Personality Unit Flashcards
How is personality defined?
The ways in which people differ from each other in their interests, attitudes, and social behaviors
Who first developed the psychodynamic theory?
Sigmund Freud
What does the psyschodynamic theory state?
It states that personality is to the interplay of conflicting forces, including unconscious ones, within the individual
What does catharsis mean?
It means a release of pent up emotional tension
What is psychoanalysis?
The first form of talking therapy developed by Freud. Which involved explaining and dealing with personality based on conscious and un conscious forces
How can the unconscious be defined?
It can be defined as memories, thoughts, and behaviors that influence our actions even if we don’t acknowledge or are aware of them
CC: What was Freud’s original view of the cause of personality problems, and what view did he substitute? What evidence did he have for either view?
After very early references to recent traumatic experiences or inadequate sex, Freud pointed to childhood sexual abuse. Later, he said that the problems was childhood sexual fantasies such as the oedipus complex. His only evidence was his interpretations of what his patients described
What is an odipus complex?
When a young boy is attracted to his mother and sees his father as competition for her
What is psychosexual pleasure?
Any enjoyment found in a form of bodily stimulation
What is libido as defined by Freud?
A psychosexual engrgy or desire
What is the oral stage of psychosexual development?
It occurs in newborns to roughly 1 and 1/2 year olds. It’s when the babies find pleasure from oral activites such as feeding. People fixated on this stage struggle with attachment and enjoy eating drinking and smoking
What is anal stage of psychosexual development?
occurs in children ages 1.5 to 3 years old when they enjoy bowel movements. it is associated with either being orderly or messy
What is the phallic stage of psychosexual development?
occurs in children ages 3-6 and are fasinated with their own genitals.
What is the latent stage of psychosexual development?
occurs in children ages 5/6- trough the onset of puberty. This is when they suppress any sexual interest
What is the genital stage of psychosexual development?
begins at the onset of puberty and is when people develop a sexual interest in others
Is the psychosexual theory reliable?
No because it has not been tested
CC: According to Freud, what does it mean if someone is orderly and stingy? What does it mean if someone is messy and wasteful?
Freud would interpret those as fixations of the anal stage
What are Freud’s 3 structures of personality?
Id, ego, and superego
CC: How would Freud interpret the behavior of someone who follows every impulse?
that would indicate a weak superego
What is the defense mechanisms against anxiety according to freud?
that the ego defends itself by putting stressful thoughts and impulses away from the conscious mind
What is repression?
when someone intentionally tries to put something that is unacceptable out of their mind as a defense mechanism
Is repression real?
no, there isn’t much evidence for it. what is more likely is that people intentionally suppress their unwanted thoughts and memories which is shown to have positive psychological effects.
What is denial?
The refusal to accept that something awful is happening or has happened
What is rationalization?
when people try to affirm that their actions or beliefs are justifiable or called for
What is displacement?
Diverting a behavior or feelings from the actual source towards someone or something else ex Carmen in the sisterhood of the traveling pants being mad at everyone else but her dad
What is regression?
When people behave more childishly than what is appropriate for their age in response to a current stressful situation
What is projection?
It is when people project their own undesireable characteristics onto others
What does reaction formation mean?
It is when people present themselves in the opposite manner of how they truly are
What is sublimination?
When someone converts their own sexual desires into more socially acceptable behaviors like painting
Is sublimination real?
Not really
CC: Match each of the following to one of these Freudian defense mechanisms: regression, denial, projection, rationalization, reaction formation and displacement.
a) an adult who pouts and cries after losing an argument
b) someone who cheats on taxes but says everyone does it
c) someone who justifies wasteful spending by saying that it boosts the economy
d) a man hears something bad about someone he admires and insists its isn’t true
e) someone embarassed about enjoying pornography campaigns to have it banned
f) a girl angry with her parents yells at her stuffed animals
a-regression
b- projection
c-rationalization
d- denial
e- reaction formation
f-displacement
What is transference?
It is when you react to people in your life a certain way because they remind you of someone else (many cases its of your parents)
What does it mean if a psychologist is a neo-Freudian?
It means that they adhere to some of his original theories while modifying some other aspects
What is a collective unconscious?
it a unconscious that we all share and is of the cumulative experience of the generations before us
What are archetypes?
Vague images that have always been a part of human experience. ex how cultures have many similiarites in artwork, myths and folklore
CC: How did Jung and Freud differ in their view of the unconscious?
Freud believed that the unconscious developed from repressed experiences. Jung though that some unconscious thoughts or motives came from personal experiences as well as the collective unconscious.
What is individual psychology as Alder defines it?
He defines it as looking at the psychology of a person as a whole rather than parts
What is an inferiority complex?
It is when someone feels they are inferior to those around them and feel inadaquate, and helpless
What is striving for superiority as defined by Adler?
It means that people everyone has a desire to seek achievement and fufillment
What does social interest mean?
That when a sense of solidarity with others is so strong that is drives people to work for making a change.
CC: According to Adler, what is people’s main motivation? And what did he mean by social interest?
People’s main motivation is to strive for superiority. Social interest is when people see the need to take action for the betterment of a community as a whole.
CC: According to the learning approach, do people have consistent personality traits, such as honesty or promptness?
No, because its based on learned behaviors from those around you.
What is the learning approach to personality?
It is the theory that people learn some personality traits from watching those around them growing up
What is humanistic psychology?
It focuses on consciousness, beliefs, values and sprituality that people live by and die for
What is a self concept?
An image of how they act/who they really are
What is a ideal self?
An image of what they would like to be like