Psych Ch. 6: Personality, Motivation, Attitudes, and Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Psychoanalytic Theory

Answer 1

Personality (made up of patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) is shaped by a person’s unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories

• -> these unconscious elements are derived from past experiences, particularly interactions with primary care givers.
• -> According to this theory, the existence of the unconscious is inferred from behaviors such as dreams, slips of the tongue, posthypnotic suggestions, and free associations

Question 2

Psychoanalysis developed by _____

Answer 2

Sigmund Freud

Question 3

Libido

Answer 3

Life instinct that drives behavior focused on survival, growth, creativity, pain avoidance, and pleasure.

Question 4

Death instinct

Answer 4

Drives aggressive behaviors fueled by an unconscious wish to die or to hurt oneself or others

Question 5

3 personality components that function together: (remember Mrs. Sheckell!!)

Answer 5

Id, ego, and superego

Question 6

Id

Answer 6

Unconscious, source of energy and instincts; ruled by the pleasure principle-seeks to reduce tension, avoid pain, and gain pleasure

• Does NOT use logical or moral reasoning, and does NOT distinguish mental images from external objects
• According to Freud, young children function almost entirely from the id

Question 7

Ego

Answer 7

Preconscious level, ruled by the reality principle, uses logical thinking and planning to control consciousness and the id; tries to find realistic ways to satisfy the id’s desire for pleasure

Question 8

Superego

Answer 8

Unconscious, inhibits the id and influences the ego to follow moralistic and idealistic goals rather than just realistic goals; the superego strives for a “higher purpose”
-Based on social values learned from parents, the superego makes judgements of right and wrong and strives for perfection; seeks to gain psychological rewards such as feelings of pride and self-love, and to avoid psychological punishment such as feelings of guilt and inferiority

Question 9

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Answer 9

People develop this to cope with anxiety and protect the ego; they unconsciously deny or distort reality

Question 10

Ego defense mechanisms include:

Answer 10

Repression, denial, reaction formation, projection, displacement, rationalization, regression, and sublimation

Question 11

Freud’s psychosexual stages and Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages

Answer 11

Know theses 2 theories of developmental stages

Question 12

There are 5 psychosexual stages:

Answer 12

Freud believed that sexual energy is present from infancy and each person matures through 5 stages (each correspond to which part of the body is the focus of sensual pleasure):

1. Oral stage
2. Anal stage
3. Phallic stage
4. Latency stage:
5. Genital stage

Question 13

Oral stage

Answer 13

Child seeks sensual pleasure through oral activities such as sucking and chewing

Question 14

Anal stage

Answer 14

Child seeks sensual pleasure through control of elimination

Question 15

Phallic stage

Answer 15

Child seeks sensual pleasure through the genitals

• -> child is attracted to the opposite sex parent and hostile toward the same sex parent, who is seen as a rival==>Oedipus complex in boys, Electra complex in girls
• -> girls also experience penis envy during this stage (as they discover that they do not have penises)

Question 16

Latency stage

Answer 16

Sexual interests subside and are replaced by interests in other areas such as school, friends, and sports

Question 17

Genital stage

Answer 17

Begins in adolescence, when sexual themes resurface and a person’s life/sexual energy fuels activities such as friendships, art, sports, and careers

Question 18

Psychologically fixated

Answer 18

Happens to children if parents become frustrated or overindulge child’s expression of sensual pleasure at a certain stage so that child does not resolve that stage’s developmental conflicts, which causes them to seek sensual pleasure through behaviors related to that stage as an adult

Question 19

Erik Erikson’s 8 stages

Answer 19

He added social and interpersonal factors

Question 20

1st stage: trust vs mistrust

Answer 20

Infant’s task is to resolve this crisis; if their physical and social needs aren’t met, as an adult they may mistrust the world and interpersonal relationships

Question 21

2nd stage: autonomy vs shame and doubt

Answer 21

Toddler, if their needs to explore, make mistakes, and test limits are not met, as an adult they may be dependent rather than autonomous

