UNIT 4 CHAP 11 Flashcards
personality
an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
psychoanalytic perspective vs trait perspective
psychoanalytic perspective
- technique of treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
-Sigmund Freud: childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality, freud was dissatisfied with hypnosis
-2 techniques: free association and dream interpretation - hysteria: physical problems without physical basis
free association
person says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
dream interpretation
unacceptable impulses and desires come through in disguised or altered forms during dreams
Freuds model of the mind
-conscious: all things we are aware of in a moment
-preconscious: everything that can (with little effort) be brought into consciousness
-unconscious: inaccessible warehouse of anxiety-producing thoughts and drives
-ID: reservoir of unconscious psychic energy, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operates on pleasure principle (demands immediate gratification)
-superego: represents internalized ideals, operates on morality principle (threatening to overwhelm with guilt and shame), punishes when violate standards
-ego: executive part of personality, mediates among demands of ID, superego and ego, operates on reality principle (satisfies ID desires in ways that realistically bring pleasure rather than pain)
Psychosexual stages (personality according to freud)
5 stages of personality development each associated with particular erogenous zone
fixation (personality according to freud)
attempt to achieve pleasure as adult in ways that are equivalent to how it was achieve in earlier stages
oral stage (psychosexual stages)
birth–> 1 year
-mouth associated with sexual pleasure
-oral dependent: passive, gullible, a sucker, weaned too late
-oral aggressive: cruel, sarcastic, biting remarks, weaned too early
anal stage (psychosexual stages)
1–>3 years
- anus associated with pleasure
- toilet training can lead to fixation if not handled correctly
- anal retentive: compulsive, orderly, cleanly, harsh potty training
- anal expulsive: messy, careless, informal, lax potty training
phallic stage (psychosexual stages)
3–>5 years
- pleasure shifts to genitals
-oedipus complex (boys) : sexual desire for mom, hatred of dad, fear of castration
-Electra complex (girls): sexual desire for dad, anger at mom for not giving her a penis
- fixation can lead to excessive masculinity in males and need for attention or domination in girls
latency stage (psychosexual stages)
5–> puberty
- sexuality is repressed
-rapid growth of superego
- children participate in hobbies, school, and same sex friendships
genital stage (psychosexual stages)
puberty and on
- sexual feelings re-emerge and are oriented toward others
protecting the conscious from unconscious
-defense mechanism: methods for dealing with anxiety, inappropriate thoughts and feelings
repression (defense mechanism)
involuntary removing an unpleasant memory or barring disturbing sexual and aggressive impulses from consciousness ‘\
-ex: forgetting term paper is due
projection (defense mechanism)
attributing ones own undesirable thoughts, impulses, traits, or behaviors to others
- ex: vain person believes others to be too self focused
denial (defense mechanism)
refusing to acknowledge consciously the existence of danger or threatening condition
ex: refusing to believe Childs terminal illness is terminal
regression (defense mechanism)
reverting to behavior characteristic of an earlier stage of development
ex: adult becomes dependent on parents after breakup of marriage
rationalization (defense mechanism)
supplying logical, rational, socially acceptable reason rather than real reason for action
ex: student blames cheating on professor for leaving during test
sublimation (defense mechanism)
rechanneling sexual or aggressive energy into pursuits that society considers acceptable or admirable
ex: hostile person becomes dentist
reaction formation (defense mechanism)
denying unacceptable impulse, often sexual or aggressive by giving strong conscious expression to its opposite
ex: same-sex sexual urges turn into angry anti-gay statements
displacement (defense mechanism)
substituting a less threatening object for the original object of an impulse
ex: pick a fight with your significant other after being criticized by boss
problems with Freuds theory
fails to predict behavior beforehand
-much of theory is unsupported by current research
- no evidence of castration anxiety
-unclear definitions
-sexist: freud thought females had less self esteem, creativity, and morality
the trait perspective
trait: internally based, relatively stable characteristics that define an individuals personality
Eysenck’s trait theory
choleric= unstable and extraverted
sanguine= stable and extraverted
phlegmatic= stable and introverted
melancholic= unstable and introverted
the big 5 trait dimensions
openness (high end: independent, receptive of new ideas/low end: conforming, narrow interests)
conscientiousness (well-organized, careful/ impulsive, undependable)
extraversion (sociable, talkative/ cautious, aloof)
agreeableness (sympathetic, polite/ irritable, ruthless)
neuroticism (emotional, insecure/ relaxed, self-satisfied)
geopsychology
systematic study of regional differences in distribution of personality traits
dark side of personality
-psychopathy: impulsive, emotionally cold
-machiavellianism: manipulative, self-interested
-narcissism: superiority, entitlement
evaluating the trait perspective
people do have distinct personality traits but situational influences on behavior are important to consider
-beware social desirability: people fake desirable responses on self-report measures of personality
personality assessment
main uses of personality tests are to diagnose people with mental health issues
- counseling, making personal decisions
- 2 main categories of tests: personality inventories and projective tests
- bogus assessment in history
-phrenology: measuring cranial surface to give indirect clues to personality
-not valid
personality inventory
questionnaire to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
ex: MMPI
graphology
study of handwriting to analyze personality
- writing slant: upwards means ambitious and optimistic
downwards means moody, easily discouraged
-angle: forward is generous/ backward is suppressed, and fear
-connectedness: connected is positive and firm decisions, disconnected is dreamer and love for nature
size: small is close attention, top of profession, big is active and big hearted
letter size: same is precise and instruction follower, irregular is irresponsible and convenient course taker
pre-employment screening
handwriting is used to predict success within company
-team work compatibility
mental stability
bad personality traits
personality tests in popular magazines often use vague terms
-Barnum effect: tendency to accept as a valid, description of unique personality that are generally true of everyone
-vague so it fits everyone and its positive
