Personality Flashcards
Define personality
An individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Define Psychodynamic theories
Theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
Define Psychoanalysis
the techniques used in treating psychological disorders b seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
Define unconscious according to Freud
a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories
Define unconscious according to contemporary psychologists
Information processing of which we are unaware
Define free association
A method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing (Freud)
Define Id
Reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. Operates on the pleasure principle and demands immediate gratification
Define superego
Develops around ages 4-5. Part of the personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement from the conscience and for future aspirations.
Define ego
Largely conscious part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Operates on the reality principle, satisfying the ids desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
Define psychosexual stages
Childhood stages of development during which the Ids pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
Define erogenous zones
Distinct pleasure-sensitive areas of the body
Oedipus/Electra complex
A boys/girls sexual desires toward their mother/father and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival parent
First psychosexual stage + focus
Oral (0-18 months)
Pleasure centers on the mouth- sucking, biting, chewing
Second psychosexual stage + focus
Anal (18-36 months) Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control
Third psychosexual stage
Phallic (3-6 years)
Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings
Fourth psychosexual stage
Latency (6-puberty)
A phase of dominant sexual feelings
FIfth psychosexual stage
Genital (puberty +)
Maturation of sexual interests
Define identification
Process by which children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Define fixation
A lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved (freud)
Fixation traits of the oral stage
- Passive dependence
- Like that of a nursing infant
- Exaggerated denial
- Acting tough, sacarsticc, smoking, excessive eating
Define defense mechanisms
The egos protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Define repression
Defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories. Underlies all other mechanisms
Define regression
Retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
Define reaction formation
Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites (saying you didnt wanna be on the team that badly anyway)
Define projection
Disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Define rationalization
Offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for ones actions
Define displacement
Shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
Define sublimation
Transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives
Define denial
Refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
Alfred Adler and Karen Horney beliefs
- Agreed with Freud that childhood is important
- Believed that childhood social, not sexual, tensions are crucial for personality formation
Alfred Adler beliefs
Much of our behavior is driven by efforts to conquer childhood inferiority feelings that trigger our strivings for superiority and power
Karen Horney beliefs
Childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security
Attempted to balance Freuds masculine bias
Carl Jung beliefs
-Less emphasis on social factors and agreed with Freud that the unconscious exerts a powerful influence
-Believed we have a collective unconscious
Define collective unconscious
Carl Jungs concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
Define projective test
A personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of ones inner dynamics
Define Thematic Apperception Test
A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Define Rorschach inkblot test
The most widely used projective test; a set of 10 inkblots, seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
How does modern research contradict Freud
- Our development is seen as lifelong rather than fixed in childhood
-We doubt that infants’ neural networks are mature enough to sustain as much emotional trauma as Freud thought
What of Freuds theories have been confirmed
Unconscious mind, reaction formation, projection
Define terror-management theory
A theory of death-related anxiety; explores peoples emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Humanistic theories view
Personality is driven by needs to adapt and learn, rather than unconscious conflicts or defense mechanisms
According the humanistic theories, what causes mental disorders
A person is in an unhealthy situation that causes low self-esteem and unmet needs
Maslow views
- Hierarchy of needs
-Self-actualizing personalities: healthy individuals who have met their basic needs and are free to be creative and fulfill their potentials - Goal: achieve self-transcendence
Carl Rogers views
Humanistic psychologist
- Healthy personalities are a fully functioning person
- Unconditional positive regard: attitude of total acceptance toward others
-Self-concept: all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves (Real self vs. Ideal self)
Criticisms of Humanistic theories
-Maslows hierarchy has no system
- Fuzzy definitions- what really is self actualization?
Social cognitive theory
Based on the idea that personality is a result of learning, perception and social interaction. Derives from experiments. Scientific
Observational learning
Part of the social cognitive theories
Albert Bandura
-Self-efficacy: belief in oneself in order to achieve a goal
-Reciprocal determinism: personality is influenced by environment, cognitions, and behavior
Define self control
Part of the social cognitive perspective: Ability to control impulses and delay gratification
Define internal and external locus of control
Internal: perception that one controls their own fate
External: Perception that chance or outside forces beyond ones personal control determine their fate
Define learned helplessness
Part of the social cognitive perspective
Learned helplessness (Martin Seligman)
- Hopelessness someone learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events
Define traits
Stable personality characteristics that are presumed to exist within the individual and to guide their thoughts and actions
Gordon Allport view on personality
Describing traits is more important than explaining them
Define temperament
Inherited personality dispositions apparent in early childhood that establish our “tempo” and “mood”
Affected by biological dispositions
The three traits (CCS)
-Cardinal trait: characteristic or feature so important to a person that it identifies them
-Central trait: traits that make us predictable in most situations
-Secondary trait: Least important but conveys our preferences to items
Define Factor analysis
Statistical procedure identifying clusters of correlated test items that tap basic components of intelligence
Extraversion vs introversion
Extra: Social, outgoing active, lively
Intro: Thoughtful, reserved, quiet
Emotional stability vs instability
Stability: easy-going, relaxed, even tempered
Instability: Moody, anxious, restless
Define self
The center of personality, organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
Define spotlight effect
Overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
define self esteem vs. self efficacy
esteem: feelings of high or low self worth
Efficacy: belief in oneself in order to achieve a goal
What is a self-serving bias
A readiness to perceive oneself favorably
Define individualism
Prioritizing ones own goals over group goals
Define collectivism
Prioritizing group goals over individual goals
Define preconscious
thoughts that are stored temporarily in our unconscious mind but can be retreived
Libido
Part of Fruedian Id, sexual energy or motivation
Anal stage fixation
Anal retentive personality: excessively neat and orderly, stubborn
Anal expulsive personality: very messy and disorganized, emotional, rebellious
What are epigenetic marks
Tell your genes to switch on our off. Through epigenetic marks environmental factors make an imprint on genes passing through generations
What is the trait theory of personality
Temperament, genes, and characteristics are inherited and influence personality
What is the five factor theory
Five components make up the personality and drive behaviors
Five factor theory: CANOE
Consciousness
Agreeableness
Neuroticism (emotional instability)
Openness
Extraversion
Personality inventory
Questionnaire which people respond to items to assess selected personality traits
Empirically derived test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Criticisms of trait theory
poor predictor of future behavior
does not adress development
no means of change
Neurosis
Karen Horney
Driving need for something or someone