Question 22

3rd stage: initiative vs guilt

Answer 22

Preschool age; if young child’s needs to make decisions is not met, as an adult they may feel guilty taking initiative and instead allow others to choose

Question 23

4th stage: industry vs inferiority

Answer 23

School age; if child’s needs to understand the world, develop a gender-role identity, succeed in school, and set and attain personal goals are not met, as an adult they may feel inadequate

Question 24

5th stage: identity vs role confusion

Answer 24

Adolescence; if an adolescent does not test limits and clarify his or her identity, goals, and life meaning, he or she may develop role confusion

Question 25

6th stage: intimacy vs isolation

Answer 25

young adult; if a person does not form intimate relationships at this stage, he or she may become alienated and isolated

Question 26

7th stage: generatively vs stagnation

Answer 26

middle age; if a person does not feel productive by helping the next generation and resolving differences btw actual accomplishments and earlier dreams, they may become stuck in psychological stagnation

Question 27

8th stage: integrity vs despair

Answer 27

later life; if a person looks back with regrets and a lack of personal worth at this stage, they may feel hopeless, guilty, resentful, and self-rejecting

Question 28

Psychoanalytic therapy

Answer 28

uses various methods to help a patient become aware of their unconscious motives and to gain insight into the emotional issues and conflicts that are presenting difficulties
-one of the goals of therapy is to help the patient become more able to choose behaviors consciously
-another goal is to strengthen the ego so choices can be based on reality rather than on instincts (id) or guilt (superego)
psychoanalysts believe that childhood events and unconscious feelings, thoughts, and motivations play a role in mental illness and maladaptive behaviors; they also use other techniques like free association, role-play, and dream interpretations

Question 29

Humanistic Theory

Answer 29

Focuses on healthy personality development. Humans are seen as inherently good and as having free will rather than having their behavior determined by their early relationships

Question 30

Actualizing Tendency

Answer 30

An innate drive to maintain and enhance the organism

Question 31

Carl Rogers (humanistic theory)

Answer 31

Self-concept, child will strive for caregiver’s approval by adopting their values and still see themselves and caregiver as good

Question 32

Self-concept

Answer 32

Made up of child’s consciousness, subjective perceptions and beliefs about themselves; the child’s true values remain but are unconscious, as the child pursues experiences consistent with the introjected values rather than the true values

Question 33

Goal of humanistic theory (also called person-centered theory):

Answer 33

To provide an environment that will help clients trust and accept themselves and their emotional reactions so they can learn and grow from their experiences

Question 34

Behaviorist Perspective

Answer 34

Personality is a realist of learned behavior patterns based on a person’s environment

• -> behaviorism is deterministic
• -> occurs through classical and operant conditioning

Question 35

Deterministic

Answer 35

People begin as blank slates, and environmental reinforcement and punishment completely determine an individual’s subsequent behavior and personalities

Question 36

Behavioral Therapy

Answer 36

Uses conditioning to shape a client’s behaviors in the desired direction
–>Use ABC model-determine antecedents (A) and consequences (C) of behavior (B)

Question 37

Social Cognitive Perspective

Answer 37

Personality is formed by a reciprocal interaction among behavior, cognitive, and environmental factors
–>Observational (vicarious) learning

Question 38

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Answer 38

From cognitive perspective, 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 with self-created, subjective beliefs about themselves, other people, and the world, and those beliefs color the person’s interpretations of events

• ->Beliefs are formed during childhood and are often unconscious
• ->beliefs are usually irrational and dysfunctional, so goal of therapy is to have client substitute those with rational and accurate beliefs, which will lead to more functional feelings and behavior

Question 39

Personality Trait

Answer 39

A generally stable predisposition toward a certain behavior

Question 40

Surface traits

Answer 40

evident from a person’s behavior

Question 41

Source traits

Answer 41

The factors underlying human personality and behavior; these are fewer and more abstract
ex. extroversion and introversion=continuum, not binary

