AP Psych - Unit 4A: Motivation, Emotion & Personality

personality

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

free association

a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts AND the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and relieve unconscious tensions

unconscious

a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

preconscious

Information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness

id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives; operates on the pleasure principle

ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality; operates on the reality principle

superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations; pushes us toward the ego ideal

pleasure principle

principle by which the id functions; seeking immediate gratification of desire

reality principle

principle by which the ego functions; seeking to gratify the id's impulses in realistic ways that will bring long-term pleasure

ego ideal

principle by which the superego functions; seeking perfection, judging actions as good or bad, producing feelings of pride or guilt

defense mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

repression

regression

the defense mechanism in which one retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage when anxious

reaction formation

the defense mechanism in which one switches unacceptable impulses with their opposite

projection

the defense mechanism in which one attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others

rationalization

the defense mechanism in which one justifies their own unacceptable behavior with excuses that mask the true, more threatening explanation

displacement

the defense mechanism in which one takes out their aggressive or sexual impulses on more acceptable or less threatening people or things

sublimation

the defense mechanism in which one channels their own unacceptable impulses to a socially-valued behavior

denial

the defense mechanism in which one refuses to believe or even acknowledge painful realities

intellectualization

trying to think about anxiety-causing topics cerebrally rather than emotionally

compensation

the defense mechanism in which one overachieves in one area to make up for a perceived deficiency or inadequacy in another

psychodynamic theories

modern-day perspective on personality that focuses on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

inferiority complex

according to Adler, the basic feeling of inadequacy stemming from childhood experiences

collective unconscious

according to Jung, the shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

archetypes

according to Jung, the universal patterns and images that fill the collective unconscious

birth order

according the Adler, the position of a child in a family amongst siblings (i.e. oldest, youngest, middle) which shapes our personality

projective tests

personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's 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 tests; a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach, that seek to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

humanistic theory

perspective on personality that focuses on the potential for healthy personal growth

self-actualization

living up to our full, unique 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?"

ideal self

one's perception of whom one should be, or who one would like to be

self-actualizing tendency

the human motive toward realizing our inner potential

trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test

personality inventory

an objective questionnaire that gauges a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess personality traits

empirically derived

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

a very popular personality test that does not have good psychometric properties; assesses 4 factors and classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

a 500+ question personality assessment with excellent psychometric properties; originally developed to identify emotional disorders

Barnum effect/ Forer effect

the tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments or horoscopes, even when the information is so vague as to be worthless.

Big Five

the most widely personality trait grouping (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism)

openness

a measure of how imaginative, independent, and variety-loving one is

conscientiousness

a measure of how organized, careful, and disciplined one is

extraversion

a measure of how sociable, fun-loving, and affectionate one is

agreeableness

a measure of how soft-hearted, trusting, and helpful one is

emotional Stability (Neuroticism)

refers to the trait of having consistent emotional reactions, resilience, and the ability to remain calm and composed under stress.

social-cognitive perspective

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

spotlight effect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

self-esteem

one's feelings of high or low self-worth

self-efficacy

self-serving bias

the tendency to perceive oneself favorably

narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

multiculturalism

The practice of valuing and respecting differences in culture.

motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

instinct theory

approach to motivation that focuses on genetic predisposition to certain behaviors

drive-reduction theory

approach to motivation that focuses on how psychological drives push organisms toward behaviors

physiological needs

those relating to the basic biological necessities of life: food, drink, rest, and shelter

homeostasis

literally "staying the same"; a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state

incentive theory

approach to motivation that focuses on how external stimuli pull organisms toward certain behaviors

Yerkes-Dodson Law / Arousal theory

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

sensation-seeking theory

A theory that proposes that one's level of need for varied or novel experiences is the basis of motivation

experience seeking

The desire for moderate arousal through different kinds of experiences involving both the mind and the senses, perhaps through music, travel, or an unconventional lifestyle.

thrill/adventure seeking

seeking unusual sensations via exciting and risky sporting activities

disinhibition

the tendency to act without regard for consequences or social norms.

boredom susceptibility

intolerance for repetitive experience

self-determination theory

a theory of motivation that is concerned with the beneficial effects of intrinsic motivation and the harmful effects of extrinsic motivation

intrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

affiliation needs

the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group

ostracism

exclusion from a society or group

achievement

something done successfully; something gained by working or trying hard

grit

passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

glucose

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and is the primary source of energy for body tissues

ghrelin

hormone secreted by an empty stomach that triggers hunger

leptin

hormone secreted by fat cells that suppresses hunger and increases metabolism

pituitary gland

acts as a "master gland" by coordinating hormone release based on signals from the hypothalamus, including those related to hunger

lateral hypothalamus (LH)

region of the hypothalamus that produces hunger signals

ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)

region of the hypothalamus that produces hunger suppression signals

set point

the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set

basal metabolic rate

the body's resting rate of energy expenditure

satiety

feeling of fullness

emotion

a response of the whole organism involving [1] physiological arousal, [2] expressive behaviors, and [3] cognitive experience

James-Lange Theory

theory that our cognitive experience of emotion follows our physiological arousal

Cannon-Bard Theory

theory that our cognitive experience of emotion and our physiological arousal are triggered simultaneously

Schachter-Singer Theory / Two-Factor Theory

theory that our cognitive experience of emotion is a result of both [1] our physiological arousal to an emotion-arousing stimuli and [2] our cognitive appraisal of the situation that helps us label the arousal

spillover effect

when emotion from one events spills over into another, even if its unrelated

Zajonc-LeDoux Theory

theory that simple emotional responses take a "low road" through the brain that does not involve cognitive appraisal, while more complex emotions take a "high road" that does

Lazarus Theory

theory that emotional responses require cognitive appraisal, but the appraisal is often unconscious

broaden & build theory

the proposition that positive emotions expand an individual's attention and mind-setapp

polygraph

a machine that measures physiological responses (changes in perspiration, heart beat, and respiration), commonly uses to detect lies

display rules

culturally-specific rules about nonverbal communication

facial feedback effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness

behavior feedback effect

the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others' thoughts, feelings, and actions