Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
what is personality?
cervone & daniel, 2016 — “psychological qualities that contribute to an individual’s enduring and distinctive patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving”
finish the sentence: personality is ...
organised
is dynamic (some fluidity) — changes over time, constant
relates to physical systems & experiences
causal — terms of how the individual relates to the world
predictive quality — patterns
displayed in thought, behaviour and emotion
why study personality?
allows us to try to understand the person as a whole — where individuals can be seen as;
integrated
coherent
unique
what are the aims of studying personality?
to define and measure what is can, while acknowledging that there are many other influences on behaviour
what was the conflict between personality and situation?
personality measures predicted behaviour, but it begs the question of: why do we act differently based on the situation?
how does situations impact personality?
situational spaces can push for a behaviour to occur
what is the relation between psychodynamics and personality, by freud’s standards?
the notion of personality as dynamic; a forceful, changing, conflicting set of processes—whereby personality is shaped by instinctive drives; a biological theory of pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain
what are the instinctive drives that freud’s discussed? what are their purpose?
eros — life/sexual instinct
thanatos (thanos) — death/aggressive instinct or drive
to freud; what was the person?
a person’s mind is an energy system that contains and directs instinctual drives
what was freud’s opinion on society?
prevailing belief was that people are essentially good, but society corrupts them — society teaches the child that biological natural drives are socially unacceptable and maintains social norms and taboos that drive this lesson home
finish the sentence: sexual and aggressive drives are an inborn part of human nature where…
individuals function according to a pleasure principle seek the pleasurable gratification of those drives — how we express
what are the 2 conceptual models of the mind?
levels of consciousness
functional systems of the mind
what are the levels of consciousness?
conscious
preconscious
unconscious
what is the conscious mind?
includes thoughts of which we are aware; currents thoughts
what is the preconscious mind?
contains mental contents of which we easily could become aware if we attended to them; suddenly remembering what you needed to get from the store
what is the unconscious mind?
mental contents are parts of the of which we are unaware and cannot become aware except under special circumstances; memory of trauma that is suppressed
freud heavily studied the unconscious mind: what were some of the psychological phenomena he analysed?
slips of tongue (freudian slips)
neuroses
psychoses
works of art
rituals
dreams
what are some of the motivated reasons mental contents enter the unconscious?
traumatic memories that would cause immense pain
we are motivated to banish such thoughts from awareness
what was the criticism that freud received that ultimately led to the recognition of a second model of the mind?
distinctions among the conscious, preconscious and unconscious were heavily criticised — as it ignored psychological agency that unitary in its function and the varied degree of consciousness
what are the functional systems of the mind?
id
ego
superego
what is the id?
the “demon” on your shoulder, source of all drive energy; the great reservoir of mental energies
what does the id do?
seeks the release of excitation or tension
pleasure principle; pursue pleasure not pain
seeks satisfaction through action or imagining— functions entirely outside of conscious awareness
what does the id not do?
devise plans to obtain pleasure
wait patiently for a particularly pleasing object to appear
concern itself w/ social norms and rules
who is connected to the id?
the unconscious mind
what is the ego?
moderator, seeks reality
how does the ego function?
express and satisfy the desires of id in accordance with opportunities and constraints that exist in the real world and the demands of superego
what principle does the ego function?
reality principle; gratification of the instincts is delayed until a time in which something in reality enables one to obtain maximum pleasure with the least pain/negative consequences
what does the ego do?
distinguishes fantasy from reality
creates compromises through rational thought
who is connected to the ego?
conscious and preconscious
what is the superego?
the morality police, functions involve moral aspects of social behaviour
how does the superego function?
contains ideals for which we strive; ethical standards that give us grief if we violate them
controls behaviour in accordance to rules; offers rewards for good behaviour and punishments for bad—can be understanding and flexible
what principle does the superego follow?
morality
what were the 3 core ideas that freud had about his views on personhood?
there is a limited amount of energy; since there is a system within the brain there is a limit biologically and physically
energy can be blocked but does not “just go away”; it’s expressed in some other manner, along a path of least resistance—defence mechanisms
the mind functions to achieve a state of quiescence; idea of balance
what is catharsis?
a release and freeing of emotions by talking about one’s problems
what are the 2 implications of catharsis?
mine is an energy system; hence needing to release energy when it “gets dammed up”
the mind had more than one part
what did freud mean by “the mind had more than one part”?
region of ideas of which people are consciously aware
a more mysterious, hidden region of ideas that lie outside of awareness; the unconscious
in freud’s theory on personality, what fuels his perspective?
personality is influenced by motivational dynamics which involve mental energy: life and death instincts
what is the life instinct? and what does it do?
life; libido
includes drives associated previously w/ both the earlier ego and sexual instincts
impels people toward the preservation and reproduction of the organism
what is the death instinct? and what does it do?
