L6/CH10/CH11 Flashcards
Ego psychology
focused on the development of ego within reality and emphasized the role of identity (experienced as a unique, continuous, whole sense of self)
Primary function of ego
establishing a secure identity
Identity crisis
desperation and confusion one feels when a strong sense of identity hasn’t been developed
Narcissism as a trait
an extreme preoccupation with the self with inflated self-admiration, grandiosity, entitlement, and attention-seeking
Self-serving bias
tendency for people to take credit for successes yet deny responsibility for failures
Narcissism at a high level
bragging/boasting, arrogance, sensitivity to criticism, low empathy, derogation of others, bullying
Striving for superiority
pattern of behavior intended to put others down in order to compensate for underlying feelings of inferiority
Narcissism at a moderate level
self-serving bias, slightly unrealistically positive self-image, some drive to feel special
Narcissism at a low level
very modest, self-effacing
Narcissistic personality disorder
a pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy accompanied by functional impairments
Malignant narcissism
narcissistic and antisocial (e.g. cult leaders)
Tendencies of people high in narcissism
use more first-person singular pronouns; look in the mirror and watch recordings of themselves more; interrupt others more during conversations; become distressed and aggressive when insulted; make good first impressions
Social media behaviors of people high in narcissism
more active; post more about their accomplishments; take/post more selfies; enjoy debating and trolling more (especially men); receive more likes
Interpersonal behaviors of people high in narcissism
divide people to gain power over them; make threats and lies to influence people’s emotions/behaviors; distort reality by arguing fiction is fact; engage in gaslighting; idealize and devalue romantic partners
Inferiority complex (Adler)
lack of self-worth and low self-esteem resulting from early development; overcompensate by striving for superiority; foundation for narcissism
The narcissistic paradox (Kohut)
narcissism is a complex defense mechanism; although narcissists appear to have high self-esteem, they have doubts over their self-worth
Grandiose or overt narcissism
high self-esteem, social dominance, exhibitionism, overestimation of abilities, fantasies about superiority, perfection, omnipotence; closely aligns with clinical criteria for narcissistic personality disorder
What is grandiose narcissism correlated with?
high extraversion, low agreeableness and aggressiveness
Vulnerable or covert narcissism
anxiety, defensiveness, avoidance, insecurity, hypersensitivity, vulnerability, vigilance for criticism
What is vulnerable narcissism correlated with?
high neuroticism, low extraversion, low agreeableness
What do grandiose and vulnerable narcissism both involve?
self-centeredness, self-indulgence, entitlement, disregard for others, interpersonal antagonism
3-factor structure of narcissism (Miller)
agentic extraversion, antagonism, neuroticism
What is the common core trait in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism according to the 3-factor structure?
antagonism or low agreeableness
Narcissism according to Krizan and Herlache
entitled self-importance
Narcissism according to Kowalchyk
genuine narcissism involves deep insecurities and is more similar to vulnerable narcissism, while grandiose narcissism is more similar to psychopathy
Which fields show that narcissism is associated with success?
show business, leadership, job interviews, initial interactions (but they lose popularity over time)
Psychosocial development (Erikson)
focused on ego development over life and identified common/necessary tensions inherent to each stage of development
2 ways Erikson’s view on development different from Freud’s
time span (lasts into adulthood and old age); social, not sexual, in nature
3 ways Erikson’s view on development is similar to Freud’s
follows a stage model; each stage represents a conflict or developmental crisis; fixation
8 stages of psychosocial development
infancy (0-2), toddlerhood (2-3), young childhood (3-4); elementary (4-12); adolescence (13-19); young adulthood (20-39); adulthood (40-64); old age (65+)
Conflict and possible negative outcomes in infancy
trust vs mistrust; dependent or paranoid
Conflict and possible negative outcomes in toddlerhood
autonomy vs shame and doubt; obsessive/impulsive or avoidant
Conflict and possible negative outcomes in young childhood
initiative or purpose vs guilt; antisocial/narcissistic or constricted
Conflict in elementary
industry (feeling like you can work to achieve what you want) vs inferiority
Conflict and possible negative outcome in adolescence
identity vs role/identity confusion (not having a strong sense of self); negative identity (e.g. gang member)
Identity foreclosure
when one doesn’t go through a crisis or forms an identity without exploring alternatives
Rite of passage
ceremony that initiates a child into adulthood
Moratorium
taking time to explore options before committing to an identity
Conflict in young adulthood
intimacy vs isolation
Conflict in adulthood
generativity (generating something one care about in life) vs stagnation
Conflict in old age
integrity vs despair
Object relations theory
examines the process of developing one’s psyche in relation to others in the environment
2 assumptions in object relations theory
a child’s internal wishes, desires, urges are not as important as development of relationships; others become internalized by the child as mental representations (e.g. mother)
What influences our interpersonal relationships according to object relations theory?
internalized representations of our relationships with our parents (our first social attachments) form prototypes for our future relationships
Attachment theory (Bowlby)
infants must develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for successful development of personality
What does an attachment between infant and primary caregiver require?
