AP Psych: Personality, Motivation and Emotion

conscious

a state of being awoke and aware of external stimuli and one's own mental activity

preconscious

information or memories that are not currently in conscious awareness but can be easily brought to consciousness

unconscious

a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

repression

unconsciously blocking unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or desires from conscious awareness

regression

displaying childlike behaviors

projection

accuse someone else of your feelings/behavior

displacement

taking out your anger on someone else - you are mad at your boss but then you yell at your mom

reaction formation

act opposite of what you actually feel

rationalization

justification : you fail an exam so you blame your teacher for not teaching

denial

refuse to acknowledge

sublimation

redirect emotions to positive for example running/working out

projective tests

project their unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires onto stimuli

thematic apperception test

individuals are shown ambiguous pictures and asked to create stories about them aiming to reveal underlying motives, concerns and how they perceive the social world through their narratives

humanistic theory

a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person and the uniqueness of each individual. focuses on human potential, self-fulfillment, and personal growth

Carl Rogers

believed that the central feature of our personality is our self concept (our perception of our abilities, behaviors, and characteristics)

unconditional positive regard

acceptance and nonjudgmental behavior

self actualizing tendency

desire to reach full potential

social cognitive theory

emphasizes the interaction between individuals and their environment

reciprocal determinism

triangle of personal factors, environment, and behavior

self concept

description and evaluation of oneself

self efficacy

perception of capabilities

self esteem

degree to which self-concept is perceived to be positive

self determination theory

the human need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. (self government, the ability to do something successfully or efficiently, and being connected) When these needs are met, people are more likely to be intrinsicaly motivated and experience well being

Myers-Briggs

personality test that categorizes individuals into 16 distinct personality types

person situation controversy

the debate whether a persons personality traits or the situational factors they are in have a greater influence on their behavior

physiological experience

the physical bodily sensations or changes that occur with an emotional state (increased heart rate, sweating)

cognitive experience

the mental processes involved in thinking, perceiving, remembering, and understanding information

polygraph test

measures a person's physiological responses like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and skin conductivity while they answer questions (lie detector test)