aim of the organism is to die or return to an inorganic state
more controversial and least accepted
often turned away from oneself and directed towards others in acts of aggression
finish the sentence: dreams are…
the royal road to the unconscious
how are dreams and the unconscious related?
unconscious wishes express themselves in disguised form
in relevance to dream: what is manifest content?
content on the surface—where dreams cannot be understood here
in relevance to dream: what is latent content?
beneath the surface to find the real meaning
what did freud believe about dreams?
all dreams are wish fulfillments based on unconscious wishes
the wish mixes images from the previous day — day residue — w/ dream symbols
these symbols are nearly universal—some more individual
dream interpretation is a therapeutic technique that uncovers the hidden meaning of dreams
how are dreams and personality related?
high neuroticism = more nightmares
low neuroticism = high openness to experience = more dreams about flying
high openness = see more strange and different people & likely to remember dreams
highly agreeable = see more people in dream
regarding growth and development with freud: what is the psychoanalytical position
significant aspects of personality are entirely determined by the end of the first 5 years of life — personality is not malleable/constant/dynamic
what are the psychosexual stages?
(0-1) — oral stage
(1-3) — anal stage
(3-5) — phallic stage
(6-11) — latency stage
(12-18) — genital stage
in relevance to the psychosexual stages: what are the following aspects in the oral stage?
key conflict/fixation: weaning process; the child must become less dependent upon caretakers
outcome of fixation: individual would have issues with dependency or aggression—oral behaviours such as smoking, overeating, or nail-biting
in relevance to the psychosexual stages: what are the following aspects in the anal stage?
key conflict/fixation: (libido) controlling bladder and bowel movements; toilet training
outcome of fixation: anal-retentive personality (overly neat, orderly) or anal-expulsive personality (disorganized, messy)
in relevance to the psychosexual stages: what are the following aspects in the phallic stage?
key conflict/fixation: (genitals) oedipus and electra complex—involving attraction to the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent
outcome of fixation: issues with authority, gender identity confusion, or challenges in forming relationships
in relevance to the psychosexual stages: what are the following aspects in the latency stage?
key conflict/fixation: focus on friendships, hobbies, and school. energy is directed toward learning and social interaction—where ego and superego develops
outcome of fixation: result in immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an adult
in relevance to the psychosexual stages: what are the following aspects in the genital stage?
key conflict/fixation: development of romantic relationships and the ability to balance love and work— where id, ego and superego develops
what are defence mechanisms?
psychological processes that keep us from consciously experiencing things that could cause us to suMer
what are some types of defence mechanisms?
denial
projection
isolation
rationalisation
sublimation
repression
honorary mentions: regression and intellectualisation
what is denial?
consciously; deny the existence of a traumatic or otherwise socially unacceptable fact
avoidance may be initially conscious but later becomes automatic and unconscious
the importance of denial and dependent on; extent of distortion, pervasiveness and circumstances surrounding it
what is projection?
people defend against the recognition of their own negative qualities/experiences by projecting them onto other
what is isolation?
impulse, thought or act is not denied access to consciousness, but it is denied the normal accompanying thought—to avoid the experience of emotion
what can isolation lead to?
intellectualisation—emphasis on thought over emotion and feeling; individual magically undoes one act or wish w/ another
what is rationalisation?
behaviour is reinterpreted so that it appears reasonable and acceptable—“i’m doing this because i love you”
how does rationalisation relate to the functional systems of the mind?
ego construct a rational motive to explain an unacceptable action that is caused by the irrational impulses of the id
what is sublimation?
original object of gratification is replaced by a higher cultural goal that is far removed from a direct expression of the instinct
what is repression?
major defence mechanism of psychoanalytic theory—a thought, idea or wish so traumatic and threatening that it is buried in the unconscious
are defence mechanisms adaptive or maladaptive?
some believe are useful in reducing anxiety — also maladaptive as it turns the person away from reality
reality orientation fundamental to emotional health
others believe
positive illusions and some forms of self-deception can be adaptive
positive illusions about oneself and the future, and about one’s ability to control events, can be positive for mental health
what was carl jung’s main criticism of freud’s theories that eventually led to his own?
“freud overemphasized sexuality”— libido not as a sexual instinct, but a generalised life energy
what is the collective unconscious?
holds cumulative experiences of past generations — is universal; containing universal images or symbols — archetypes
what were some of the struggles within archetypes?
struggle between persona and the private or personal self
struggle between the masculine and feminine part of ourselves — anima & animus
according to jung: what is the fundamental task?
harmonise, integrate various opposing forces of the psyche
what is a mandala?
“a mandala is the psychological expression of the totality of the self”—are circular designs that reflect the wholeness of the person creating them; they serve as symbols of the struggle for knowledge of our true selves
Describe the archetypes Jung proposed?
