Personality and Motivation - AP PSYCH UNIT: 4

Three levels of the mind

1. conscious - contact with outside world

2. preconscious/outside awareness; temporary memories - material just beneath the surface of awareness

3. unconscious - difficult to retrieve material, well below the surface of awareness

Psychodynamic Approach

• Freud believed that the mind is an iceberg- most of it is hidden below the surface

• believed that personality develops as a result of efforts to resolve conflicts between biological impulses and social restraints

Id

basic impulses, pleasure principle; immediate gratification

Superego

• standards of judgement, ideals, morals; the conscience

  • elementary school age

Ego

Reality principle; mediates the demands of the id impulses and superego inhibitations

defense mechanisms

according to Freud, our ego has 8 different protective methods of reducing by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression

preventing anxiety- producing thoughts, memories, and painful feelings by pushing them into the unconscious

Regression

Retreating from a threatening situation by reverting to a pattern of behavior characteristic of an earlier stage of development

Rationalization

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

projection

Transferring one’s own unacceptable thoughts, motives, or personal qualities to others

Denial

Refusing to accept or acknowledge an anxiety producing piece of information

Displacement

Redirecting anger and other unacceptable impulses toward a less-threatening person or object

Reaction formation

Thinking or behaving in a way that is the opposite of your own unacceptable thoughts and feelings

Sublimation

Diverting unwanted impulses into socially approved thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

Projective tests

• reveals the hidden unconscious mind

• thematic apperception test(TAT)

  • Rorschach Inkbolt

Lacks realiability and validity

• When evaluating the same patient, even trained raters come up with different interpretations

  • projective tests may misdiagnose

Humanistic approach

Humanistic psychology strives to help people reach their fullest potential by looking at the whole individual and stressing concepts such as self-concept and self-actualization

major humanistic theorists

Carl rogers and abraham maslow

Self actualization

A motivational force that drives people to improve themselves and become the best version of themselves

Self-concept

• carl Rogers

• all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves

• positive: tend to act and perceive the world positively

  • negative: fall short of :ideal self: and will feel dissatisfied and unhappy

unconditional positive regard

• the attitude of complete acceptance and love, whether for yourself or others

  • in therapy its acceptance and non judgemental behavior from the therapist to allow the space the client needs and is a defining feature of client-centered therapy

Trait Theory

Traits are distinguishing and enduring qualities or characteristics of a person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions, which lead to typical responses to stimuli

common trait theories

• Myer Briggs’ Type Indicator

  • Five factor theory (“The big five”)

The big five

• 5 broad factors lie at the core of personality

1. openness

2. conscientiousness

3. extraversion

4. agreeableness

5. emotional stability

Social-Cognitive Approach

• bandura believed personality is result of an interaction that takes place between a person and their social context

  • focuses on how we interpret and respond to external factors

Reciprocal Determinism

The interacting influences between our thoughts and feelings, environmental situation and our own behaviors

Self- concept

• your description and evaluation of yourself

  • two components

Self-efficiency

Your perception of your ability to succeed in specific situations or to accomplish tasks

influences how we think, feel, act

Self-Esteem

your overall sense of self-worth or personal value

• a broader evaluation of oneself than self-efficiency

Motivation

A psychological process of a need/desire that pushes behavior towards a goal

Instinct theory

• evolutionary prespective

• instincts must be unlearned or natural and must have a similar pattern throughout the species

• ex: imprinting after birth

  • mainly prominent in animals

Self-Determination theory

Focuses on intrinsic motivation and the human need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness

Intrinsic motivation

Comes from internal factors driving your behavior, such as personal enjoyment, curiosity, desire to understand regardless of grades/ rewards

Extrinsic Motivation

comes from earning external rewards or avoiding punishment, such as praises, grades, money, recognition

Incentive theory: suggests that behavior is motivated by external rewards

Overjustification effect

When someone is promised a reward for something they already like to do will reduce intrinsic motivation in the activity

Drive reduction theory

We naturally want to keep homeostatis

• goal: return to the state of homeostatis

Needs

physiological, basic bodily requirements

• need of food and water

Drives

A state of physiological tension induces by a need which motivates us to satisfy the need

• feeling hungry, thirsty

Optimal arousal theory

The idea that we want more than to just keep homeostasis

• we are motivated to keep a level of optimal arousal

Arousal

Arousal is the level of alertness, wakefulness, an activation caused by activity in the Central nervous system

Yerkes-dodson law

States that we usually perform most activities best when moderately aroused and we are less efficient when arousal is too hig

approach-approach

choosing between desirable options

avoidance-avoidance

choosing between two undesirable options

Approach-Avoidance

An option with good and bad aspects

Sensation-seeking theory

The tendency to seek out novel and intense experiences

• experience seeking, thrill adventure

• disinhibitations (escaping social norms or conventional restraints)

  • boredom suspectibility (Tendency toward restlessness when not engaged in stimulating activities)

Hormones

• insulin helps transport glucose from blood to cells in the body —> increase in insulin = decrease in blood glucose

Ghrelin

released by empty stomach, increasing hunger

Leptin

Released by full stomach, signaling satiety and suppressing hunger

Parts of brain which regulate hunger

pituitary gland and hypothalamus

Lateral Hypothalamus

Stimulation brings on hunger

Ventromedial Hypothalamus

Stimulation depresses hungerC

Culture influence

• portion size

• taste preferences

• style of meal

  • dessert

Social aspects

• eat more in groups

• avoid eating to ‘look better’