Personality Development Flashcards
What are 2 processes that support personality development?
Identification
Displacement
What are sublimations? Give an example
displacements that produce social and cultural achievements
e.g., sports - channeling our energy into something constructive
What are defense mechanisms and their functions (2)?
Mental processes that have the goal of reducing our anxiety
They protect us from feeling overwhelmed and sources of threat
They also operate unconsciously and distort reality
How are defense mechanisms both functional and dysfunctional?
Functional: an infant’s ego would be too weak to cope with the inner tension
Dysfunctional: prolonged and excessive use might hinder the ego from gaining sufficient strength for it to grow
What are 8 defense mechanisms?
Repression
Rationalization
Reaction Formation
Projection
Intellectualization
Denial
Displacement
Regression
What is rationalization?
Reasoning out/justifying things or distorting the truth that we do not like through the use of logic and reason
e.g., when a person is asked to resign, he convinces himself that he was going to quit soon anyway
What is regression? Give an example
Reverting to immature patterns of behaviors pertaining to an earlier stage of development
We retreat under stress to an earlier stage of development as during it other were available to help
e.g., after a fight with her husband, a young woman returns to her parents’ home where she allows her parents to cater for her every whim
What is reaction formation?
When we adopt attitudes and behaviors that are opposite to our true thoughts and feelings, to hide thoughts and feelings that arouse anxiety
What is intellectualization?
an attempt to gain detachment from a stressful situation by dealing with it in abstract, intellectual terms
e.g., medical students who work on cadavers intellectualize the gruesome situation by looking at it as purely an assignment
What are the 5 psychosexual stages (Freud)?
- Oral Stage
- Anal Stage
- Phallic Stage
- Latency Stage
- Genital Stage
Describe the oral stage (4)
0-1 years
Characterized by feelings of dependency as the baby relies totally on others for survival
Major pleasure center is the oral cavity - hence infants enjoy activities which involve their mouth, lips, and tongue
Baby operates from the id position - ego not yet developed
What is the developmental task of the oral stage?
moving from infantile dependency towards self sufficiency on the basis of a core event such as weaning
What causes fixation at the oral stage and what is the result?
Cause: rapid weaning, over/under indulgence
Result: oral receptive character OR oral aggressive character
Distinguish between oral receptive personality and oral aggressive personality
Oral receptive: very trusting and dependent on others
Oral aggressive: aggressive and dominating with envy for the success of others
Describe the anal stage (5)
1-2 years
Child learns that they cannot depend on the parent for everything
Parental focus should be on helping the child distinguish between right and wrong decisions
Involves anal areas as the main source of satisfaction
Ego develops as the child delays gratification
What is the developmental task of the anal stage?
Learning to exercise control over our body and impulse, hence postponing the pleasure of relieving anal tension (toilet training)
What causes fixation at the anal stage and what is the result?
Cause: harsh punishment during toilet training process
Result: anal retentive character OR anal expulsive character
Distinguish between anal retentive personality and anal expulsive personality
Anal retentive: mean, stubborn, and obsessively tidy
Anal expulsive: careless, very generous and giving
Describe the phallic stage (3)
2-6 years
Preoccupation with genital organs (penis and clitoris) and sexual fantasies start to appear
Intensification of sexual longing for the parent (Oedipus and Elektra complexes)
Explain the Oedipus complex (3)
Boys are sexually attracted to their mothers and hostile towards their fathers
Resolution through identification with their fathers and repression of their sexual feelings
Boys experience castration anxiety - afraid his father will castrate him
What is the result of fixation at the phallic stage? (2)
Men: vain and self assured
Women: fight hard for superiority over men
What is the developmental task for the phallic stage
Mastering competitive urges and acquiring gender role related behaviors
Explain the Elektra complex (3)
Girls are sexually attracted to their fathers and are hostile towards their mothers
Girls experience penis envy and blame the mother for it
Resolution through repression of sexual feelings, displacement of sexual feelings to other men, and identification with the mother
Describe the latency stage (5)
6-12 years
Major pleasure centers are dormant, sexual feelings for the opposite sex
Sexual energy is directed towards external sources e.g., hobbies and friends
Identification with the same sex parent becomes strong
Superego develops
What is the developmental task for the latency stage?
Development of ego defense mechanisms
Why are there no fixations associated with the latency stage?
there is little psychosexual development
Describe the genital stage (4)
12-18 years
Main source of pleasure are the genitals, with another person
Characterized by an intense overdrive of sexual tension
Intense sexual drives are restrained by social demands for adherence to moral values
What is the developmental task for the genital stage? (2)
A person becomes mature, able to love and be loved
A person goes from having total self interest to developing altruistic motives for others
What causes fixation at the genital stage and what is the result?
Cause: failure to establish a sense of genital sexuality
Result: selfish involvement with others to satisfy one’s own sexual needs and inability to commit and form emotional bonds in relationships
What are 3 flaws in Freud’s theory of psychosexual development?
He considers the male genital stage normal but the female genital stage as hysterical and manic
He considers homosexuality a result of fixation in the phallic stage
His stages stop at age 18 when in reality sexual development continues into old age
