Psych 2/2

Psychodynamic Theory

theory of behavior that emphasizes internal conflicts, motives and unconscious forces and their influence on behavior.

Unconscious Processes

mental processes occurring outside of and not available to conscious awareness

Ego Defense Mechanisms

largely unconscious distortions of thoughts or perceptions that act to reduce anxiety

Denial

defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe or even to perceive painful realities

Displacement

A defense mechanism that involves redirecting aggressive impulses from a forbidden action or object onto a less dangerous one

Projection

defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Rationalization

defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions

Reaction Formation

Defense mechanism by which people behave in a way opposite to what their true but anxiety-provoking feelings would dictate.

Regression

defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage

Repression

Defense mechanism by which anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings are forced to the unconscious.

Sublimation

a defense mechanism in which unacceptable energies are directed into socially admirable outlets

Projective Test

a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Preconscious Mind

The part of the mind that contains all of the inactive but potentially accessible thoughts and memories

Unconscious Mind

level of the mind in which thoughts, feelings, memories, and other information are kept that are not easily or voluntarily brought into consciousness

Humanistic Psychology

An approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings

Unconditional Regard

An attitude of total acceptance toward another person

Self-Actualizing Tendency

The striving to fulfill one's innate capacities and capabilities

social cognitive theory

The use of cognitive processes in relation to understanding the social world

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors

self-concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

self-efficacy

An individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task.

self-esteem

How much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself

trait theories

Theories that endeavor to describe the characteristics that make up human personality in an effort to predict future behavior

Big Five Theory

a trait theory that identifies five main characteristics that account for most individual differences in personality.

Agreeableness

A personality dimension that describes someone who is good natured, cooperative, and trusting.

openness to experience

A personality dimension that characterizes someone in terms of imagination, sensitivity, and curiosity.

extraversion

A personality dimension describing someone who is sociable, gregarious, and assertive

Conscientiousness

A personality dimension that describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized

Emotional Stability

The extent to which people feel secure and unworried and how likely they are to experience negative emotions under pressure

Personality inventories

A questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

Factor Analysis

a statistical technique that explains a large number of correlations in terms of a small number of underlying factors

Drive Reduction Theory

a theory of motivation stating that motivation arises from imbalances in homeostasis

Homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

Arousal Theory

A theory of motivation suggesting that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of alertness and physical and mental activation.

Optimal Level of Arousal

the apparent human need for a comfortable level of stimulation, achieved by acting in ways that increase or decrease it

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

Self-Determination Theory

a theory of motivation that is concerned with the beneficial effects of intrinsic motivation and the harmful effects of extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

Extrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Incentive Theory

A theory of motivation stating that behavior is directed toward attaining desirable stimuli and avoiding unwanted stimuli.

Instinct

A complex, unlearned behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory

Describes various types of conflict involved in the decision making process. (i.e. approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance.)

approach-approach conflict

Conflict that results from having to choose between two attractive alternatives

approach-avoidance conflict

A conflict in which there are both appealing and negative aspects to the decision to be made.

avoidance-avoidance conflict

Conflict that results from having to choose between two distasteful alternatives

Sensation-seeking Theory

A theory that proposes that one's level of need for varied or novel experiences is the basis of motivation

Thrill Seeking

The desire to engage in physically risky activities

Adventure Seeking

The desire to engage in activities that are novel and elicit excitement.

Disinhibition

A lack of control over impulses and urges.

Boredom Susceptibility

An aversion to repetitive experiences, routine work, and predictable people, and a reaction of restless discontent when exposed to such situations

Ghrelin

A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach

Leptin

A hormone produced by adipose (fat) cells that acts as a satiety factor in regulating appetite.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure that directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Affect

Appearance of observable emotions

Physiological Experience

physical changes observed in the individual experiencing the emotion (i.e. body temperature, heart rate, etc.)

Cognitive Experience

The brain's remembered response to experiencing an emotion

Cognitive Label

Mental interpretation of events, and of physiological reactions to them, shapes emotional experiences.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

the idea that facial expressions can influence emotions as well as reflect them

Cognitive Appraisal

Personal interpretation of a situation that triggers stress or emotion.

Display Rules

Culturally determined rules about which nonverbal behaviors are appropriate to display

Elicitors of Emotion

Internal and external events that trigger biological changes that are the basis of emotions