Personality Flashcards
What is personality
individuals’ characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
- characterized by long-lasting patterns
What did Freud propose about personality
proposed personality is determined by unconscious drives, which shapes how we approach and interact with the world
What were Freuds main contributions
- concept of our unconscious mind
- psychosexual stages of development
- defense mechanisms for alleviating anxiety
What are the 3 components of our personalities
the id
the ego
the superego
Is personality conscious or unconscious
entirely unconscious
What do the desired of the “id” do
help us fill our basic needs (to survive, to reproduce, aggression, etc.)
What principle does the “id” operate by
the pleasure principle
What does the superego refer to
our conscience
What does the superego represent
the ideal (best-case scenario)
What is different about the ego
it is almost entirely conscious, whereas the “id” is unconscious and the superego is almost entirely unconscious as well
What does the ego allow us to balance
the needs of the “id” and the ideals of the superego
What principle does the ego follow
the reality principle
Thinking about an angel and devil sitting on each should, what position is what based on the “id”, the ego, and the superego
angel: the superego
devil: the “id”
mediator: the ego
What happens when the ego cannot resolve conflict between the id and superego
anxiety
Explain the defense mechanism: denial
refusing to acknowledge unpleasant info
Explain the defence mechanism: rationalization
generating excuses for our behaviour
Explain the defense mechanism: reaction formation
switch one impulse into its opposite
Explain the defense mechanism: projection
attributing your own impulses to others
What are the 5 stages of personality development
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
What is the age range of the oral development stage
0-18 months
What is the theme of the oral development stage
eating and feeling dependant
What is the age range for the anal development stage
18-36 months
What is the theme of the anal development stage
expelling waste and exerting control
What is the age range for the phallic stage of development
3-6 years
What is the theme of the phallic development stage
genital organs and jealousy
What is the age range for the latency stage of development
6-11 years
What is the theme of the latency development stage
diverted focus/external activities
What is the age range for the genital stage of development
12 - adulthood
What is the theme of the genital development stage
sexual activites and maturity
What are some criticisms of Freuds theory
- too much parental influence
- said children have no gender before 6 years
- sexist (women envy penis)
- untestable
What is an important result of Freuds theory
developed psychotherapy
What are type theories
view characteristics of people as discrete categories (intro vs extrovert)