7psychreveiw

Trait perspective of personality

personality is made up of traits, heavily influenced by biology, that can be listed and measured.

Big Five Personality Traits

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism (list developed by Costa and McRae)

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

uses extroversion, introversion, unstable, stable to organize personality

Allport's Trait Theory

cardinal traits (most dominant affect on personality) , central traits, secondary traits

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), NOT a projective test

social-cognitive perspective

according to this perspective, personality is formed by a reciprocal interaction among behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors

reciprocal determinism

Bandura's idea that though our environment affects us, we also affect our environment

self-efficacy

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

external locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.

internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate

positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

spotlight effect

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

projective tests: TAT & Rorschach

a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics. (p. 559)

TAT

a projective test in which subjects look at and tell a story about ambiguous pictures

Rorscach 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

Humanistic Perspective

the psychological view that assumes the existence of the self and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the freedom to make choices

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

Rogers' person-centered perspective

people are basically good, and given the right environment their personality will develop fully and normally

Unconditional Positive Regard (Rogers)

an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

self-concept

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

Humanist perspective on 3 characteristics that facilitate growth

an environment of unconditional positive regard, empathy and genuineness

Neo-Freudians

followers of Freud who developed their own competing psychodynamic theories. They believed the conflicts shaping personality are social in nature and not sexual

Alfred Adler

Neo-Freudian; introduced concept of "inferiority complex" and stressed the importance of birth order

Carl Jung

neo-Freudian who created concept of "collective unconscious" and wrote books on dream interpretation

collective unconscious

Jung's name for the memories shared by all members of the human species

defense mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression

keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious

Denial

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

Regression

A reversion to immature patterns of behavior.

Displacement

psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

Projection

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

reaction formation

psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites. Thus, people may express feelings that are the opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings.

Rationalization

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

sublimation (defense mechanism)

• Rechanneling of drives or impulses that are personally or socially unacceptable into activities that are constructive.

EX: Mom of son killed by drunk driver, president of MADD.

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.

Id

according to Freud, the part of our personality that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

Superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and rules and provides standards for judgment (the conscience)

Oral Stage (0-18 months)

Freud's first stage of psychosexual development during which pleasure is centered in the mouth

Anal Stage (18-36 months)

stage of psychosexual development in which pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control

Phallic Stage (3-6 years)

stage of psychosexual development in which focuses on pleasure zone in the genitals, coping with incestuous sexual feelings

Latent Stage (6-puberty)

Stage of psychosexual development in which child represses sexual thoughts and focuses on same-sex peers

Genital Stage (puberty on)

Freud's stage of psychosexual development when adult sexuality is prominent

Oedipus complex

according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

identification

(Freud) the process by which a child adopts the values and principles of the same-sex parent

Fixation

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

extrinsic motivators

Rewards that we get for accomplishments from outside ourselves (grades, salary)

intrinsic motivators

A person's internal desire to do something, due to such things as interest, challenge, and personal satisfaction.

approach-approach conflict

Conflict that results from having to choose between two attractive alternatives

avoidance-avoidance conflict

conflict occurring when a person must choose between two undesirable goals

approach-avoidance conflict

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

multiple approach-avoidance conflict

conflict in which the person must decide between more than two goals, with each goal possessing both positive and negative aspects

James-Lange theory of emotion

theory in which a physiological reaction leads to the labeling of an emotion

Cannon-Bard theory of emotion

conscious experience of emotion and physiological arousal occur at the same time

Schacter's Two-Factor Theory

in order to experience emotion, one must first be physically aroused and able to cognitively label the arousal

Seyle's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Describes the general response animals and humans have to a stressful event

Alarm Reaction Stage

the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome in which the body goes into

a temporary state of shock, then rebounds (counter shock), following initial exposure to a stressor

resistance stage

second stage of the stress response; body attempts to return to normal

exhaustion stage

The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, where the individual fails to resist and can become sick

psychophysiological illness

literally, "mind-body" illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches

Perceived control and stress

When you have a higher perceived control of your environment, your stress level will go down. If you feel like you have little control over your environment, you will become stressed or depressed

instinct theory of motivation

people are driven to do certain behaviors based on evolutionarily programmed instincts

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

primary drives

innate drives, such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire, that arise from basic biological needs

secondary drives

drives that are learned or acquired through experience, such as the drive to achieve monetary wealth

drive-reduction theory

approach to motivation that assumes behavior arises from physiological needs that cause internal drives to push the organism to satisfy the need and reduce tension and arousal

arousal theory of motivation

• people perform actions to maintain an optimal level of arousal

Yerkes-Dodson Law

the psychological principle stating that performance is best under conditions of moderate arousal rather than either low or high arousal

incentive theory

explains motivation as the desire to pursue rewards and avoid punishments

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

A motivation theory that suggests that human needs fall into a hierarchy and that as each need is met, people become motivated to meet the next-highest need in the pyramid.

lateral hypothalamus

The part of the hypothalamus that produces hunger signals

ventromedial hypothalamus

The part of the hypothalamus that produces feelings of fullness as opposed to hunger, and causes one to stop eating.

set point theory

Theory that proposes that humans and other animals have a natural or optimal body weight, called the set-point weight, that the body defends from becoming higher or lower by regulating feelings of hunger and body metabolism.

Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR)

When the body is at rest, the rate at which it uses energy for vital functions, heartbeat and respiration.

Externals

people whoa re motivated to eat by external food cues, such as attractiveness or availability