Princeton Pysch Ch 6 - Personality, Motivation, Attitudes, and Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Personality.
Individual pattern of thinking, feeling, and behavior associated with each person.
Therapies to treat personality disorders: psychoanalytic theory - Championed by Sigmund Freud.
Personality (patterns, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors,) is shaped by a person’s unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories. The existence of the unconscious is from dreams, Freudian slips, free associations.
Therapies to treat personality disorders: psychoanalytic theory – according to this theory, what two instinctual drives motivate behavior?
Two instinctual drives motivate human behavior:
1) Libido - or life instinct, drives behaviors focused on survival, growth, creativity, pain avoidance, and pleasure.
2) Death instinct - aggressive behaviors fueled by an unconscious wish to die or to hurt oneself or others.
Therapies to treat personality disorders: psychoanalytic theory - three personality components that function together. What are they?
1) Id - the source of E and instincts. Ruled by pleasure; id seeks to reduce tension, avoid pain, and gain pleasure.
2) Ego - Ruled by the reality principle. Uses logical thinking and planning to control consciousness and the Id. Tries to find realistic ways to satisfy the desire for pleasure.
3) Superego - inhibits the Id and influences the Ego to follow moralistic and idealistic goals rather than just realistic goals; Superego strives for a “higher purpose”. Based on societal values, values learned from parents; strive to be able to distinguish right and wrong.
Defense mechanisms - what are they for, according to psychoanalytic theory?
To cope with anxiety (when a person becomes aware of repressed feelings, memories, desires, or experiences) people develop ego defense mechanisms that unconsciously deny or distort reality.
Defense mechanisms - repression, denial, reaction formation, projecton.
1) Lack of recall; 2) forceful refusal to acknwoledge and emotionally painful memory; 3) expressing the opp of what one really feels (ex. hateful toward someone to whom one is sexually attracted); 4) attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to another (ex. I’m not angry you are”
Defense mechanisms - displacement, rationalizatoin, regression, sublimation.
1) Redirecting aggressive or sexual impulses from a forbidden action or object onto another (ex. kicks a dog out of anger instead of the boss); 2) explaining and intellectually justifying one’s impulsive behavior; 3) reverting to an earlier, less sophisticated behavior (like when a child wets the bed after trauma). 4) channeling aggressive or sexual energy into positive, constructive activities like ar.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory - explain Freud’s psychosexual stages?
If certain needs aren’t satisfied at each developmental stage, it will manifest as psychological dysfunction later on.
Freud’s psychosexual stages: oral versus anal versus phallic.
1) Oral - child seeks sensual pleasure through activities like sucking and chewing.
2) Anal - child seeks pleasure through control of elimination.
3) Phallic - child seeks sensual pleasure through
Freud’s psychosexual stages: phallic.
3) Phallic - child seeks sensual pleasure through genitals; at this point, the child is attracted to opp sex and hostile toward same-sex rivals. Oedipus complex (dad = rival) and Electra complex are present in this stage. Girls also experience penis envy.
Freud’s psychosexual stages: latency and genital.
4) sexual interests subside and are replaced by interests in other areas such as school, friends, and sports.
5) Genital - begins adolescence, when sexual themes resurface and a person’s life/sexual energy fuels activities such as friendships, art, sport, careers.
The first three stages of Freud’s psychosocial stags are important. Why?
If parents either frustrate or overindulge the child’s expression of sensual pleasure at a certain stage so that the child doesn’t resolve developmental conflicts at a certain stage, the child becomes PSYCHOLOGICALLY FIXATED. Ex. Adult questions sexuality because of issues during the phallic stage.
Erik Erikson was a student of Freud but believes people aren’t solely influenced by sexual urges. Describes his developmental stages 1- 4 (there are 8)
Erikson added social and interpersonal factors:
1) trust v. mistrust - infant’s physical and emotional needs must be met. 2) autonomy v. shame and doubt - child must explore, make mistakes or he/she might be dependent later on. 3) initiative v. guilt - preschool age child must resolve this crisis of making own decisions; if fail might feel guilty taking initiative and instead allow others to choose. 4) industry v. inferiority - needs to understand the world, develop a gender role, succeed in school or as an adult he/she might feel inadequate.
