UNIT 4 CHAP 11

Question 1

personality

Answer 1

an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
psychoanalytic perspective vs trait perspective

Question 2

psychoanalytic perspective

Answer 2

• 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

Question 3

free association

Answer 3

person says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Question 4

dream interpretation

Answer 4

unacceptable impulses and desires come through in disguised or altered forms during dreams

Question 5

Freuds model of the mind

Answer 5

-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)

Question 6

Psychosexual stages (personality according to freud)

Answer 6

5 stages of personality development each associated with particular erogenous zone

Question 7

fixation (personality according to freud)

Answer 7

attempt to achieve pleasure as adult in ways that are equivalent to how it was achieve in earlier stages

Question 8

oral stage (psychosexual stages)

Answer 8

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

Question 9

anal stage (psychosexual stages)

Answer 9

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

Question 10

phallic stage (psychosexual stages)

Answer 10

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

Question 11

latency stage (psychosexual stages)

Answer 11

5–> puberty
- sexuality is repressed
-rapid growth of superego
- children participate in hobbies, school, and same sex friendships

Question 12

genital stage (psychosexual stages)

Answer 12

puberty and on
- sexual feelings re-emerge and are oriented toward others

Question 13

protecting the conscious from unconscious

Answer 13

-defense mechanism: methods for dealing with anxiety, inappropriate thoughts and feelings

Question 14

repression (defense mechanism)

Answer 14

involuntary removing an unpleasant memory or barring disturbing sexual and aggressive impulses from consciousness ‘\
-ex: forgetting term paper is due

Question 15

projection (defense mechanism)

Answer 15

attributing ones own undesirable thoughts, impulses, traits, or behaviors to others
- ex: vain person believes others to be too self focused

Question 16

denial (defense mechanism)

Answer 16

refusing to acknowledge consciously the existence of danger or threatening condition
ex: refusing to believe Childs terminal illness is terminal

Question 17

regression (defense mechanism)

Answer 17

reverting to behavior characteristic of an earlier stage of development
ex: adult becomes dependent on parents after breakup of marriage

Question 18

rationalization (defense mechanism)

Answer 18

supplying logical, rational, socially acceptable reason rather than real reason for action
ex: student blames cheating on professor for leaving during test

Question 19

sublimation (defense mechanism)

Answer 19

rechanneling sexual or aggressive energy into pursuits that society considers acceptable or admirable
ex: hostile person becomes dentist

Question 20

reaction formation (defense mechanism)

Answer 20

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

Question 21

displacement (defense mechanism)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

problems with Freuds theory

Answer 22

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

Question 23

the trait perspective

Answer 23

trait: internally based, relatively stable characteristics that define an individuals personality

Question 24

Eysenck’s trait theory

Answer 24

choleric= unstable and extraverted
sanguine= stable and extraverted
phlegmatic= stable and introverted
melancholic= unstable and introverted

Question 25

the big 5 trait dimensions

Answer 25

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)

Question 26

geopsychology

Answer 26

systematic study of regional differences in distribution of personality traits

Question 27

dark side of personality

Answer 27

-psychopathy: impulsive, emotionally cold
-machiavellianism: manipulative, self-interested
-narcissism: superiority, entitlement

Question 28

evaluating the trait perspective

Answer 28

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

Question 29

personality assessment

Answer 29

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

Question 30

personality inventory

Answer 30

questionnaire to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
ex: MMPI

Question 31

graphology

Answer 31

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

Question 32

pre-employment screening

Answer 32

handwriting is used to predict success within company
-team work compatibility
mental stability

Question 33

bad personality traits

Answer 33

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