Personality #1 Flashcards
How do psychologists define personality?
Psychologists define personality as an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
What did early psychologists believe?
The early grand theories of personality tried to explain human nature, but current theories tend to focus on specific aspects of personality, such as our traits, uniqueness, sense of personal control.
What is the difference between empirical truth and literary truth and how are these two concepts related to personality research and theory?
Empirical truth can provide a scientific basis for understanding personality, while literary truth can help researchers explore the subjective experiences of individuals and the complexities of human behavior.
Regarding personality theories, Freud was described as a “grand theorist” who addressed personality structure, processes, and development. What are some key terms from the lecture and your text that correspond to these dimensions of personality?
Everyone possesses certain traits.
B. Personality characteristics reflected in traits are stable across time.
C. Traits are also stable across situations (e.g.,
“aggressive” during arguments, playing sports or video games, driving during rush hour, disciplining pets)
According to Freud, in what ways can people access the unconscious?
Hypnosis, dreams, Free Association:s ay whatever comes to mind, Freudian Slips
Not all of Freud’s proteges or collaborators agreed with his ideas about personality. What are some differences of opinion between Freud and the neo-Freudians like Adler, Jung, or Erikson?
Neo-Freudians believed that Freud’s perspective focused on the negative, and focused too much on biology and instincts, which excluded the effects of social and cultural forces.
According to Adler, what is the most powerful of human motives, and what can happen if that motive is thwarted? How do parents influence personality development?
The most powerful of human motives is the motive to overcome a sense of inferiority. Parents who pamper their children prevent their children from developing a sense of independence and therefore can’t achieve their goals, while parents who neglect their children raise untrusting people who cannot form relationships and therefore can’t achieve their goals.
How was Carl Jung’s approach to personality similar to and different from Sigmund Freud’s?
Jung did believe in the unconscious mind, however he believed in a “collective unconscious’’ which are memories, fantasies, fears, and symbols shared by all humans.
How was Erik Erikson’s approach to personality similar to and different from Sigmund Freud’s? What criticisms did humanistic psychologists have about Freudian and Neo-Freudian perspectives on personality? What influenced humanistic psychologists’ perspectives on personality, and what were their key assumptions?
Erikson expanded Freud’s stages of development to include social influences throughout life, while humanistic psychologists criticized Freud for being too focused on pathology, emphasizing personal growth and self-actualization instead.
According to Carl Rogers, what are the characteristics of a fully functioning person, and what are some causes of anxiety and defensiveness that make it hard to become a fully functioning person? What did Abraham Maslow mean by a “self-actualized” person, and what are they like? What’s the difference between deficiency needs and growth needs?
A fully functioning person embraces experiences and emotions, while anxiety stems from obstacles; self-actualized individuals realize their potential, balancing personal growth with fulfilling relationships, like a tree reaching for sunlight..
In what sense do Freudian, Neo-Freudian, and Humanistic approaches to personality rely on literary truth?
These approaches use storytelling and metaphor to explore the complexities of human behavior, much like how a novel reveals character depth through conflict and resolution.
