper actions for which a child is rewarded
Freud: Eros
life instincts that promote an individual’s quest for survival (thirst, hunger, sexual needs)
Freud: Thanatos
death instincts that represent an unconscious with for death and destruction
Freud: defense mechanisms
how the ego relieves the anxiety between clashing desires of the id and the superego
Freud: Repression
ego’s way of forcing undesired thoughts and urges to the unconscious
Freud: Suppression
more deliberate, conscious form of forgetting
Freud: Regression
Reversion to an earlier developmental state
Freud: Reaction formation
individuals suppress urges by unconsciously converting them into their exact opposites
Freud: Projection
individuals attribute their undesired feelings to others
Rorschach inkblot test
assumes that client projects their unconscious feelings onto the shape
Thematic Apperception test
assumes a story made up by a person will show insight into their own unconscious thoughts and feelings
Freud: Rationalization
justification of behaviors in a manner that is acceptable to self and to society
Freud: Displacement
transference of an undesired urge from one person or object to another
Freud: Sublimation
transformation of unacceptable urges into socially acceptable behaviors
Carl Jung: Personal unconscious
all information that is present within an individual’s mind, but not readily available to conscious recall
Carl Jung: Collective unconscious
Links all humans together
Carl Jung: Archetypes
- Images of common experiences across cultures
- Three: persona, anima (F)/ animus(M), and shadow
Jung: Persona
- Part of the personality one presents to the world
- Adaptive to social interactions
Jung: Anima/ Animus
- sex inappropriate qualities
- like feminine behaviors in a male or vice versa
Jung: Shadow
Appearance of unpleasant and socially reprehensible thoughts, feelings and actions in one’s own consciousness
Jung: Self
intersection between the collective unconscious and the personal unconscious
Jung: Extraversion (E) vs Introversion (I)
- extraversion is an orientation towards the external world
- introversion is an orientation towards one’s inner, personal world
Jung: Sensing (S) vs Intuiting (N)
- sensing is obtaining objective information about the world
- intuiting which is the working of information abstractly
Jung: Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F)
- thinking is using logic
- reason while feeling is using a value system or personal beliefs
Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)
Personality Test. All Jung’s dichotomies plus Judging (preferring orderliness) vs perceiving (preferring spontaneity)
Alfred Adler: Inferiority Complex
individual’s sense of incompleteness, imperfection, and inferiority
Alfred Adler: Creative Self
each individual shapes their uniqueness and establishes their personality
Alfred Adler: Style of Life
manifestation of creative self and describes a person’s unique way of achieving superiority
Alfred Adler: Fictional Finalism
individual is motivated more by their expectations of their future than by past experiences
Karen Horney: Basic Anxiety
due to inadequate parenting which may cause vulnerability and helplessness
Karen Horney: Basic Hositility
Neglect and rejection causes anger
Humanistic Perspective
describes ways in which healthy people strive toward self-realization
Gestalt therapy
practitioners take a holistic view of the self
Force field theory
Field = one's current state of mind Forces = influences (can be ones that assist in attaining goals OR can be ones that block the path to attaining goals)
Abraham Maslow
- Studied people he felt lived rich and productive lives
- Believed these people are self-actualizers
- Self-actualized people tend to have peak experiences (deeply moving experiences in a person’s life)
Psychotherapy
- Created by a man named Rogers
- based on belief people have the freedom to control their own behavior
Psychoanalysts
Believe people are slaves to their unconscious
Behaviorists
Individuals are subjects of faulty learning
Unconditional positive regard
therapists accepts client completely and expresses empathy in order to promote a positive movement
Type theorists
attempts to create a taxonomy of personality types
Somatotypes
- body types could propose personality types
- short/stocky people = jolly; tall people = high-strung
Type A personality
competitive and compulsive
Type B personality
laid-back and relaxed
PEN Model
- factor analysis used to group behaviors that typically occur together and assign labels to those groups
- 3 traits: psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism
Psychoticism
measure of nonconformity or social deviance
Extraversion
measure of tolerance for social interaction and stimulation
Neuroticism
measure of emotional arousal in stressful situations
Big Five
PEN model expanded to five traits: Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
Gordon Allport: Cardinal traits
traits around which a person organizes his/her life
Gordon Allport: Central traits
major characteristics of a person that are easy to infer
Gordon Allport: Secondary traits
- other personal characteristics that are limited in occurrence
- occur only with close groups or specific social situations
Gordon Allport: Functional autonomy
behavior continues despite satisfaction of the drive that originally created it
N-arch trait theory
need of achievement; have pride with accomplishments
Behaviorists perspective
personality develops as a result of operant conditioning (reward and punishment based)
Token economies
therapeutic. Good behavior rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
Social cognitive perspective
focuses on how the environment and our interactions with it influence our behavior
Reciprocal determinism
idea that our thoughts, feelings, behaviors and environment all interact with each other to determine our actions in a given situation
Biological perspective
personality can be explained as a result of genetic expression in the brain
