Module 11 Flashcards
Personality
consists of variations on common human mental and behavioral characteristics, traits, characteristic adaptations, and self-narratives.
Personality psychology
attempts to study similarities and differences in these patterns among different people and groups.
Prominent grand theories were introduced by
psychoanalysts, behaviorists, and humanists.
Psychoanalyst theory
Structural Model of the Mind
Structural Model of the Mind
Freud came to believe that the mind consisted of a number of integrated processes or metaphorical “structures” that eventually were called the id (it), ego (I), and superego (over me).
Id (primary process)
represents the part of the mind which lacks moral restraint or a conception of right and wrong, and cares only for satisfaction of its own cravings - seeking pleasure and avoiding pain (the pleasure principle)
Ego (secondary process)
represents that part of the mind which operates according to the reality principle.
Reality Principle
allows the person to delay gratifications in the service of a later beneficial outcome, and is the principle by which the ego makes decisions bearing on the survival and functioning of the person.
Superego
represents the conscience and is the wellspring of human morality
Ego defense mechanisms
are a group of psychological mechanisms described in part by Freud but primarily by his daughter Anna
7 Ego defense mechanisms
denial, displacement, projection, reaction formation, repression, sublimation, undoing
Denial
when events or realities that are threatening the ego are ignored.
Displacement
When an aggressive impulse is redirected from the actual (threatening) target to another, less threatening target.
Projection
One one’s own unacceptable wishes or impulses are attributed to the person who was the object of the unacceptable wish or impulse
Reaction formation
When an unacceptable wish or impulse is transformed into an exaggerated version of its opposite
Repression
Removal from conscious awareness or memory of an unacceptable wish or impulse.
sublimation
when an unacceptable wish or impulse is “translated” into a socially acceptable behavior
Undoing
Unconscious “atoning” for an unacceptable thought or behavior through a second, acceptable thought or behavior
Behaviorism
John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. Behaviors acquired through association between stimuli or experiences of reinforcement and punishment become both the definition and expression of each person’s personality.
Social-Cognitive Theory
Albert Bandura. emphasizes both learning and cognition as sources of individual differences in personality. In social-cognitive theory, the concepts of reciprocal determinism, observational learning, and self-efficacy all play a part in personality development.
Humanists
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. believe humans are reasoning creatures, born with free will and innate strivings for positive goals. People face problems in a generally rational manner and try to make good decisions that will benefit themselves and others.
self-concept
our thoughts and feelings about ourselves
Accurate empathy
The quality of communication between two people where each person genuinely listens to the other’s words, hears the words, perceives the intention accurately, and withholds judgment.
Congruence
An environment of development where those surrounding the developing person are genuine
Unconditional positive regard
Relationships where the love and approval a person receives from important others is given freely and is not dependent upon conditions
Positive self-regard
feelings of self-worth and self-esteem, and being loved and accepted
Conditions of worth
conditions the child must fulfill to receive acceptance and love and approval from important people in their life
Self-esteem
a person’s cognitive and emotional assessment or evaluation of his or her self-worth.
Traits
relatively stable personality characteristics, attributes, and motivations that can be commonly captured in adjectives such as honest, cheerful, kind, short-tempered, conscientious, etc
States
emotions, moods, or other characteristics and attributes which are temporary in nature
Trait perspective
branch of personality psychology which emphasizes description rather than explanation of people’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thought, emotion, and motivation.
two-factor model of personality
the superordinate trait dimensions are extraversion-introversion and emotional instability-stability.
five-factor model (the “Big Five”)
empirical trait model of personality consisting of five trait dimensions or factors within which all other “lower-order” traits can be found.
Person-situation controversy
The debate contrasted the views of those who believed traits were of primary importance in determining behavior and those who believed that situations - not traits - determine behavior.
Personality assessment
Personality is usually assessed with projective tests and objective tests
Self-report questionnaire
Self-report inventories are a kind of objective test used to assess personality. They typically use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, which represent a range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)
Informant report questionnaire
questionnaires completed by people who know the target well
Projective tests
the person taking the test is said to unconsciously “project” his or her personality or psychiatric disorder into test items that might seem quite ambiguous - that is, on their face they may be interpreted in a great many ways.
Rorschach test
presents a test-taker with a standard set of 10 cards, each containing symmetrical inkblots, five in color and five in black and white
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
The test-taker is asked to tell the “story” of the drawing. In creating the story, the test-taker reveals important motives, drives, conflicts, emotions, and other psychological variables.
Objective tests
use computer analysis to empirically measure personality characteristics.
