Psy 101 Sec 11.1 Psychodynamic perspective Flashcards
personality
The relatively stable constellation of psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns that account for our individuality and consistency over time.
psychoanalytic theory
Freud’s theory of personality that holds that personality and behavior are shaped by unconscious forces and conflicts.
conscious
To Freud, the part of the mind corresponding to the state of present awareness.
preconscious
To Freud, the part of the mind whose contents can be brought into awareness through focused attention.
unconscious
To Freud, the part of the mind that lies outside the range of ordinary awareness and that holds troubling or unacceptable urges, impulses, memories, and ideas.
id
Freud’s term for the psychic structure existing in the unconscious that contains our baser animal drives and instinctual impulses.
ego
Freud’s term for the psychic structure that attempts to balance the instinctual demands of the id with social realities and expectations.
superego
Freud’s term for the psychic structure that corresponds to an internal moral guardian or conscience.
pleasure principle
In Freudian theory, a governing principle of the id that is based on demand for instant gratification without regard to social rules or customs.
reality principle
In Freudian theory, the governing principle of the ego that takes into account what is practical and acceptable in satisfying basic needs.
defense mechanisms
In Freudian theory, the reality-distorting strategies of the ego to prevent awareness of anxiety-evoking or troubling ideas or impulses.
repression
In Freudian theory, a type of defense mechanism involving motivated forgetting of anxiety-evoking material.
denial
denial In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism involving the failure to recognize a threatening impulse or urge.
reaction formation
In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism involving behavior that stands in opposition to one’s true motives and desires so as to prevent conscious awareness of them.
rationalization
In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism involving the use of self-justification to explain away unacceptable behavior, impulses, or ideas.
projection
In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism involving the projection of one’s own unacceptable impulses, wishes, or urges onto another person.
sublimation
In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism involving the channeling of unacceptable impulses into socially sanctioned behaviors or interests.
regression
In Freudian theory, a defense mechanism in which an individual, usually under high levels of stress, reverts to a behavior characteristic of an earlier stage of development.