Psychology and Personal Development: Key Concepts (Video)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the lecture notes on personality development, brain anatomy, adolescence, and self-awareness.

Personal development

A process in which a person reflects on themselves, understands who they are, accepts what they discover, and learns/unlearns values, attitudes, behaviors, and thinking skills to reach their fullest potential.

Development (human)

The physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth of humans across the life span.

Physical development

Growth of the body and brain, including motor and sensory skills and physical health.

Cognitive development

Capacity to learn, speak, understand, reason, and create.

Psychosocial development

Social interactions, emotions, attitudes, self-identity, personality, and values.

Heredity

Inborn traits inherited from parents.

Environment

The world outside oneself and experiences from it.

Maturation

Natural progression of brain and body influencing development.

Personality

Emotional qualities and behaviors that make a person unique; from Latin persona meaning mask.

Self-worth

What we think about ourselves.

Self-image

How we see ourselves; influenced by body image and inner personality.

Ideal self

The person we would like to be.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A five-level model of human motivation culminating in self-actualization.

Self-actualization

The self-actualizing tendency shaping human personalities; realization of one’s potential.

Signs of low self-esteem

Walk with head down; avoid eye contact; negative 'I am' statements; belittling others; excessive boasting; loud/aggressive talk; avoidance of social interaction; excessive apologizing.

Johari Window

A model for increasing self-awareness and interpersonal effectiveness through Open, Blind, Hidden, and Unknown selves.

Open self

What we know about ourselves and others know.

Blind self

Traits others know about us that we don’t realize about ourselves.

Hidden self

Things we know about ourselves but hide from others.

Unknown self

Aspects not known to self or others.

Early adolescence

Ages 10–13; puberty begins; awareness of body changes; concerns about appearance; possible shyness and privacy desires.

Middle adolescence

Ages 14–16; puberty largely complete; focus on appearance and grooming.

Late adolescence

Ages 17–20; desire for independence and new opportunities.

Religious upbringing

Influences on health and well-being and identity formation.

Spiritual development

Formation of identity through attitudes about religion; connection to Higher Power.

Erik Erikson

Developmental psychologist known for psychosocial development theory and the concept of the identity crisis.

Identity crisis

A period of uncertainty about one’s identity, coined by Erikson.

Infancy (Erikson)

First life stage in Erikson's psychosocial theory.

Early childhood (Erikson)

2 weeks–2 years; early stage with themes of trust and autonomy.

Late childhood (Erikson)

Pre-school stage of development.

School age (Erikson)

Ages 6–12; industry vs. inferiority stage.

Late adolescence (Erikson)

Ages 17–20; identity formation and independence.

Middle adulthood

Ages 25–65; generativity vs. stagnation stage.

Late adulthood

65 to death; integrity vs. despair.

Holistic development

Development of intellectual, mental, physical, emotional, and social abilities to meet daily life demands.

Physiological development

Physical changes in the body and senses, especially during puberty.

Emotional development

Development of emotions; four basic emotions: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted.

Social development

Inborn capacity to relate to others, belong, and feel connected.

Cognitive development (attitudes)

Intellectual abilities expressed in thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and values.

Attitude components

Affective (feelings), Behavioral (actions), Cognitive (beliefs).

Spiritual development (self)

Discovering the self beyond the ego; connection to beliefs and values.

Self-concept: three aspects

Physical/tangible, Intellectual/conscious, Emotional/intuitive.

Physical aspect of the self

Tangible body and physical attributes.

Intellectual/conscious aspect

The mind; beliefs and thoughts that guide actions.

Emotional/intuitive aspect

Emotions and inner sensing; often challenging to manage.

Repression

Storing away negative emotions, which can be destructive and numb feelings.

Coping with stress

Strategies to handle stress in adolescence: breathing, identifying causes, planning, exercise, support, and boundaries.

Brain stem

Connects the cerebrum to the spinal cord; regulates breathing, heart rate, balance, coordination, and reflexes.

Cerebellum

Located at the back; ~10% of weight but ~80% of neurons.

Cerebrum

Largest brain structure; two hemispheres; responsible for higher functions.

Limbic system

Emotion, motivation, and memory regulation; includes amygdala and hippocampus.

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory information to the cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

Regulates hunger, thirst, sleep, body temperature, and hormones.

Amygdala

Emotion processing, especially fear and aggression.

Hippocampus

Memory formation and spatial navigation.

Frontal lobe

Executive functions: planning, decision-making, problem-solving.

Temporal lobe

Hearing, language, memory.

Parietal lobe

Touch and spatial processing.

Occipital lobe

Vision processing.

Motor Cortex

Initiates voluntary movements.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes touch and proprioception.

Ways to boost brain health

Stay mentally active, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, sleep well, manage blood pressure and cholesterol, care for emotions, and build social networks.

Split Brain Theory

The brain has two hemispheres with different functions; left is logical, right is creative; they communicate but can specialize.

Neurologist

Medical doctor specializing in diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

Psychologist

Mental health professional who studies behavior and mental processes and helps manage emotional and behavioral issues.

Neocortex (rational brain)

Part of the cerebral cortex responsible for thinking, language, reasoning, and decision-making.

Whole Brain Model (Herrmann)

A model with four thinking styles: analytical, practical, relational, and experimental.

Upper Left Cerebral Mode

Logical, analytical, and fact-based thinking; data-driven problem solving.

Strengths

Things you are good at; recognizing and developing them.

Weaknesses

Areas you’re not naturally strong in; can be transformed into strengths.

Self-awareness

Knowledge about one’s existence, values, beliefs, traits, behaviors, and feelings.

Johari Window: Open Self

Things we know about ourselves and others know.

Johari Window: Blind Self

Behaviors others know about us that we don’t realize about ourselves.

Johari Window: Hidden Self

Things we know about ourselves but hide from others.

Johari Window: Unknown Self

Aspects not known to self or others.