Kaplan MCAT Behavioral Sciences Ch. 6 Identity and Personality

self-concept

internal identifications with appraisal of past and future self

self-schema

a self-given label that carries with it a set of qualities

identity

the individual components of our self concept related to the groups to which we belong

whereas we have one all-encompassing self-concept, we have multiple identities that define who we are and how we should behave in any given context

gender identity

a person's appraisal of themself in terms of masculinity and femininity

androgyny

being simultaneously very masc and very femme

ethnic identity

one's ethnic group with shared ancestry, cultural heritage, and language

nationality

identity related to political borders, the result of shared history, media, cuisine, and symbols

hierarchy of salience

organizes our identities such that we let the situation dictate which identity holds the most importance for us at any given moment

self-discrepancy theory

each one of us has 3 selves that make up our self-concept
1. actual self - the way we see ourselves as we currently are
2. ideal self - the person we would like to be
3. ought self - our representation of ourselves based on the what others think we should be

self-esteem

the measure of how we feel about ourselves, our self-worth

self-efficacy

our belief in our ability to succeed

learned helplessness

a possible model of depression, where subjects will do nothing to relieve a negative situation over which they have no control or feel no control

locus of control

the way we characterize the influences in our life
- internal locus of control: view ourselves as controlling our own fate
- external locus of control: events in our lives are caused by luck or outside influences

Freud: psychosexual development

development of identity is based on psychology + sexuality

libido

the sex drive, which Freud believed was present at birth

fixation

occurs when a child is overindulged or overly frustrated during a stage of development

neurosis

a functional mental disorder in adults caused by a fixation from childhood

oral stage

0-1 year
gratification is obtained through putting objects in the mouth; fixation leads to excessive dependency

anal stage

1-3 years
libido is centered on the anus and gratification is gained by excretion; fixation leads to excessive orderliness or sloppiness

phallic stage

3-5 years
resolves Oedipal conflict/Electra conflict
child identifies with same-sex parent, establishes sexual identity, internalizes moral values, and sublimates libidinal energy

latency

lasts from when the libido is sublimated till the beginning of puberty

genital stage

begins in puberty and lasts through adulthood; if conflicts from previous stages are resolved, heterosexual relationships result

Erikson: psychosocial development

development of identity is based on conflicts btwn needs and social demands

trust vs mistrust

0-1 years: Can I trust the world?

If resolved successfully, the child will come to trust his environment as well as himself.

If not, the child will be suspicious of the world

autonomy vs shame/doubt

1-3 years: Is it okay to be me?

If resolved successfully, the child feels able to exert control over the world and to exercise choice as well as self-restraint.

If not, sense of doubt and persistent external locus of control.

initiative vs guilt

3-6 years: Is it okay for me to do, move, and act?

Favorable outcomes: sense of purpose, the ability to initiate activities, and the ability to enjoy accomplishment.

Unfavorable outcomes: child becoming so overcome by the fear of punishment that they may restrict themself or overcompensate by showing off

industry vs inferiority

6-12 years: Can I make it in the world of people and things?

Favorable outcomes: allow the child to feel competent, be able to exercise their abilities and intelligence in the world, and affect the world in the way they desire.

Unfavorable outcomes: sense of inadequacy, a sense of inability to act in a competent manner, and low self-esteem

identity vs role confusion

12-20 years: Who am I? What can I be?

Favorable outcome: fidelity, the ability to see oneself as a unique and integrated person with sustained loyalties.

Unfavorable outcomes: confusion about one's identity and an amorphous personality that shifts day to day

intimacy vs isolation

20-40 years: Can I love?

Favorable outcomes: love, the ability to have intimate relationships with others, and the ability to commit oneself to another person and one's own goals.

Unfavorable outcomes: avoidance of commitment, alienation, and distancing of oneself from others and ideals

generativity vs stagnation

40-60 years: Can I make my life count?

Favorable outcome: individual capable of being a productive, caring, and contributing member of society.

Unfavorable outcomes: stagnation and may become self-indulgent, bored, and self-centered

integrity vs despair

65+ years: Is it okay to have been me?

Favorable outcome: wisdom, assurance in meaning of life, dignity, acceptance of mortality.

Unfavorable outcome: bitterness, sense of futility, and fear of death

Kohlberg: moral development

development of ourselves is based on development of moral thinking

preconventional morality

(preadolesence)
emphasis on the consequences of the moral choice

obedience

Stage 1. concern with avoiding punishment

self-interest

Stage 2. concern with gaining rewards, called instrumental relativist stage

conventional morality

(adulthood)
develops in early adolescence, when individuals begin to see themselves in terms of their relationships to others based on understanding and accepting social rules

conformity

Stage 3. emphasizes an orientation in which a person seeks the approval of others

law and order

Stage 4. maintains the social order in the highest regard

postconventional morality

(some adults)
describes a level of reasoning that Kohlberg claimed not everyone was capable of and is based on social mores, which may conflict with laws

social contract

Stage 4. views moral rules as conventions that are designed to ensure the greater good, with reasoning focused on individual rights

universal human ethics

Stage 6. holds decisions should be made in consideration of abstract principles

Vygotsky: cultural and biosocial development

child's internalization of various aspects of culture (e.g. rules, symbols, language, etc.) drives cognitive development

zone of proximal development

idea promulgated by Lev Vygotsky of those skills/abilities that have not yet fully developed but are in the process of development

