Personality Flashcards
Personality
The way each individual thinks, acts, and feels throughout life
Character
Value judgements made about a person’s ethical behavior
Temperament
Enduring characteristics with which a person is born
Who were the first people to discuss physiological roots of personality?
Empedocles and Hippocrates
Galen
Philosopher who believed personality was related to blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm
Psychodynamic perspective on personality
Personality is created by the subconscious and by biological differences
Behaviorist perspective on personality
Focuses on the effect environment has on personality, interactions with others, and personal thought processes
Humanistic perspective on personality
Focuses on the role of each person’s conscious life experiences in personality development
Trait perspective
Focuses on the end result of personality, rather than on how personality itself is derived
Three parts of the mind (according to Freud)
Preconscious (memories), conscious (current awareness), and unconscious (hidden mind)
Three parts of personality (according to Freud)
Id, ego, and superego
Id
Unconscious desires. Made of pure nature and operates under the pleasure principle
Superego
Morals. Made of pure nuture and operates under the morality principle and the conscience
Ego
Manager. Maintains the balance between nature and nurture and operates under the reality principle
Psychological defense mechanisms
Dealing with anxiety from interactions between id/ego/superego by unconsciously distorting one’s perception of reality
Compensation
Emphasizing personal strengths in one area to shift focus from failure in another (you fail a test, so you start talking about how good you did in yesterday’s basketball game)
Denial
Refusing to accept an obvious situation because of the emotional pain it causes (this failed test can’t possibly be mine!)
Displacement
Taking out one’s anger or frustration on a person or object that isn’t the cause of the offense (breaking your pencil after failing the test)
Identification
Associating with people of higher status to increase your own status (freshmen in PAC)
Intellectualization
Describing painful events in abstract or academic terms (robotically going over the test with your teacher)
Projection
Assuming another person has/is responsible for your feelings (telling other students who also failed that they’re stupid)
Rationalization
Making logical excuses for illogical behaviors (I only failed because my teacher sucks)
Reaction formation
Replacing feelings that are unacceptable with feelings that are (facilitating a study group instead of giving up completely)
Regression
Reverting to childlike behavior to get attention (crying when you get back your failed test)
Repression
Unconsciously forgetting upsetting information (not remembering taking the test in the first place)
Sublimation
Using acceptable activities such as excursive as a substitute for sexual energies (being upset about the test and therefore organizing your backpack)
Passive aggressiveness
Unassertive expression of negative sentiments (being late the day after you get your test back)
Oral Stage
0-18 months
Erogenous zone: mouth
Conflict: weaning
Fixation: Can be dependent, gullible, and optimistic (sucker) OR aggressive, hostile, sarcastic, and pessimistic (mouth off)
Anal Stage
18 months-3 years
Erogenous zone: Anus
Conflict: Potty training
Fixation: sloppy, irresponsible, rebellious, hostile, destructive (anal expulsive), OR stingy, stubborn, rigid, and excessively neat (anal retentive)
Phallic Stage
3-6 years
Erogenous zone: Genitals
Conflict: Oedipus/Electra complex
Fixation: Boys become reckless, self-assures, vain, proud, bad at relationships, and gay, while girls become stuck feeling inferior to men
Latency Stage
6 years-puberty
All conflicts are ignored through sublimation and reaction formation (separating genders)
Genital Stage
Puberty-always
Either you make it to a happy relationship, or you don’t and never will!
Castration anxiety
Boys meet girls and become terrified they’ll lose their penises
Penis envy
Girls meet boys and want penises
Oedipus complex
Guys want to be with their moms
Electra complex
Girls learn to identify with their mothers and repress feelings for their fathers