AP Psych - Unit 7, Part 2: Personality

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

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

psychosexual stages

according to Freud, the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Oedipus complex

according to Freud, a child's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

castration anxiety

according to Freud, the fear young boys that they will have their genitals mutilated because of their lust for their mothers

penis envy

according to Freud, women's jealousy of men for having penises, and a desire to have their own

identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

fixation

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

defense mechanisms

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

repression

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

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

compensation

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

intellectualization

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

collective unconcious

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

archetypes

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

womb envy

according to Karen Horney, men's jealousy of women for having the ability to have children, which they compensate for with other forms of achievement

birth order

according the Alfred Adler, the position of a child in a family amongst siblings (i.e. oldest, youngest, middle child, etc.), 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

terror-management theory

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

self-actualization

according to Maslow, 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

unconditional positive regard

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

person-centered perspective

people are basically good, and given the right environment (genuineness, acceptance, and empathy) their personality will develop fully and normally

self-concept

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

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

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests; originally developed to identify emotional disorders

empirically derived

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

Barnum effect / Forer effect

the tendency to rate personality descriptions as accurate, when they are in fact vague enough to apply to most anybody

Big Five

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

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

optimism

the tendency to focus on the positive aspects of a situation

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

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

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

personality

an individual's characteristic style of behaving, thinking, and feeling

pleasure principle

tendency of the id to strive for immediate gratification

reality principle

tendency of the ego to postpone gratification until it can find a societally acceptable outlet

ego ideal

part of the superego that contains the standards for moral behavior

Oral Stage (0-18 months)

Freud's first stage of psychosexual development during which pleasure is centered in the mouth

Anal Stage (18-36 months)

pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; individuals work on coping with demands for control

anal retentive

A fixation that develops during the anal stage if a child's freedom to have bowel movements is restricted; can result in obsessively organized and meticulous personality traits

anal expulsive

a fixation that develops during the anal stage if a child is allowed to have bowel movements too freely that can result in cruel, overemotional, and disorganized personality traits

Phallic Stage (3-6 years)

pleasure zone is the genitals; individuals are coping with incestuous sexual feelings (Oedipus/Electra complex)

Latency Stage (6-puberty)

A phase of dormant sexual feelings

Genital Stage (puberty on)

sexual feelings re-emerge and are oriented toward others

Electra complex

Conflict during phallic stage in which girls supposedly love their fathers romantically and want to eliminate their mothers as rivals

Psychodynamic theory

theory deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and that seeks to enhance self-insight

Persona

According to Jung, our public self; the mask we wear to project that part of our personality outward towards others

Basic Anxiety (Karen Horney)

feelings of insecurity adults experience because they felt isolated or lonely as children (leads to three neurotic trends or ways of dealing with anxiety; compliant, aggressive, detached)

Neurotic Trends (Horney)

3 Ways of Dealing with basic anxiety:

1. Compliant: moving toward people (giving in)

2. Aggressive: moving against people (fighting)

3. Detached: moving away from people (leaving)

Humanistic theory of personality

People continually seek experiences that make them better, more fulfilled individuals- motivated by enhancing the organism. The individual shapes his or her own personality through free will. Conscious decisions make people who they are. (Rogers & Maslow)

Openness

one of the five factors; willingness to try new things and be open to new experiences

Conscientiousness

one of the five factors; describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized

Extraversion

one of the five factors; describes someone who is sociable, gregarious, and assertive - gains energy from being around others

Agreeableness

one of the five factors; describes how trusting, good-natured, cooperative, and soft-hearted one is

Neuroticism

one of the five factors; describes how anxious, insecure, and emotionally unstable one is

ideal self

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

social-cognitive perspective

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

behavioral approach

in personality theory, this perspective focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Neo-Freudian who thought social tensions were more important than sexual tensions in the development of personality (overcompensation, inferiority complex)

Karen Horney (1885-1952)

Neo-Freudian who found psychoanalysis negatively biased toward women and believed cultural variables are the foundation of personality development (Neurotic trends)

Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Neo-Freudian that shared Freud's emphasis on unconscious processes. Personal Unconscious: part of unconscious mind containing an individual's thoughts & feelings. Collective Unconscious: part of the unconscious inherited & common to all members of a species. Five main Archetypes.

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Humanistic psychologist who proposed the hierarchy of needs; all people strive for self-actualization

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Humanistic psychologist who developed client-centered therapy and stressed the importance of acceptance, genuineness, and empathy in fostering human growth (unconditional positive regard, self-concept)

Robert McCrae and Paul Costa

psychologists who came up with the Big Five personality factors

Albert Bandura (1925-2021)

Social-cognitive psychologist; famous for Bobo doll experiment, modeling

Martin Seligman (1942- )

Positive Psychologist; Conducted experiments with dogs that led to the concept of "learned helplessness"