Personality Psych Exam 1

personality psychology

studies how personality originates, develops, and functions

personality

a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or her cognitions, motivations, and behaviors in various situations

the study of personality

a scientific analysis of individual differences that help account for why and how people react uniquely to various situations

What did Freud do?

Freud removed us from our pedestals and forced us to examine the dark side of our natures

free association

therapeutic technique central to psychoanalysis in which the therapist encourages patients to report, without restriction, any thoughts that occur to them no matter how irrelevant, unimportant, or unpleasant.

considered the fundamental role in psychoanalysis

What did Freud believe?

Freud believed nothing we do is accidental

resistance

in psychoanalysis, when unwilling to disclose painful memories

unconscious

(Freud) the depository of hidden wishes, needs, and conflicts of which the person is unaware and filled with sexual and aggressive impulses, and unresolved issues

unconsciously driven

Freud believed a great deal of our behavior is _____

dreams

the royal road to the unconscious

dream analysis

psychoanalytic technique used to prove the unconscious through interpretation of the patient’s dreams

manifest content

the symbols present in the dream that can be analyzed

Freud believed that symbols had universal meanings

latent content

hidden meanings in dreams

conscious

1 of Freud’s 3 parts of mental life, the ideas and sensations of which we are aware

preconscious

1 of Freud’s 3 parts of mental life, contains the experiences that are unconscious but could be conscious easily

unconscious

1 of Freud’s 3 parts of mental life, contains the experiences and memories of which we are not aware

instincts

the driving forces in personality, govern behavior, and motivate to seek gratification and homeostasis

life instincts

1 of 2 main instincts that motivate us, instinctive urges to preserve life, includes basic needs

libido

originally sexual instincts, later revised to psychic and pleasurable gratification of life instincts

death instincts

1 of 2 main instincts that motivate us, instincts to return to a state of balance, free of a painful struggle before death. as a result, comes aggression

id

1 of 3 systems of the mind. the pleasure principle, original aspect of personality, rooted biologically, consisting of unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts. wants immediate gratification

ego

1 of 3 systems of the mind. the executive functioning of personality. aims to balance the needs of the id and the extremes of the superego in appropriate and realistic ways

superego

1 of 3 systems of the mind. strives for perfectionism. internalization of societal values instilled primarily by parents to teach right and wrong responses in given situations. results in satisfactions or guilt and shame. where our conscience comes from.

defense mechanisms

protect people against pain and are universal reactions, all meant to keep anxiety at bay (maladaptive)

repression

unconsciously banish painful memories from consciousness

suppression

active and conscious attempt to stop anxiety-provoking thoughts by simply not thinking about them. (stored in preconscious)

denial

refusal to perceive an unpleasant event in reality

displacement

unconsciously redirect anger on substitute objects or people

sublimation

form of displacement, though done by displacing anger on ones socially acceptable

reaction formation

convert undesirable characteristics to their opposites

rationalization

justification of behavior through the use of plausible, but inaccurate, excuses

intellectualization

dissociation between thoughts and feelings with elaborate rationale to explain unbearable pain

undoing

performing an act to nullify or make amends for an undesirable one

psychosexual development

Freud believes that personality develops biologically through a series of stages in which particular behaviors occur in each, referred to as ____

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

stages of development

fixation

defensive attachment to an earlier as a result of a traumatic experience in a particular stage

Oedipal complex

in the phallic stage, boys develop a longing for their mother and sees their father as his rival

results in development of the superego

Electra complex

in the phallic stage, penis envy causes love for their father because he has the desired object

free association, dream analysis, transference

Freud’s 3 major assessment techniques

transference

characterized by ambivalence, attitudes of both affection and hostility, toward “parents” and are displaced onto the therapist

positive transference

special affection toward the therapist, usually develops first (praise, trust, falling in love)

counter transference

therapist’s reaction with personal feelings toward the patient

negative transference

showing anger and hostility toward the therapist

psyche

according to Jung, represents all of the interacting systems within human personality which accounts for all mental life and behavior of a person

psychic energy

energy that flows continuously from consciousness to unconsciousness and back

What did Jung develop?

Jung developed the concept of self-realization and individuation

self-realization

involves the integration of all aspects of the psyche (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) and is the aim of individual development.