Erik Erikson was a student of Freud but believes people aren’t solely influenced by sexual urges. Describes his developmental stages 5-8 (there are 8)
5) Identity v. role confusion - adolescent must identify goals, life meaning, limit test. 6) intimacy v. isolation - forming intimate relationships or may become isolated. 7) generativity v. stagnation - help next generation and resolve difference b/t dreams and accomplishments. 8) integrity versus despair - looks back with no regrets and feel personal worth –> may feel hopeless, guilty, resentful, self-rejecting.
What is the goal of psychoanalytic therapy?
Uses various method to help a patient become aware of his or her unconscious motives and to gain insight into the emotional issues presenting difficulties. The goal is to help the person be more able to choose behaviors consciousness - to strengthen the ego so choices are based on reality and not instincts(id) or guilt (sueprego)..
Carl Roger’s humanistic theory.
The humanistic theory focuses on healthy personality development. Humans are inherently good. The basic motive of all people is ACTUALIZING TENDENCY, which is an innate drive to maintain and enhance the organism.
Carl Roger’s humanistic theory - self actualization.
Realizing his/her human potential, as long as no obstacle intervenes.
Carl Roger’s humanistic theory - self-concept.
The self-concept is made up of the child’s conscious, subjective projections and beliefs about him/herself. The child’s true values remain but are unconscious, as the child pursue experiences consistent with the introjected values rather than true.
Carl Roger’s humanistic theory - incongruence.
People choose behaviors consistent with their self-concept. If they encounter experiences in life that contradict their self-concepts, they feel uncomfortable incongruence. By paying attention to his/her emotions, a person in incongruence can learn what his/her true values are, and become healthy by modifying introjected values and self-concept growing toward fulfillment and completeness of self.
Behaviorist perspective on personality.
Personality is a result of learned behavior patterns based on a person’s environment.
Behaviorist perspective on personality - determinism.
Behaviorism is deterministic. People begin as blank slates and that environmental reinforcement and punishment completely determines an individual’s subsequent behavior and personalities.
Behaviorist perspective on personality. Recap what behaviorism is.
Learning (and thus personality development) occurs through two forms:
1) classical conditioning - person acquires a certain response to a stimulus after that stimulus is repeatedly paired with a second stimulus.
2) operant conditioning - behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them. An operant is an action/behavior that produces a consequence.
Behaviorist perspective on personality. Recap oeprant conditioning.
Operant conditioning - behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them:
1) + reinforcement - presence of a rewarding stimulus
2) - reinforcement - the absence of aversive stimulus
3) + punishment - the presence of an aversive stimulus
4) - punishment - the absence of rewarding stimulus
Positive reinforcement and negative punishment are ___opp/same?
1) + reinforcement - the presence of a rewarding stimulus 4) - punishment - the absence of rewarding stimulus
They are opposite.
Social cognitive perspective on personality.
Personality is formed by reciprocal interaction among behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors. The behavioral component includes patterns of behavior learned through classical and operant conditioning, as well as observational learning, which occurs when one watches another’s behavior and its consequences.
Treating personality disorders - Cognitive behavioral therapy.
A person’s feelings and behaviors are seen as reactions not to actual events, but to the person’s thoughts about those events. Each person lives by a self-created subjective belief. The problem is maladaptive and/or negative self-defeating thoughts. Therapy goals would be extinction and relearn of undesired thoughts; healthier thinking and self-talk.
Treating personality disorders - Cognitive behavioral therapy METHODS.
Reconditioning, desensitization ( like showing spider pics), and reversal of self-blame.
Trait perspective - personality trait: surface and source.
A personality trait is a generally stable predisposition toward a certain behavior. Surface traits - evident from a person’s behavior. Source traits are the factors underlying human personality and behavior. Ex. surface= talkative; source = extraversion.
