Psychology Ch. 12 Flashcards
Personality
The characteristic thoughts, emotional
responses, and behaviours that are relatively stable
in an individual over time and across circumstances
Idiographic Approaches
a way of studying people that focuses on the unique details and experiences of an individual. Instead of trying to find rules that apply to everyone, this method looks closely at one person or a specific situation to understand what makes it different from others. (case study)
Nomothetic Approaches
Studying what groups of people have in common. It’s like looking for patterns or general rules that apply to most people, rather than focusing on what makes each person unique.
e.g., inkblot
Psychodynamic (freudian- NEO fruedian)
Ego, Superego, ID
ID
innate part of ourselves that functions according to pleasure principal - self gratification
e.g., i am hungry and I need to eat.
(baby doesn’t think “i shouldn’t cry” - it will cry.
Superego
developes throughout childhood - learning rules about behaving in the world - internalizing all these rules “the right vs. wrong way of doing things” (moral principals)
ID and Superego are opposites
Ego
The mediator - reality principal - it mediates between the superego and id – the strongest force usually
Defense mechanisms
Unconscious mental strategies that mind uses to protect itself.
Carl Jung -Analytical Psych
took freud’s idea of the unconscious and distinguished between the individual unconscious and added on the idea of collective unconscious. - when you look at humanity we all have the same evolutionary history -minds have adapted to deal with things in the same way
Jung believed that all humans have a shared set of memories and ideas that come from our common ancestors. These aren’t personal memories but are more like instincts or intuitive knowledge
Karen Horney
(feminist psychology):
emphasis on cultural and social
conditions as a determinant of
personality (rather than instinctual or
biological drives)
Humanistic Approaches
Focus on individual potential and stress the importance of growth and self-actualization. This perspective views people as inherently good and motivated by the desire to improve and achieve their fullest potential
Carl Rogers
Client centered therapy - helping people reach their full potential
Maslow (self actualization)
climbing a personal mountain to become the best version of yourself
Self
the totality of the individual, consisting of
all characteristic attributes, conscious and
unconscious, mental and physical
Self-concept
People’s description of their own
characteristics (including psychological and
physical characteristics, qualities, skills, etc.)
Self-construal
how individuals view themselves, particularly in relation to others around them.
The extent to which the self is
defined independently of others or
interdependently with others
Reciprocal determinism
a dynamic dance where you, your behavior, and your environment are in a constant interaction, each influencing and being influenced by the others.
Self - efficacy
like the confidence in your own abilities, your belief that you have what it takes to succeed in the challenges life throws at you.
Locus of Control
The degree to which people
believe that they (as opposed
to external forces) have
control over the outcome of
events in their lives
Internal locus of Control
I can determine my future - I am in control on my life
External locus of control
there is nothing I can do about my future - I go with the flow - why bother trying etc..
Self-regulation
is the process by which people alter
or change their behaviour to
attain personal goals
Self-control
is a process of self-regulation in contexts
involving a clear trade-off between long-term goals and
short-term temptations
Personality trait
characteristic; a tendency to act in a certain way
over time and across circumstances
Personality type
A classification based on particular configurations of personality traits or other characteristics
BIG FIVE THEORY
Openness to experience
C onscientiousness
Extraversion
A greeableness
N euroticism
Projective measures
given something open to interpretation, like a word, image, or situation. Psychologists believe your responses can give insights into your personality or hidden thoughts. One famous example is the inkblot test, where what you see in inkblots might say something about you.
Objective measures
like the ruler of assessments—clear, precise, and focused on observable facts and figures.
self-esteem
like having a supportive inner fan club that cheers you on and helps you navigate life with confidence and resilience.
Self-handicapping
a strategy (not a helpful one) where you intentionally make things harder for yourself to have a built-in excuse if things don’t go well
