Personality (Module 5 Ch 13)

Question 1

States vs Traits

Answer 1

Temporary states of being (ex: being tired and cranky)
VS
Long-lasting, consistent parts of your personality (ex: being a grumpy person)

Question 2

Free Association

Answer 2

Someone starts you off with a word or concept, and then you say anything and everything that comes to mind from that starting point
Looking for patterns or consistencies

Question 3

Self-Concept

Answer 3

Your perception or understanding of who you are as a person (which can be inaccurate)

Question 4

Individualism

Answer 4

Trusting and acting on your feelings
Fulfilling and believing in yourself

Question 5

Person-Situation Controversy

Answer 5

Across time, who you are as a person is more determinant of your behavior
In individual instances, the context of the situation in which you’re acting is more determinant of your behavior

Question 6

Narcissism

Answer 6

Specific trait marked by an inflated sense of self or belief that you can do no wrong and know better than everyone else
Tendency to exploit others
Usually well-liked at the beginning of a relationship (mistaken for confidence)

Question 7

Physiognomy

Answer 7

Pseudo Psychology in which your physical characteristics, such as height and face shape, influence the type of personality you have

Question 8

Sheldon’s Body Type Theory

Answer 8

Tall+lanky = introverted+intellectual
Muscular = assertive+bold
Larger = aggreable+jovial
Not empirically supported, but is very prevalent in media depictions

Question 9

Phrenology

Answer 9

Bumps/divots in someone’s skull correlate to an excess or lack of certain personality traits
Complete bs

Question 10

Four Humors

Answer 10

Pseudo Psychology in which your personality is determined by the balance of 4 different types of liquid in the body: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm

Question 11

What does it mean when you have an excess of one of the 4 humors?

Answer 11

Blood = happiness+enthusiasm
Yellow bile = aggressive+bitter
Black bile = depressed+anxious
Phlegm = lazy

Question 12

What are the 3 levels of consciousness according to Freud?

Answer 12

Unconscious, Preconscious (aka subconscious), and Conscious

Question 13

Unconscious

Answer 13

Parts of the mind that we’re unable to access no matter what
Determines most of our behaviors

Question 14

Preconscious

Answer 14

Information that’s not currently available to our brain, but can be brought into consciousness through effort

Question 15

Conscious

Answer 15

What is currently active or available in our mind

Question 16

What was Freud’s theory about dreams? Why is it not supported?

Answer 16

Freud saw them as the gateway to the unconscious mind
Research shows that they’re actually impacted more by our consciousness, especially events that occur during the day

Question 17

What are the 3 parts of the personality, according to Freud?

Answer 17

The Id, Ego, and Superego

Question 18

Id

Answer 18

The devil on your shoulder
All it cares about is fulfilling its wants and desires
First part of the self to develop, that is gradually driven into the unconscious as we age

Question 19

Ego

Answer 19

The part of the self that is present and interacting with the world
Resides in the conscious and preconscious

Question 20

Superego

Answer 20

The angel on your shoulder (counteracts the “selfish” Id)
Concerned with morality and self-acceptance
Last part to develop and is present throughout all 3 levels of consciousness

Question 21

What is Freud’s Psychosexual Theory?

Answer 21

As we develop, our Id’s focus on different erogenous zones
Each of the 5 stages is marked by a challenge or problem within this erogenous zone, and the way you resolve it creates a lasting impact on your personality

Question 22

What are the 5 stages of Psychosexual Theory in order?

Answer 22

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital

Question 23

Oral Stage

Answer 23

1st: the mouth
Ages 0 to 18 months
Focused on the ability to eat and sucking to soothe
Leads to anxiety in adulthood if left unresolved

Question 24

Anal Stage

Answer 24

2nd: the anus
Ages 18 to 36 months
Focuses on potty training

Question 25

Phallic Stage

Answer 25

3rd: the genitals
Ages 3 to 6 years
Focus is becoming aware of the differences between the sexes
Complications include the Oedipal and Electra complexes
Resolution affects gender identity

Question 26

Oedipal Complex

Answer 26

Challenge for boys in the phallic stage
Wanting to kill their father and have sex with their mother (wtf)

Question 27

Electra Complex

Answer 27

Challenge for girls in the phallic stage
Wanting to kill their mother and have sex with their father (wtffff)

Question 28

Latency Stage

Answer 28

4th: no erogenous zone
Ages 6 to puberty
Focus is creating same-sex friendships while ignoring sexual interest and feelings

Question 29

Genital Stage

Answer 29

5th: the genitals
From puberty onwards
Focus is enacting on sexual desires and creating romantic relationships

Question 30

Why is Freud’s Psychosexual Theory not supported?

Answer 30

1) Development occurs throughout the lifetime and doesn’t just end at the “genital stage” (puberty)

2) Infants don’t have the neural capabilities to maintain the trauma that supposedly can occur in the “oral stage” (not sucking to soothe does not lead to anxiety)

3) Gender identity can be presented earlier than the “phallic stage”, and can also occur in the absence of one parent

Question 31

What are Defense Mechanisms according to Freud? What are they actually?

Answer 31

Freud said they were ways the ego protects itself from the harsh truth of reality
Research shows they’re actually meant to preserve our biases and self-esteem

Question 32

Regression

Answer 32

Reverting back to an earlier psychosexual stage in order to ignore or avoids your problems

Question 33

Denial

Answer 33

Refusing to acknowledge the reality of a situation

Question 34

Projection

Answer 34

Taking the inappropriate feelings you have and projecting them onto someone else

Question 35

Displacement

Answer 35

Taking your anger, aggression, or inappropriate feelings out on someone safe rather than the thing that’s causing those feelings

Question 36

Reaction Formation

Answer 36

Expressing the opposite of your inappropriate feelings
Common in postpartum depression

Question 37

Rationalization

Answer 37

Coming up with excuses for inappropriate behavior in an attempt to make it socially acceptable

Question 38

What is Repression according to Freud? What is it in reality?

Answer 38

Taking unhappy or traumatic memories and burying them deep into the unconscious
Studies show that so-called “repression” is actually a result of suggestibility and false memories

Question 39

What are some other reasons why Freud’s theories (including consciousness, psychosexual, etc.) aren’t supported?

Answer 39

Falsifiability: his theory of the unconscious is impossible to test empirically

Trajectory: his theories focus on explaining things after the fact rather than using them to predict things that might potentially occur

He’s a creepy asshole: sexist (thought women were hysterical and immoral because they had penis envy), racist, drug addict, saw lesbianism as a threat, and let’s not even mention the oedipal complex