personality Flashcards
what is the definition of personality?
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting ( simple )
or
Personality refers to the enduring characteristics and behavior that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns ( APA version )
what is psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis revolves around the belief that everyone has unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.
what is unconscious according to sigmund freud?
a potent part of the human mind. It is the source of human behavior and acts as a reservoir for human thoughts and memories. Freud established that humans are fully aware of what happens in their conscious minds. However, they do not know what goes on in their unconscious mind.
what is the Id?
The id is a part of the unconscious that contains all the urges and impulses, including what is called the libido, a kind of generalized sexual energy that is used for everything from survival instincts to appreciation of art.
what is ego?
The ego is the only part of the conscious personality. It’s what the person is aware of when they think about themselves and what they usually try to project toward others.
The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the real external world.
what is superego?
Freud’s superego is the moral component of the psyche, representing internalized societal values and standards. It contrasts with the id’s desires, guiding behavior towards moral righteousness and inducing guilt when standards aren’t met.
what are the stages of freud’s psychosexual dev?
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital.
0-4 mo is oral, orally detached, orally dependent on others, orally aggressive, oral ramification
18mo-3yrs is anal, anal retentive, anal exclusive
3-6yrs is phallic This period is marked by the child’s libido (or desire) focusing on their genitals as the primary source of pleasure.
In this stage, children become increasingly aware of their bodies, exhibiting a heightened interest in their own genitals and those of the opposite sex.
Additionally, their understanding of anatomical sex differences begins to form, sparking a complex mixture of emotions – erotic attraction, rivalry, jealousy, resentment, and fear – collectively termed the Oedipus complex in boys and the Electra complex in girls.
6yrs to puberty is latency, sexual impulses are repressed, leading to a period of relative calm.
what is the oedipus complex?
In the young boy, the Oedipus complex or conflict arises because the boy develops sexual (pleasurable) desires for his mother. He wants to possess his mother exclusively and get rid of his father to enable him to do so
what is the electra complex?
a girl unconsciously cultivates a sexual attraction towards her father, viewing her mother as a competitor.
In essence, the girl covets her father, yet recognizes that she lacks a penis, leading to the phenomenon Freud labeled as ‘penis envy‘ and a subsequent wish to be male.
what is mechanism and repression?
repression is a defense, for example, you may repress yourself back to an immature form.
mechanism is processes or events that are responsible for specific changes in psychological outcomes.
what is the purpose of mechanism and repression?
Repression is a psychological defense mechanism in which unpleasant thoughts or memories are pushed from the conscious mind. An example might be someone who does not recall abuse in their early childhood, but still has problems with connection, aggression and anxiety resulting from the unremembered trauma.
what are the criticisms of psychodynamic theory?
they are too vague to permit scientific testability. Freud didn’t emphasize the importance of dreams enough. They have not had much impact on personality theory
what is Maslow’s self actualized person?
self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially.
what are carl rogers person centered perspective?
people are inherently motivated toward achieving positive psychological functioning ( genuineness, unconditional positive regard and empathy
what are the trait theories?
1) consistency, (2) stability, and (3) individual differences
