Unit 10: Personality Flashcards
Psychoanalytic Theory
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
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
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
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
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 id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
Superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
Psychosexual States
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
Repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
Psychodynamic Theory
modern-day approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
Projective Tests
a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
Thermatic Apperception Test
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 indentify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Humanistic Theory
view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth
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 fulfill one’s potential
Unconditional Positive Regard
according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
Self-Concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Trait Theory
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Personality Inventory
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 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
Big Five Personality Factors
CANOE
- conscientiousness: organized, careful, disciplined
- agreeableness: soft-hearted, trusting, helpful
- neuroticism: anxious, insecure, self-pitying
- openness: imaginative, prefers variety, independent
- extraversion: sociable, fun-loving, affectionate
Social-Cognitive Approach
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context
Reciprocal Determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
Defense mechanisms
The ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Personality
An individual’s characteristics pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Transference
The patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)
Collective unconscious
Carl jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
Oedipus complex
According to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealous and hatred for the rival father
Self-efficacy
One’s sense of competence and effectiveness
Temperament
A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Fixation
According to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
Internal locus of control
The perception that you control your own fate
External locus of control
The perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate
