Module 45 ~ intro to personality and psychodynamic theories

Id

Stores unconscious energy; seeks immediate gratification.

Ego

Mediates between id and superego; seeks long-term pleasure.

Superego

Represents conscience; strives for moral perfection.

Pleasure Principle

Motivates id's pursuit of immediate satisfaction.

Reality Principle

Guides ego in balancing id's desires with reality.

Psychosexual Stages

Stages of childhood development influencing personality.

Oral Stage

0-18 months; pleasure centers on the mouth.

Anal Stage

18-36 months; pleasure focuses on bowel control.

Phallic Stage

3-6 years; pleasure zone is genitals.

Latency Stage

6 years to puberty; dormant sexual feelings.

Genital Stage

Puberty onward; maturation of sexual interests.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies to avoid anxiety.

Regression

Reverting to earlier psychosexual stage for comfort.

Reaction Formation

Transforming unacceptable impulses into their opposites.

Projection

Attributing one's threatening impulses to others.

Rationalization

Self-justifying explanations for actions; avoiding real reasons.

Displacement

Redirecting impulses to a less threatening target.

Denial

Refusing to accept painful realities or facts.

Oedipus Complex

Boy's desire for mother; rivalry with father.

Identification

Incorporating parents' values into one's superego.

Neo-Freudians

Adopt Freud's methods, emphasize conscious mind.

Collective Unconscious

Shared inherited reservoir of memories, proposed by Jung.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Storytelling based on ambiguous images.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Interpreting inkblots to reveal feelings.

Terror-Management Theory

Explores responses to reminders of mortality.