Ap Psychology Personality

definition of personality

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

Why is Freud so important in psychology? (so much so many people assume his is the most important theory)

His influence has been involved in literary and film interpretation, psychiatry, and clinical psychology.

Where and when did Freud work/live?

He lived and worked in Vienna, Austria in 1873.

Freud's main technique: Free Association

a method of exploring the unconscious to which the person has to speak whatever comes to mind

What is the point of free association?

To understand a person's unconscious thought process

definition of psychoanalysis

the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious effects

How is repression central to Freud's concept of mind?

He believed that our mind is mostly hidden and repression is the idea that we block memories in our mind.

What's the difference between the manifest and latent content in dreams?

Manifest content is remembered content and latent content is unconscious wishes.

What do slips of the tongue reveal?

They reveal a person's beliefs and habits.

definition of conscious

thoughts, feelings, wishes, and memories

definition of preconscious

stores thoughts temporarily before being retrieved by conscious area

definition of unconscious

feelings and ideas that influence our conscious and are expressed in subtle ways

definition of id and pleasure principle

-contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives

-demands gratification

definition of ego and reality principle

-the largely conscious executive part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality

-satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

definition of superego

the part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

definition of psychosexual stages

the childhood stages of development during which the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

oral stage (age and focus)

age: 0-18 months

focus: pleasure centers on the mouth-sucking, biting, chewing

anal (age and focus)

age: 18-36 months

focus: pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control

phallic (age and focus)

age: 3-6 years

focus: pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings

definition of oedipus complex

a boy's sexual desires towards his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

definition of electra complex

a girl's sexual desires towards her father and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival mother

latency (age and focus)

age: 6-puberty

focus: dormant sexual feelings

genital (age and focus)

age: puberty+

focus: maturation of sexual interests

What did Freud believe most influences our developing identity, personality, and frailties?

early childhood relations

definition and example of fixate

-a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts are resolved

-example: someone might continue to seek oral gratification by smoking or excessive eating

definition of defense mechanisms

the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

definition and example of repression

-the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness

-example: we do not remember our childhood lust for the parent of the other sex

definition and example of regression

-an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

-example: a child may regress to the oral comfort of thumb sucking on first day of school

definition and example of reaction formation

-the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites, thus, people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings

-example: "I hate him" because "I love him"

definition and example of projection

-people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

-example: "the thief thinks everyone else is a thief"

definition and example of rationalization

-offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions

-example: habitual drinkers may say they drink with their friends "just to be sociable"

definition and example of displacement

-shifts sexual aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger towards a safer outlet

-example: students upset over an exam may snap at a roommate

definition and example of sublimation

-people divert their unwanted impulses into socially approved thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

-example: person of high aggression becomes a soldier

definition and example of denial

-people refuse to believe or even to perceive painful realities

On what beliefs do neo-Freudians differ from Freud?

They placed more emphasis on the conscious mind's role in interpreting experience and n coping with the environment and emphasized loftier motives and social interactions.

What does Adler believe behavior is driven by?

He believes that it is driven by efforts to conquer childhood feelings of inferiority, feelings that trigger our strivings for superiority and power.

What did Horney say childhood anxiety triggers?

She said childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security.

Carl Jung's collective unconscious and example archetype

-concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

-example archetype: mother as a symbol of nurturance

definition of projective tests

a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

definition of 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

definition of Rorschach Inkblot test

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Why do critics dislike projective tests, such as the Rorschach test? Be specific.

These projective tests were valid but not reliable since there was no standardization.

What is the most serious problem with Freud's theory?

It contradicts with the most recent ideas and research conducted.

Is repression actually as widely used as Freud's supporters tend to think?

Repression is a rare mental response to terrible trauma.

definition of false consensus

tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors; defense mechanisms motivated less by the seething impulses that Freud presumed than by our need to protect our self-image

definition of terror-management theory

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

definition of humanist theorists (basic beliefs)

focused on the ways "healthy" people strive for self-determination and self-realization

How is humanistic theory different from behaviorism?

It studied people through their own self-reported experiences and feelings.

definition of self-actualization

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

definition of self-transcedence

meaning, purpose, and communion beyond the self

definition of peak-experience

experiences that are either spiritual or personal that surpass ordinary consciousness

What kind of people did Maslow study to form his theory?

healthy and creative people

List 4 characteristics of people who are self-actualizing.

-likeable

-caring

-secretly uneasy about cruelty

-privately affectionate to those who deserve it

definition of genuineness

being open with their own feelings, dropping their facades, and being transparent and self-disclosing

definition of acceptance

an attitude of grace that values us even knowing our own failings

definition of empathy

sharing and mirroring our feelings and reflecting our meanings

definition of unconditional positive regard

an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

definition of self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

What happens if our self-concept is positive?

We tend to act and perceive the world positively.

What happens if our self-concept is negative?

In our own eyes, we fall far short of our ideal self-we feel dissatisfied and unhappy.

What happens when the ideal and actual self are alike?

Our self-concept is positive.

What are some of the criticisms against humanistic psychology?

-does not allow person to respond to narrow categories

-presumes that interviews and intimate conversation would provide a better understanding of each person's unique experiences

-depersonalizing

definition of traits

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

What is Myers-Briggs Indicator (MBTI) usually used for?

It is usually used to determine the type a person is.

What is factor analysis?

statistical procedure to identify clusters of test items that top basic components of intelligence (such as spatial ability or verbal skill)

What are Eysenck's two personality dimensions?

-Extraversion-Introversion

-Stability-Instability

Does your biology influence your personality? Discuss a specific example.

Yes; dopamine and dopamine-related neural activity tend to be higher in extroverts.

definition of personality inventories

questionnaires (often 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

definition of Minnesota Multiphastic 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

definition of empirically derived

a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups

What is the difference between projective and personality inventories?

Projective tests are subjective and personality inventories are objective.

CANOE

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, Extraversion

How stable are the Big Five traits in adulthood?

quite stable

What is the person-situation controversy?

controversy of whether our genuine personality traits persist over time and across situations

Overall, what is the research showing-are our traits more stable over time or more changing?

more stable over time

What about situations-is our personality consistent from one situation to another?

no

definition of Bandura's Social-Cognitive Perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and social context

definition and example of reciprocal determinism

-the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment