AP Psychology - Unit 4 Vocabulary - Vocab #3

vocab quiz on 3/3/25

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and emotions

Collective unconscious

Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

Terror-management theory

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

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

Projective test

a personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and conscious mind

Rorschach inkblot test

a projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots

Humanistic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s levels of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological need. often visualized as a pyramid, with needs nearer the base taking priority until they are satisfied

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

Self-transcendence

according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

Unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance (also known as unconditional regard)

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 predisposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

Personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with 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

Minnesota Multiphasic 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

Empirically derived test

a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups

Big Five factors

five traits — openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism — that describe personality (also known as the five-factor model)

Social-cognitive perspective

a view of behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context

Behavioral approach

focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

Reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

Self

in modern psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

Spotlight effect

overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)

Self-esteem

our feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-efficacy

our sense of competence and effectiveness

Self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably

Narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption

Individualism

a cultural pattern that emphasizes people’s own goals over group goals and defines identity mainly in terms of unique personal attributes