Unit 4b: Social Psychology Flashcards
Personality
a person’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
Psychodynamic Theory
Psychological perspective that analyzes how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts.
emphasizes the influences of the unconscious mind and early childhood experiecnes.
Personality is formed through coping with life’s trauma.
Conscious Mind
Our Thoughts
Preconcsious Mind
memories and information that can be brought to the conscious
Unconscious Mind
thoughts, memories, and desires that are not and never conscious
ID
seeks pleasure and self gratification
inner devil
born with this
Superego
Seeks what is morally correct
inner angel
developed over time
Ego
seeks balance between id and superego
(kind of sense of self)
Ego Defense Mechanisms
Strategies used by ego to manage anxiety and protect itself from distressing thoughts and feelings
these mechanisms operate unconciously
Denial
ego refuses to accept real events bc they are unpleasant
Displacement
redirecting emotions or impulses to a less threatening object.
Projection
attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts/feelings to other people.
Rationalization
justifying behaviors by subsitiuting a more acceptable reason for them.
Reaction Formation
behaving in a way opposite of one’s true feelings or desires.
Regression
reverting to an earlier stage of development in response to a stress or anxiety.
Repression
pushing distressing thoughts, memories, or feelings out of the conscious awareness.
Sublimation
channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviors
Projective Tests
use ambigious stimuli to elicit responses that reveal aspects of an individual’s personality and unconscious
- Rorschach Inkbot Test
- Thematic Apperception Test
Humanistic Theory
psychological perspective that emphasises the study of a whole person and uniqueness of each individual.
focuses on free will, self-actualization, and inherent goals
Self-Actualizing Theory
the innate drive in every person to realize their full potential and achieve the highest level of human functioning.
involves the pursuit of happiness and self-improvement
Unconditioned Positive Regard
an individual is treated with unconditioned respect and acceptance, regardless of their behavior.
essential for self-worth and personal growth.
Social-Cognitive Theory
psychological theory that emphasizes the role of cognitive processes (such as thinking, memory, and interpretation) in understanding behavior.
highlights the interaction between individual behaviors, personal factors, and the environment
Reciprocal Determinism
Three factors:
Behavior
Personal
Environment
Each influence the other in a continuous loop
Personality is a result of this interaction
Self Concept
Self-Concept: a person’s perception of themselves.
Self Efficacy
Self-Efficacy: a person’s belief in their ability to successfully perform tasks or achieve goals.
Self Esteem
Self-Esteem: a person’s evaluation of their worth or value.
Trait Theories
focus on identifying and measuring individual traits (i.e. patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors).
personality can be described through these stable characteristics.
Personality Inventories
Standardized questionnaires or surveys designed to assess an individual’s personality traits.
Big Five
widely accepted model of personality that includes five major traits
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Factor Analysis
statistical method used to identify clusters or patterns of related variables.
Drive-Reduction Theory
suggests that behavior is motivated by the need to reduce drives
Drives
Drives: physiological states of tension or arousal caused by biological needs
Arousal Theory
proposes that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal, or mental and physical alertness.
Too little arousal = boredom
Too much arousal = stress
Yerkes-Dodson Law
performance improves with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a certain point.
For difficult tasks
moderate levels of arousal lead to the best performance
For simple tasks
higher levels of arousal can be beneficial
Self-Determination Theory
emphasizes the role of intrinsic motivation in driving human behavior.
people are most motivated when they feel:
competent
autonomous
connected to others.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation: the motivation to engage in an activity to achieve some external reward or avoid punishment.
Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic Motivation: the motivation to engage in an activity for the inherent satisfaction or enjoyment it provides, rather than for external rewards.
Incentive Theory
suggests that behavior is driven by external rewards.
Instinct Theory
behaviors might be driven by biological instincts that led to past survival