Question 42

Raymond Cattell

Answer 42

Used factor analysis with hundreds of surface traits to identify which traits were related to each other

Question 43

Global factors (source traits)

Answer 43

extroversion, anxiety, receptivity, accommodation, and self-control

Question 44

Five-Factor Model

Answer 44

McCrae and Costa; 5 factors are: extroversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness (Cattell vs McCrae and Costa)

Question 45

Biological Perspective

Answer 45

Much of what we call personality is at least partly due to innate biological differences among people; support is found from heritability of basic personality traits and correlations btw personality traits and certain aspects of brain structure and function

Question 46

Hans Eysenck

Answer 46

Proposed that a person’s level of extroversion is based on individual differences in the reticular formation-which mediates arousal and consciousness

• ->introverts are more easily aroused and require less stimulation, but extroverts need more stimulation
• ->also proposed that a person’s level of neuroticism is based on individual differences in the limbic system-which helps mediate emotion and memory

Question 47

Jefferey Alan Gray

Answer 47

Proposed that personality is governed by interactions among 3 brain systems that respond to rewarding and punishing stimuli
–>fearfulness and avoidance are linked to the fight or fight sympathetic nervous system, worry and anxiety are linked to the behavioral inhibition system, and optimism and impulsivity are linked to the behavioral approach system

Question 48

C. Robert Cloninger

Answer 48

Also linked personality to brain systems involved with reward, motivation, and punishment; proposed that personality is linked to the level of acuity of certain Its in 3 interacting systems

• low DP activity correlates with higher impulsivity and novelty seeking
• low norepinephrine activity correlates with higher approval seeking and reward dependence
• low serotonin activity correlates with risk avoidance

Question 49

Person-situation controversy (trait vs state controversy)

Answer 49

Considers the degree to which a person’s reaction in a given situation is due to their personality (trait) or id due to the situation itself(state)
-traits are internal and stable across situation, states are situational, influenced by external environment

Question 50

Instincts

Answer 50

behaviors that are unlearned and present in fixed patterns throughout a species
–>represent the contribution in genes, which predispose species to particular behaviors

Question 51

Drive

Answer 51

An urge originating from a physiological discomfort such as hunger, thirst, or sleepiness

• ->alerts that you are no longer in a state of homeostasis-something is lacking
• ->Often work through negative feedback systems

Question 52

Drive-reduction theory

Answer 52

suggests that a physiological need creates an aroused state that drives the organism to reduce that need by engaging in some behavior
need–>drive–>drive-reducing behaviors

Question 53

Abraham Maslow

Answer 53

Hierarchy of needs; if needs are met then you can move to the next level; motivated to satisfy higher level needs only if lower-level needs are met
physiological needs–>safety needs–>love and belongingness–>esteem needs–>self-actualization

Question 54

Primary control center for detecting changes in temp and receives input from skin receptors

Answer 54

Hypothalamus

Question 55

Cold body causes:

Answer 55

Vasoconstriction (conserves heat) and shivering

Question 56

Hot body causes:

Answer 56

Vasodilation (heat loss) and sweating

Question 57

Intake of fluids is stimulated by specialized ____ i the brain that detect _____

Answer 57

osmoreceptors, dehydration

Question 58

Osmoreceptors communicate with the ____ to stimulate the release of ____, which communicate with the kidney to _____ by reclaiming ____

Answer 58

pituitary gland, ADH, reduce urine production, H2O

Question 59

When blood volume is low, hunger for ____ is stimulated to ____ the concentration of salt in the blood, and ____ to replace lost fluid

Answer 59

Sodium, increase, thirst

Question 60

The ___ hypothalamus brings on hunger, while the ____ hypothalamus depresses hunger

Answer 60

lateral, ventromedial

Question 61

___, released by the stomach and pancreas, heightens the sensation of hunger, while ___, a HORMONE released by white adipose tissue (fat), reduces hunger

Answer 61

Ghrelin, leptin