Personality (Modules 45-57) Flashcards

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1
Q

Personality

A

All the consistent, stable, enduring and unique ways in which the behavior of one person differs from that of others

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2
Q

Why is Freud important in psychology?

A

He founded psychoanalysis.

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3
Q

What was Freud’s main technique?

A

Free association, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

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4
Q

What is the point of free association?

A

To allow people to retrace their line of memories to be released

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5
Q

Psychoanalysis

A

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; techniques used in treating psychological disorders by interpreting the unconscious

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6
Q

Conscious

A

A reservoir of mostly acceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories with which we are comfortable to acknowledge

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7
Q

Preconscious

A

Thoughts may be stored here temporarily and can be retrieved and brought into conscious awareness

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8
Q

Unconscious

A

Under Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories; in contemporary times, information processing of which we are unaware

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9
Q

Give an example of what Freud meant by saying that nothing is ever accidental.

A

The unconscious influences us greatly, expressing itself in our core beliefs, our daily habits an dour troubles. Freud believed that he could glimpse into one’s unconscious through free association.

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10
Q

Id

A

“Shoulder devil” – conscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives

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11
Q

Pleasure principle

A

The demand for immediate gratification

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12
Q

Ego

A

Largely conscious “executive” part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, superego and reality

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13
Q

Reality principle

A

Satisfying the id’s desires in a way that will realistically bring pleasure, no pain

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14
Q

Superego

A

“Shoulder angel” – the part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and future ideals

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15
Q

Psychosexual Stages

A

The childhood stages of development during which the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

  1. Oral
  2. Anal
  3. Phallic (Oedipus complex & Electra complex)
  4. Latency - dormant sexual feelings
  5. Genital - maturation of sexual feelings
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16
Q

What did Freud believe most influences our developing identity, personality and frailties?

A

Early childhood relations, especially with parents and caregivers

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17
Q

Fixate

A

A lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage in which conflicts were unresolved

Ex. Fixation at the oral stage may manifest itself in smoking or excessive eating

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18
Q

Defense Mechanisms

A

The ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

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19
Q

Repression

A

Unknowingly placing an unpleasant memory or thought in the unconscious

Ex. Not remembering a traumatic incident in which you witnessed a crime

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20
Q

Regression

A

Reverting back to immature behavior from an earlier stage of development

Ex. Throwing tantrums as an adult when you don’t get your way

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21
Q

Reaction Formation

A

Acting in exactly the opposite way to one’s unacceptable impulses

Ex. Being overprotective of an unwanted child

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22
Q

Projection

A

Attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings and thoughts to others and not yourself

Ex. Accusing your significant other of cheating because you want to cheat on your significant other

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23
Q

Rationalization

A

Creating false excuses for one’s unacceptable feelings, thoughts or behaviors

Ex. Justifying cheating on an exam by saying everyone else cheats

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24
Q

Displacement

A

Redirecting unacceptable feelings from the original source to a safer substitute target

Ex. Taking your anger toward your boss out on your children by yelling at them

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25
Q

Sublimation

A

Replacing socially unacceptable impulses with socially acceptable behavior

Ex. Channeling aggressive drives into playing football

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26
Q

Denial

A

Rejecting a fact or its seriousness

Ex. Spouses may deny evidence of their partner’s affairs

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27
Q

On what beliefs do neo-Freudians differ from Freud?

A

1) Neo-Freudians placed more emphasis on the conscious mind’s role in interpreting experience and in coping with the environment.
2) Neo-Freudians doubt that sex and aggression are all-consuming motivations.

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28
Q

What does Adler believe behavior is driven by?

A

Childhood social tensions (not sexual ones) are crucial for personality formation. Our behavior, striving for superiority and power, is driven by efforts to combat feelings of childhood inferiority.

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29
Q

What did Horney say childhood anxiety triggers?

A

Caused by the dependent child’s sense of helplessness, childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security.

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30
Q

Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious

A

A shared, inherited reservoir of memory travels from our species’ history

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31
Q

Projective tests

A

A personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics (ex. TAT and the Rorschach Inkblot Test)

32
Q

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A

A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interest through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

33
Q

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A

The most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

34
Q

Is repression as common as Freud’s supporters believe?

