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Personality

An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Psychodynamic theories

Theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders.

Unconscious

A reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories, according to Freud.

Free association

A method of exploring the unconscious where the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind.

Id

A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy striving to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.

Ego

The partly conscious 'executive' part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, the superego, and reality.

Superego

The partly conscious part of personality representing internalized ideals and standards for judgment.

Defense mechanisms

The ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Repression

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

Collective unconscious

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

Terror-management

A theory of death-related anxiety; explores emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of impending death.

Thematic apperception test (TAT)

A projective test where people express inner feelings through stories about ambiguous scenes.

Projective test

A personality test providing ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach analyzing how individuals interpret inkblots.

Humanistic theorists

Theories that focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s levels of human needs starting with physiological needs and visualized as a pyramid.

Self-actualization

The motivation to fulfill one’s potential after basic needs are met and self-esteem is achieved.

Self-transcendence

The striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self.

Unconditional positive regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude that fosters self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Self-concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in response to "Who am I?"

Traits

A characteristic pattern of behavior or disposition to feel and act in certain ways.

Personality inventories

Questionnaires designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors to assess personality traits.

Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI)

The most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests.

Empirically derived

A test created by selecting items that discriminate between groups.

Big five factors

Five traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism that describe personality.

Social-cognitive perspective

A view of behavior influenced by the interaction between people's traits and their social context.

Behavioral approach

Focuses on the effects of learning on personality development.

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

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.

Individualist

A cultural pattern emphasizing personal goals over group goals.

Collectivism

A cultural pattern prioritizing the goals of important groups.