ultimate goal, to fulfill our unique potentials and natures

ego (jung)

in the center of consciousness, it’s the unifying force in the psyche. contains conscious thoughts including behavior, feelings, and memories

personal unconscious

in the psyche, contains all the forgotten experiences that have lost their intensity often due to unpleasantness or just weak impressions and only accessible under certain circumstances

collective unconscious

a storehouse of latent memories of our human and prehuman ancestry consisting of instincts and archetypes that we inherit as possibilities and that often affect our behavior

archetypes

universal themes or symbols that can be activated by forces operating in the psyche, thereby generating visions that are projected onto current experiences

the personna

archetype consisting of the role humans play in order to meet the demands of others

the shadow

archetype consisting of the inferior, evil, and repulsive side of human nature

anima and animus

the feminine archetype in a man (anima) and masculine archetype in a woman (animus). elements of the opposite sex within us

the self

an archetype that leads people to search for ways of maximizing the development of their potential

individuation

a process by which a person becomes the definite, unique being that he in fact is, fulfilling his nature

psychological types

basic attitudes and functions towards life

extraversion

1 of 2 fundamental attitudes, outgoing and relatively confident approach to life

introversion

1 of 2 fundamental attitudes, retiring and reflective approach to life

sensing

1 of 4 functions. initial, concrete experiencing without reason (thinking) or evaluation (feeling)

thinking

1 of 4 functions. understand events through the use of reason and logic

feeling

1 of 4 functions. gives us an evaluation of events by judging whether they are good or bad

intuiting

1 of 4 functions. rely on hunches whenever we have to deal with strange situations with no established facts

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

introspective self-report questionnaire, combo of the 4 types and 2 fundamental attitudes

dreams (jung)

involuntary and spontaneous eruptions of repressed materials rooted in the personal and collective unconscious

method of amplication

method used to interpret dreams and reveal their meanings. starts with a symbol and followed by giving numerous associations to it

word association test

patients are presented with stimulus words and asked to respond. records time it took between word and response

painting therapy

believed paintings must be expressions of their innermost selves

What was Adler taught?

Adler was taught to treat the whole patient, not just the ailment, and in order to be a good doctor you must be a kind doctor

this mentality later became the foundation of his theory of personality

individual psychology

theory which seeks to understand the behavior of each person as an organized entity, focuses on the whole personality

superiority

the ultimate goal, the striving to attain perfection (done so to make up for feelings of inferiority)

When is the path to superiority determined?

The path is determined in the first 5 years of life

What produces the striving?

it is not the defect itself that produces the striving, but the person’s attitude toward it (in regards to organ inferiority)

masculine protest

attempt to compensate for feelings of inferiority by acting as though superior to others

overcompensation

exaggerated attempts by individuals to overcome their feelings of inferiority by acting as though they are personally superior to others

What is a normal perception to Adler?

a normal perception to Adler is that all should acknowledge some feelings of inferiority and use these feelings as motivators

Birth-order effects

how each child is treated by parents depends on the birth order and correlates to personality development

destructive lifestyle

3 main factors

1. organ inferiority

2. neglect or rejections

3. pampering

include: the ruling type, the getting type, the avoiding type

constructive lifestyle

little fighting, non-blaming, and mutual respect and admiration. includes the socially useful type

ruling type

1 of Adler’s 4 major lifestyles. strives for personal superiority by trying to exploit or control others

getting type

1 of Adler’s 4 major lifestyles. unhealthy person who attains personal goals by relying indiscriminately on others for help

avoiding type

1 of Adler’s 4 major lifestyles. lacks confidence to confront problems and avoids or ignores them

socially useful type

1 of Adler’s 4 major lifestyles. healthy person who actively and courageously confronts and solves their own problems and solves their own problems in accordance with social interest

early recollection, dream analysis, birth-order analysis

Adler’s 3 major assessment techniques

hypercompetitiveness

an attitude in which a person is driven to attain personal success at any cost, ultimately to enhance one’s feelings of self-worth. Indiscriminate in their pursuit of success

What did Horney believe?

An exaggerated competitive attitude was a central feature of American culture

competition avoidance

need by individuals to check their ruthless competitive ambition because of excessive fear of losing the affection and approval of others

personal development competitiveness

an attitude in which the primary focus is not on the outcome but on the enjoyment and mastery of the task

basic anxiety

the feeling of being isolated and helpless in a potentially hostile world

neurotic needs

defensive attitudes to alleviate pain and feel safe in their environment

10 neurotic needs

1. need for affection and approval

2. need for a partner who will take over one’s life

3. need to restrict one’s life within narrow borders

4. need for power

5. need to exploit others

6. need for social recognition and prestige

7. need for personal admiration

8. need for personal achievement

9. need for self-sufficiency and independence

10. need for perfection and unassailability

neurotic need for affection and approval

indiscriminant hunger for affection, regardless for their care of the person

neurotic need for a partner who will take over one’s life

excessively dependent on others, lonely, and inadequate without love and friendship of a partner

neurotic need to restrict one’s life within narrow borders

afraid of risks and expressing their wishes for fear of disapproval and ridicule

neurotic need for power

serves as a protection against helplessness and basic anxiety

neurotic need to exploit others

hostile, distrustful individual who needs to exploit others to feel safe

neurotic need for social recognition and prestige

driven by the need to be admired and respected by others

neurotic need for personal admiration

filled with self-contempt and loathing, so to avoid these painful feelings they create idealized images of themselves

neurotic ambition for personal achievement

want to be the best in too many areas