A

No, there is no empirical evidence that repression has happened or that it is even possible. More likely, traumatic experiences enhance memory.

35
Q

False Consensus Effect

A

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

36
Q

Terror-Management Theory

A

A theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

37
Q

What is the most serious problem with Freud’s theory?

A

Freud’s theory fails to predict behaviors and traits; it only serves as an after-the-fact explanation of any characteristic.

38
Q

Humanistic Theorists

A

Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

39
Q

How is humanistic theory different from behaviorism?

A

Humanistic theory studies people through their own self-reported experiences and feelings.

40
Q

List the hierarchy of needs from bottom to top.

A

Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, Self-actualization, Self-transcendence

41
Q

Self-actualization

A

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

42
Q

What kind of people did Maslow study to form his theory?

A

Healthy, creative people (as opposed to troubled clinical cases)

43
Q

Roger’s Person-Centered/Client-Centered Perspective focuses on what three conditions being met?

A

Genuineness, Acceptance and Empathy

44
Q

Genuineness

A

The quality of being open with one’s own feelings; the state of being transparent and self-disclosing

45
Q

Acceptance

A

An attitude that values ourselves and others even when putting failure into consideration

46
Q

Unconditional Positive Regard

A

An attitude of total acceptance toward another person

47
Q

Empathy

A

The quality of sharing and mirroring our feelings and reflecting on the meanings of those feelings

48
Q

Self-concept

A

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

49
Q

What happens when the ideal and actual self are alike?

A

Our self-concept is positive.

50
Q

What are the three main criticisms against humanist psychology?

A

1) Concepts are vague and subjective
2) Individualism can lead to selfishness
3) Naive; fails to recognize humanity’s capacity for evil

51
Q

Traits

A

Characteristic patterns of behavior or disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

52
Q

What is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) usually used for?

A

Counseling and coaching

53
Q

What is factor analysis?

A

A statistical procedure used to identify clusters of test items that tap basic components of intelligence (such as spatial ability or verbal skill)

54
Q

What are Eysenck’s two personality dimensions?

A

Extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability

55
Q

Personality Inventories

A

A questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of behaviors; used to assess personality traits

56
Q

Minnesota Multiphastic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

A

The most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders.

57
Q

What are Costa and McCrae’s Big Five dimensions of personality?

A

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, Extraversion (CANOE)

58
Q

What is the person-situation controversy?

A

Are our personality traits stable and enduring, or does our behavior depend on where and with whom we find ourselves?

59
Q

Bandura’s Social-Cognitive Perspective

A

Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social contexts

60
Q

Behavioral Approach

A

Focusing solely on how our environment controls us

Ex. A hostile environment may make one more aggressive

61
Q

Reciprocal Determinism

A

The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment

Ex. TV viewing habits influence viewing preferences which influence how television affects behavior

62
Q

Personal Control

A

The extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless

63
Q

Internal locus of control

A

The perception that you control your own fate

64
Q

External locus of control

A

The perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate

65
Q

Learned helplessness

A

The passive resignation learned when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

66
Q

List two effects of having a pessimistic attributional style.

A

May attribute poor performance to lack of ability or situations beyond their control

67
Q

What can happen if you have excessive optimism?

A

May make one ignorant of real risks and/or promote complacency. This can also lead to risky behavior when one refuses to consider consequences.

68
Q

Positive Psychology

A

The scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

69
Q

What do critics say about social-cognitive theories?

A

The theory focuses so much on the situation that it overlooks the person’s inner traits.

70
Q

Self

A

Assumed to be the center of personality; the organizer of our thoughts, feelings and actions

71
Q

Spotlight effect

A

Overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)

72
Q

Self-esteem

A

One’s feelings of high or low self-worth

73
Q

Self-efficacy

A

One’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in certain situations or accomplish a task

74
Q

Self-serving bias

A

A readiness to perceive oneself favorably

Ex. When receiving a bad test score, students often blame the test more so than themselves.

75
Q

Narcissism

A

Excessive interest in oneself