Personality, motivation, attitudes, and psychological disorders Flashcards
personality
the individual pattern of thinking, feeling, and behavior associated with each person
psychoanalytic theory
personality (made up of patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) is shaped by a person’s uncounscious thoughts, feelings, and memories; the exisitance of the unconscious is inferred from behaviors such as dreams, slips of the tounge, posthypnotic suggestions, and free associations
libido
life instinct; drives behaviors focused on survival, growth, creativity, pain avoidance, and pleasure
death instinct
drives aggressive behaviors fueled by the unconscious with to die or hurt oneself or others
3 personality psychic energy components
- id
- ego
- superego
id
ruled by pleasure principle
unconscious; the source of energy and instincts; seeks to reduce tension, avoid pain, and gain pleasure; doesn’t use logical or moral reasoning; doesn’t distinguish mental images from external objects; young children fxn almost entirely from the id
ego
ruled by reality principle
uses logical thinking and planning to control consciousness and the id; tries to find realisitc ways to satisfy the id’s desire for pleasure
superego
inhibits the id and influences the ego to follow moralistic and ideals goals rather than just realisitic goals; strives for “higher purpose”
ego defense mechanisms
people develop these to combat anxiety; unconsciously deny or distort reality
repression
lack of recall of an emotionally painful memory
denial
forceful refusal to acknowldege an emotionally painful memory
reaction formation
expressing the opposite of what one feels, when it would feel too dangerous to express the real feeling (ex) acting hateful toward someone to whom one is sexually attracted)
Projection
attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to another person
displacement
redirecting aggressive or sexual impulses from a forbidden action or object onto a less dangerous one (punching a pillow instead of yelling at your boss)
rationalization
explaining and intellecutally justifying one’s impulsive behavior
regression
reverting to an earlier, less sophisticated behavior (when a kid reverts to bedwetting after a trauma)
sublimation
channeling aggressive or sexual energy into positive, constructive activities ex) producing art
Freud’s 5 psychosexual stages
oral anal phallic latent genital
oral stage
child seeks pleasure through oral activities such as chewing or sucking
anal stage
child seeks sensual pleasure through control of elimination
phallic stage
child seeks sensual pleasure through the genitals; oedipus and electra complexes occur
oedipus complex
in a boy; when the child is attracted to the opposite sex parent and is hostile towards the same gender parent
electra complex
in a girl; when the child is attracted to the opposite sex parent and is hostile towards the same gender parent
latency stage
sexual interests subside and are replaced by interests in other areas such as school, friends, and sports