physical contact with a warm and responsive mother
2 main factors in parenting according to attachment theory
sensitivity and responsiveness
4 patterns of attachment in children
secure, anxious-ambivalent, avoidant, disorganized
Secure attachment style
children are well-adjusted and trusting; caregivers are responsive to needs
Anxious-ambivalent attachment style
children are anxious and clingy ; caregivers are inconsistent; associated with vulnerable narcissism
Avoidant attachment style
children are uninterested and emotionally distant; caregivers are neglectful; associated with grandiose narcissism in adulthood
Disorganized attachment style
children are erratic; caregivers are depressed, traumatized, or abusive
Childhood attachment styles as working models
early experiences and reactions of the infant to the parents become internalized as unconscious expectations of relationships
4 adult attachment styles (Bartholomew)
secure, preoccupied (ambivalent), dismissive-avoidant, fearful-avoidant
Attachment styles according to Bartholomew
interactions between 2 dimensions: attachment-related anxiety and attachment-related avoidance
Attachment-related anxiety
extent to which an adult worries over whether their partner loves them
Attachment-related avoidance
extent to which an adult feels they can trust and depend on others
Secure attachment style
comfortable with intimacy, autonomous and dependent
Preoccupied attachment style
crave intimacy and worried about partners
Dismissive-avoidant attachment style
minimize closeness and views intimacy as a loss of independence
Fearful-avoidant attachment style
wants a relationship but has difficulty trusting; combination of preoccupied and dismissive-avoidant style
Which childhood attachment style is associated with narcissism?
anxious-ambivalent and avoidant
Which adult attachment styles are associated with narcissism?
dismissive-avoidant (grandiose), preoccupied and fearful-avoidant (vulnerable)
3 parenting styles associated with high narcissism
neglectful, authoritarian, permissive/indulgent
Neglectful parenting style
results in a lack of empathy and warmth
Authoritarian parenting style
insists on perfection, winning, and toughness
Permissive/indulgent parenting style
promotes entitled attitudes and leads to excessive self-idealization
Social learning theory
children learn to become narcissistic through reinforced behaviors
What factor predicts high narcissism?
parental overvaluation, not lack of love and warmth
5 postulates of contemporary psychoanalysis
(1) unconscious and (2) childhood play a large role in personality development; (3) behavior represents conflicts in compromises between mental processes; (4) mental representations of the self and relationships guide our interactions; (5) personality development involves changing an immature and socially dependent relationship style
Imagination inflation effect
imagining events leads one to rate those events as more familiar and likely to have happened
2 views of the unconscious
motivated unconscious and cognitive unconscious
Cognitive unconscious view
readily acknowledging that information can get into our memories without ever being aware of it
Subliminal perception
information that is presented so quickly that you don’t recognize the words primes associated material in memory without going through conscious experience
Finding on subliminal perception
unconscious information doesn’t influence motivation
Fear of success
women can harbor an unconscious fear of success as they may lose friends while men have no fear as they would gain friends
Motive
internal states that arouse and direct behavior toward specific objects and goals; caused by deficits that lead to needs
Needs
states of tension within a person (reduced when need is satisfied); a potentiality or readiness to respond in a certain way under given circumstances
2 kinds of needs (Murray’s theory of needs)
primary or viscerogenic; secondary or psychogenic
Primary needs
based on biological demands, satisfied by physical means (e.g. food, water, sex)
Psychogenic needs
not always necessary for survival but essential for psychological well-being; satisfied by mental or emotional means (e.g. ambition, dominance, social power and affection)
Press
need-relevant aspects of the environment (e.g. need for affiliation is affected by the presence of friendly people); can be based on objective reality (alpha press) or subjective reality (beta press)
Apperception
interpreting the environment and perceiving the meaning of what’s going on in a situation
State vs trait level of needs
momentary amount of a need that fluctuates based on circumstances vs average tendency or set point on specific trait
Big 3 motives
needs for achievement, power, intimacy
Need for achievement
desire to do better, be successful, and feel competent; high nAch prefer moderate challenges
Sex differences in nAch
life outcomes (e.g. depends on how much women value work and family); childhood experiences (e.g. women high in nAch had strict mothers and men high in nAch had supportive parents)
Need for power
desire to have an impact on and sometimes control other people
Need for intimacy
desire for warm, fulfilling relationships and need for human connection
Humanistic approach to motivation
conscious awareness of needs, choice, and personal responsibility; focus on growth and realizing full potential instead of deficiency
6 components of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (bottom to top)
physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, self-actualization, self-transcendence
2 additional needs apart from those in Maslow’s
cognitive (knowledge, meaning, self-awareness) and aesthetic (appreciation and search for beauty, balance)
Self-transcendence
dedicating oneself to a higher goal through altruism or spirituality
3 aspects of psychological maturity
self-transcendence, self-directedness, cooperativeness
3 criticisms of Maslow
limited/mixed empirical evidence; inconsistent with understandings of human nature; not normative and has cultural differences
When can a need be skipped? (Maslow’s)
if it has been met before or if one believes it can be met
Self-actualization
living according to one’s true self and full potential; growth-motivated and achieved only when all basic and mental needs are met
Alternative of self-actualization
false self or living according to others’ expectations
Peak experience
transpersonal and ecstatic state characterized by feelings of euphoria, harmonization, deep meaning, interconnectedness
3 descriptions individuals give to peak experiences
possessing a mystical, spiritual, and overtly religious quality
Carl Rogers’ belief about people
intrinsically good and required unconditional positive regard
Characteristic of an actualized person
congruence between sense of self/self-concept and ideal self
Fully functioning person
someone on their way to self-actualization; in touch with their innermost feelings and desires; understands their emotions; trusts their instincts and urges
5 components of emotional intelligence
ability to know one’s emotions and regulate them, motivate oneself, know and influence how others are feeling
3 core conditions in client-centered therapy
atmosphere of genuine acceptance; unconditional positive regard; empathic understanding
