Personality Flashcards
What are the 6 Defense Mechanisms?
Regression, Denial, Displacement, Rationalization, Projection, Reaction Formation
What is Regression?
Retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage for comfort (sucking thumb)
What is Denial?
Refusal to accept reality and block events from awareness
What is Displacement?
Redirection of an impulse to a substitute target
What is Rationalization?
Creating self-justifying explanations for certain behaviours/decisions
What is Projection?
Attributing thoughts/feelings onto another person
What is Reaction Formation?
Replacing unwanted thoughts/feelings with the opposite one
What are the Big Five Factors?
Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
Traits of high openness:
adventurous and creative
Traits of high agreeableness:
kind and empathetic
Traits of high extraversion:
sociable and fun-loving
Traits of high conscientiousness:
organized and mindful of details
Traits of high neuroticism:
anxious and insecure
Traits of low openness:
traditional and conforming
Traits of low agreeableness:
competitive and manipulative
Traits of low conscientiousness:
careless and disorganized
Traits of low extraversion:
quiet and reserved
Traits of low neuroticism:
relaxed and self-satisfied
What is psychopathy?
lack of empathy or remorse
What is narcissism?
excessive self-love and self-absorption
What is machiavellianism?
exploitation and manipulation of others to attain goals
Psychosexual Stages
pleasure-seeking and sexual energy is expressed through different body parts
Oral (0-18 months)
sucking, biting, breastfeeding
Anal (18-36 months)
bladder elimination/bowel control (potty training)
Phallic (3-6 years)
exploration of genitals/sexual curiosity
Latency (6 years to puberty)
dormant sexual feelings
Genital (puberty on)
mature sexual interests/relationships
What is the Oedipus Complex?
a boy’s sexual desires towards mother and jealousy towards his rival father
What is personality?
characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Psychoanalytic Theory
belief that human behaviour is influenced by unconscious memories, thoughts, and urges
Id
primitive instincts and desires
Ego
mediator between id and reality
Superego
moral conscience and ideals
What is identification?
when children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superego
What is fixation?
lingering at a specific psychosexual stage due to overindulgence or deprivation
Identifying personality traits allows us to…
-describe them
-explain their past or current behaviour
-predict their future behaviour
