Unit 10 Flashcards
Free association
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
Personality
An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
Unconscious
According to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware
Preconscious area
In this area thoughts can be received into conscious awareness
Manifest content
The remembered context of dreams
Latent content
Dreamers unconscious wishes
Id
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.
Ex: newborn infant crying out for immediate satisfaction
Ego
The largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the Ids desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
Superego
Around age 4 or 5, the ego recognizes the demands of the superego. The part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscious) and future aspirations.
Psychosexual stages
The childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the Ids pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.
Oral
(0-18) months
Pleasure focuses on mouth (sucking, chewing, biting)
Anal
(18-36) months
Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination and coping with demands for control
Phallic
(3-6) years
Pleasure zone is genitals (coping with incestuous sexual feelings)
Latency
(6-puberty)
Dormant sexual feelings
Genital
(Puberty on)
Maturation of sexual interests
Oedipus complex
According to Freud, a boys sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father (phallic stage)
Electra complex
Girl version of the Oedipus complex
Identification
The process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents values into their developing superegos (gender identity-our sense of being male or female)
Fixation
According to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.
Defense mechanisms
In psychoanalytic theory, the egos protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.
Repression (1)
In psychoanalytic theory, the basic DM that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.
Ex: someone who suffered abuse as a child may later for some unknown reason have trouble forming relationships
Regression (2)
Psychoanalytic DM in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated.
Ex: when getting upsetting news one may become orally fixated and begin eating excessively
Reaction formation (3)
Psychoanalytic DM by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. Thus, people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings
Ex: being really friendly to someone you hate
Projection (4)
Psychoanalytic DM by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others.
Ex: if you have a strong dislike for someone you may come to think that they don’t like you
Rationalization (5)
Psychoanalytic DM that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for ones actions.
Ex:student blames bad test grade in teacher rather than lack of studying
Displacement (6)
Psychoanalytic DM that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses towards a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger towards a safer outlet
Ex: being frustrated with your boss and taking it out on your spouse
Sublimation (7)
Psychoanalytic DM by which people re-channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities
Ex: someone dealing with anger might take up kick-boxing
Denial (8)
Psychoanalytic DM by which people refuse to believe or even to perceive painful realities
Ex: being addicted to alcohol but refusing to admit you have a problem
Collective unconscious
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history
Projective tests
A personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of ones inner dynamics
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach inkblot test
The most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
False consensus effect
Freud’s projection of the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors
Terror-management theory
A theory of death-related anxiety; explores peoples emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Self-actualization
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 fill ones potential
Unconditional positive regard
According to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance towards another person
Self-concept
All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question “who am I?”
If negative then we fall short of our ideal self
Trait
A characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI)
Taken by many people for counseling, leadership training, and work team development
Factor analysis
A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of correlated test items that tap basic components of intelligence (statistically correlated cluster of behaviors reflect basic factor or trait)
Personality inventory
A questionnaire (often with true or false or agree disagree questions) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits
Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI)
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
Empirically derived tests
A test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Big five (conscientiousness)
Organized or disorganized
Careful or careless
Disciplined or impulsive
Big five (agreeableness)
Softhearted or ruthless
Trusting or suspicious
Helpful or uncooperative
Big five (neuroticism) Emotional stability vs emotional instability
Calm or anxious
Secure or insecure
Self-satisfied or self-pitying
Big five (openness)
Imaginative or practical
Pref for variety of pref for routine
Independent or conforming
Big five (extraversion)
Sociable or retiring
Fun loving or sober
Affectionate or reserved
Person-situation controversy
Look for genuine personality traits that persist over time and across situations
Social-cognitive perspective
Views behavior as influenced by interactions between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context
Focuses on how we and our environment interact
Reciprocal determinism
The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
–> personalities shaped by interaction of our personal traits (thoughts and feelings) environment an behaviors
Personal control
The extent to which a people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless
External locus of control
The perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate
Internal locus of control
The perception that you control your own fate
Self-control
The ability to control impulses and to delay gratification
It requires attention, energy, and willpower
Tyranny of choice
Information overload
Positive psychology
The scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
Self
In contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
Possible selves
Visions of the self you dream of becoming (rich self) and the self you fear of becoming (the lonely self)
Spotlight effect
Overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
Self esteem
Ones feelings of hight or low self worth
Self-serving bias
A readiness to perceive oneself favorably
Defensive self esteem
Fragile and focuses on sustaining itself (failures=threatening) and correlates with aggression and antisocial behavior
Secure self esteem
Less fragile, less contingent on external evaluations
Individualism
Giving priority to ones own goals over group goals and defining ones identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Collectivism
Giving priority to the goals of ones group (often ones extended family or work group) and defining ones identity accordingly
