Lecture 5 Flashcards
What is the Q-Sort Technique?
A method where test takers sort cards with personality characteristics from “Most characteristic of me” to “Least characteristic of me”.
It provides a balance between fixed and flexible measures of self-concept.
What does the need for positive regard entail?
The need to be accepted and respected by others, which can lead to losing touch with one’s true feelings and values.
This is a central concept in Carl Rogers’s personality theory.
What did Heimpel and colleagues find regarding self-esteem and mood?
High self-esteem individuals are more likely to choose activities that improve their mood, while low self-esteem individuals are less motivated to change negative moods.
This illustrates how self-consistency and congruence operate in behavior.
How does self-fulfilling prophecy relate to self-perception?
Individuals behave in ways that confirm their self-perception, leading to consistent outcomes based on their beliefs about themselves.
For example, those who believe they are likable may act in ways that make them more likable.
What are conditions of worth in child development?
Conditions imposed by parents that dictate what is ‘good’ or ‘acceptable’, leading children to deny or distort aspects of their true self if positive regard is conditional.
This can hinder self-actualization.
What factors are crucial for psychological growth according to Rogers?
- Parent-child interactions that are accepting and democratic
- Internal psychological structures that allow for congruence between self and experience.
Major concerns include whether children are free to be self-actualizing.
What did Coopersmith’s research reveal about self-esteem?
It indicated that parental attitudes, such as acceptance and warmth, significantly influence the formation of self-esteem in children.
This research involved children’s self-reported self-esteem and parental input.
What relationship did Harrington et al. find in their studies?
A positive association between childhood conditions of psychological safety and creative potential in adolescence.
This suggests that supportive parent-child interactions contribute to personality development.
What are the two defensive processes described by Rogers?
- Distortion of the meaning of experience
- Denial of the existence of the experience.
These processes help maintain an integrated sense of self.
What is the concept of self-actualization?
A forward-looking tendency toward personality growth, moving from dependence to independence and from rigidity to freedom of expression.
It emphasizes satisfaction derived from activities that enhance the organism.
How do gender differences affect self-esteem according to Block and Robins?
Self-esteem tends to increase for males and decrease for females from ages 14 to 23.
High self-esteem women value relationships, whereas high self-esteem men may be more emotionally distant.
What does the semantic differential measure?
It measures self-concept by allowing individuals to rate concepts on seven-point scales defined by polar adjectives.
Concepts like “My Self” or “My Ideal Self” are evaluated using this method.
What is the significance of the medial prefrontal cortex in Rogers’s theory?
It shows different activation patterns when people think about their present versus future selves, supporting the distinction between actual and ideal self.
This aligns with Rogers’s views on intuitive conceptions of self.
What was Carl Rogers’s contribution to psychology?
He was a pioneer in humanistic psychology and emphasized the importance of personal experience in understanding personality.
He served as president of the American Psychological Association and received several distinguished awards.
What is the phenomenal field according to Rogers?
The subjective construction of perceptions that make up one’s experience, which reflects personal needs rather than an objective reality.
Emotions are a critical part of this subjective experience.
Fill in the blank: The degree of similarity between the perceived self and the ideal self is used to define _______.
[self-esteem]
True or False: According to Rogers, anxiety results from congruence between experience and self-perception.
False
Anxiety arises from a discrepancy between experience and the perception of the self.
What patterns of activation are observed in the medial prefrontal cortex?
More active when people thought about their present than future self.
What does contemporary neuroscience support regarding self-conception?
Intuitive, deeply felt conceptions of the self are a distinctive aspect of human mental life.
What is a key feeling people experience regarding their authenticity?
One’s experiences and daily activities do not stem from one’s true, authentic self.
What state can individuals realize regarding their conscious experiences and goals?
Consistency with their inner, viscerally-felt values.
What question addresses the concept of self in this chapter?
What is the self and why might one not act in a manner consistent with one’s true self?
How did Freud view motivation?
In terms of tension-reducing, the pursuit of pleasure, and intra-psychic conflict.
What alternative view of motivation does Rogers propose?
Personal growth, self-actualization, and feelings of congruence.