more knowledgeable other

helps child fully develop skills in zone of proximal development

theory of mind

ability to sense how another person's mind works

looking-glass self

others reflect our selves back to us

reference group

the group we compare ourselves to to understand and place our identity

personality

describes the set of thoughts, feelings, traits, and behaviors which are characteristic of an individual across time and location

psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theories of personality

assume unconscious internal states that motivate the overt action of individuals and determine personality

id

all of the basic, primal, inborn urges to survive and reproduce

pleasure principle

drives the id, aim is to achieve immediate gratification to relieve any pent-up tension

primary process

id's response to frustration

wish fulfillment

mental imagery that fulfills the id

ego

the organizer of the mind, receives its power from the id

reality principle

drives the ego, taking into account objective reality as it guides or inhibits the id/pleasure principle
postpone pleasure principle until satisfaction can be obtained

secondary process

the ego's guidance of the id

superego

refined ideas focused on the ideal self, the personality's perfectionist, judging our actions and responding with pride or guilt

conscience

a collection of the improper actions for which a child is punished, part of the superego

ego-ideal

consists of proper actions for which a child is rewarded

conscious

thoughts that we access easily

preconscious

thoughts that we aren't currently aware of

unconscious

thoughts that have been repressed

instinct

to Freud, an innate psychological representation of a biological need, the propelling aspect of Freud's dynamic theory of personality

life instincts/Eros

promote an individual's quest for survival through thirst, hunger, and sexual need

death instincts/thanatos

represent an unconscious wish for death and destruction

defense mechanisms

the ego's way of reducing the anxiety caused by the clash of the id and superego, they operate unconsciously and deny, falsify, or distort reality
1. repression
2. suppression
3. regression
4. reaction formation
5. projection
6. rationalization
7. displacement
8. sublimation

repression

the ego's way of forcing undesired thoughts and urges to the unconscious and underlies other mechanisms

e.g. a man who survived the Holocaust cannot recall anything about his life during that period

suppression

a deliberate, conscious form of forgetting/repression

e.g. Consciously choosing, "I'm not going to think about that right now."

regression

reversion to an earlier developmental state

reaction formation

suppressing urges by unconsciously converting them into their opposites

e.g. two coworkers fight all the time bc they are actually very attracted to each other

projection

individuals attribute their undesired feelings towards others

e.g. a man who cheats on his wife is instead convinced that his wife is cheating on him

rationalization

the justification of behaviors in a manner that is acceptable to the self and society

displacement

changing the target of an emotion while the emotion stays the same

e.g. child punches and kicks his pillow after he is sent to his room for punishment

sublimation

channeling socially unacceptable urges into socially acceptable behaviors

e.g. boss who is attracted to his employee becomes her advisor

Carl Jung

psychoanalyst who preferred to think of libido as psychic energy and identified the ego as conscious mind and 2 segments of unconscious mind

personal unconscious

an individual's unconscious as described by Jung

collective unconscious

a Jungian idea, powerful system shared by all humans and considered to be a residue of the experiences of our earliest ancestors. its building blocks are images of common experience

archetypes

emotional images of common experiences in the collective unconscious

persona

the aspect of our personality we present to the world

anima

a man's "inner woman"/suppressed feminine

animus

a woman's "inner man"/suppressed masculine

shadow

unpleasant and socially reprehensible thoughts, feelings, and actions in our consciousness

self

intersection of: collective unconscious + personal unconscious + conscious mind

Myers-Briggs Type Inventory

personality test with 4 dichotomies

Alfred Adler

psychologist who shifted from sexual to social theory, focused on the immediate social imperatives of family/society and their effects on unconscious factors

inferiority complex

an individual's sense of incompleteness, imperfection, and inferiority, both physically and social; drives the personalities and is productive when for society but disordered when selfish

creative self

the force by which each individual shapes their uniqueness and establishes their personality

style of life

the manifestation of the creative self, describes a person's unique way of achieving superiority, molded by family environment

fictional finalism

the notion that an individual is motivated more by their expectations of the future than by past experiences

"Life would be perfect if only..."

Karen Horney

dissenting student of Freud, argued that personality is a result of interpersonal relationships, disagreed with many of Freud's concepts about women

neurotic needs

govern individuals with neurotic personalities, directed toward making life and interactions bearable

basic anxiety

anxiety that consists of vulnerability and helplessness caused by inadequate parenting

basic hostility

anger caused by parental neglect and rejection

object relations theory

a psychodynamic theory of personality that says our childhood representations of caregivers persist into adulthood and impact our interactions with others, including social bonds and predictions

humanistic/phenomenological theorists

focus on the value of individuals and take a more person-centered approach, describing how healthy people strive toward self-realization

Gestalt therapy

associated with humanism, has practitioners tend to take a holistic view of the self, seeing each individual as a complete person rather than behaviors

force field theory

states that one's current state of mind is the sum of the influences on the individual at that time

peak experiences

profound and deeply moving experiences in a person's life which have important and lasting effects on the individual, more likely in self-actualized people

personal construct psychology

an individual devises and tests predictions about the behavior of significant people in their life

constructs a scheme of anticipation of what others will do, based on knowledge, perception, and relationships

client-centered/person-centered/nondirective therapy

rooted in the belief that people have the freedom to control their own behavior, helps the client reflect on problems, make choices, generate solutions, and take control of their destiny