Personality Flashcards
Personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking
Free Association
in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring at the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind
Psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used ion treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
Unconscious
according to Freud a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists information processing of which we are unaware
Id
contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive tendencies pleasure principle
Ego
the largely conscious “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud meditates among the demands of the id superego and reality. Reality Principle.
Superego
the part of personality that according to Freud represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement and future aspirations
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure - seeking energies focus on distinct zones
Oedipus Complex
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires towards his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos
Fixation
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure - seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
Defense Mechanism
in psychoanalytic theory, the egos protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety - arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
Regression
psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. Thus, people may express feelings opposite of their unconscious ones
Projection
psychoanalytic defense mechanism that which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Rationalization
defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for ones acts
Displacement
psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses towards a more acceptable or less-threatening object
Denial
defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe reality
Collective Unconsciousness
Carl Jung’s concept of shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history
Projective Test
a personality test such as the rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of ones inner dynamics
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interestes through the stories they make up
Rorschach Inkblot Test
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Terror-Management Theory
a theory of death related anxiety, explores people’s emotional and behaviorial responses to reminders of their impending death
Self-Actualization
according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved. the motivation to fulfill one’s potential.
