Psychology Chapter 13: Personality

Question 1

psychodynamic theories

Answer 1

view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Question 2

free association

Answer 2

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Question 3

psychoanalysis

Answer 3

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

Question 4

id

Answer 4

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

Question 5

ego

Answer 5

the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Question 6

superego

Answer 6

the part of personality that according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations

Question 7

psychosexual stages

Answer 7

the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Question 8

Oedipus complex

Answer 8

according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Question 9

identification

Answer 9

the process by which, according to Freud children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos

Question 10

fixation

Answer 10

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

Question 11

defense mechanisms

Answer 11

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanisms that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from conciousness

Question 12

collective unconcious

Answer 12

Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Question 13

projective test

Answer 13

a personality test, such as the Roeschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

Question 14

Rorschach inkblot test

Answer 14

the most widely used projective test, a set of 19 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Question 15

terror-management theory

Answer 15

a theory that explores people’s emotional and behavioral response to reminds of their impending death

Question 16

humanistic theories

Answer 16

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Question 17

self-actualization

Answer 17

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Question 18

self-concept

Answer 18

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to “who am I?”

Question 19

unconditional positive regard

Answer 19

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

Question 20

trait

Answer 20

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer report

Question 21

personality inventory

Answer 21

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality trait

Question 22

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Answer 22

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes

Question 23

empirically derived test

Answer 23

a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups

Question 24

social-cognitive perspective

Answer 24

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context

Question 25

reciprocal determinism

Answer 25

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition and environment

Question 26

personal control

Answer 26

the extent to which we perceive control over our environment

Question 27

external locus of control

Answer 27

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

Question 28

internal locus of control

Answer 28

the perception that you control your own fate

Question 29

self-control

Answer 29

the ability the control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long term rewards

Question 30

learned helplessness

Answer 30

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive effetcs