psych (u7/ch.10)

what did freud do in psychoanalysis to reflect on the unconscious?

three levels of the mind, conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels, said anxiety is the price we pay for civilization. freud proposed the defence mechanisms to protect the ego, stated they occur completely unconsciously.

how did freud view personality?

id, ego (median), superego, emphasized the unconscious in personality determination.

how does a child achieve identification according to freud?

parental influence, conscience and gender identity form as the child resolves the oedipus complex at age 5 or 6.

(def) regression

an individual copes with stressful or anxiety-provoking relationships or situations by retreating to an earlier developmental stage.

(def) reaction formation

substituting behaviors, thoughts, or feelings that are the direct opposite of unnacceptable ones (smacking someone you have a crush on)

(def) projection

falsely and unconsciously attributes your own unacceptable feelings, traits, or thoughts onto individuals or objects.

(def) rationalization

covering up the true reasons for actions, thoughts, or feelings by making up excuses and incorrect explanations.

(def) displacement

when you transfer your feelings about someone or something that is less threatening (taking it out on someone else)

(def) sublimation

channeling one’s frustration toward a different goal. sometimes a healthy defense mechanism. (working out)

(def) denial

refusing to recognize some anxiety provoking event or piece of information that is clear to others.

(def) undoing

unconsciously neutralizing an anxiety causing action by doing a second action that undoes the first.

how does modern research challenge the idea of repression?

high stress and associated stress hormones enhance memory, ie. flashbulb memories. also, no studies have shown loss of memory except in relation to extreme trauma damaging the hippocampus.

alfred adler

“the individual feels at home in life and feels his existence to be worthwhile just so far as he is useful to others and is overcoming feelings of inferiority” importance of childhood social tension

karen horney

“the view that women are infantile and emotional creatures, and as such, incapable of responsibility and independence is the work of the masculine tendency to lower women’s self-respect”, childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security, sought to balance freud’s masculine biases

carl jung

“from the living fountain of instinct flows everything that is creative; hence the unconscious is the very source of the creative impulse”, collective unconscious

collective unconscious

shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.

problems with projective personality tests

many have not demonstrated validity, and are not reliable. lack of standardization, scoring and interpretation seem subjective, it lacks objectivity. projective tests without standardized scoring rely on the psychologist's interpretation of the data.

rorschach inkblot test

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by hermann rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.

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.

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and our behaviors

terror-management theory

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

what did humanistic theorists focus upon?

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth, focused on the ways people strive for self-determination and self-realization

abraham maslow

hierarchy of needs

carl rogers

person-centered perspective (genuineness, acceptance, empathy), people are basically good and are endowed with self-actualizing tendencies

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “who am i?”

trait personality assessment (strengths/weaknesses)

reliable and valid, predictive and easy to administer

but, absence of proved scientific worth, there is sometimes an effect after a personality is declared rather than testing for initial personality. social desirability bias, situation dependent behavior

trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.

factor analysis

statistical procedure used to identify clusters of test items that tap basic components of intelligence

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

big five factors

conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

(five) conscientiousness

O: disorganized, careless, impulsive

X: organized, careful, disciplined

(five) agreeableness

O: ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative

X: soft-hearted, trusting, helpful

(five) neuroticism

emotional stability vs. instability

O: calm, secure, self-satisfied

X: anxious, insecure, self-pitying

(five) openness

O: practical, prefers routine, conforming

X: imaginative, prefers variety, independent

(five) extraversion

O: retiring, sober, reserved

X: sociable, fun-loving, affectionate

bandura’s reciprocal determinism theory

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

optimism vs pessimism

optimism: engaging constructively, positive thinking, they then tend to feel more supported and satisfied with the resolution

pessimism: attribute poor performance to their lack of ability (“i cant do this”) or to situations enduringly beyond their control

* difference of personal control

spotlight effect

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

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 make dispositional attributions about your successes and situational attributions about your failures

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 the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly.

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.