Personality Theory Exam I

What is the derivative of the word personality?

The Latin word Persona

Define traits

Contributes to individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and stability of behavior across situations

Define characteristics

Unique qualities of an individual that include attributes such as temperament, physique, and intelligence

Define validity

The degree to which empirical evidence and theoretical rationales support the adequacy and appropriateness of conclusions drawn from some form of assessment

Define reliability

The trustworthiness or consistency of a measure

Give examples of objective personality test

MMPI-3 and NEO-3

Give examples of projective personality test

Rorschach Inkblot Test and Thematic Appreciation Test

Who is associated with the Functionalism school?

William James

William James referred to the consciousness as a _____.

stream

Define the material self

Consists of things that belong to a person or entities that a person belongs to. Includes family, body, clothes, and money

Define the empirical me

Can be thought of as a separate object or individual a person refers to when describing their personal experiences

Define spiritual self

Who we are at our core

What are Freud’s two divisions of the unconscious

1. Unconscious Proper

2. Preconscious

What degree role did Freud feel the conscious plays in the psychoanalytic theory?

It played a relatively minor role in his psychoanalytic theory

Define the ego

The part of the personality that deals with reality, making rational decisions, and balancing the primal urged do the id with the moral standards of the superego

Define the ID

The part of the psyche driven by instinctual urges for pleasure, food, and aggression, present from birth

Define the superego

The ethical component of the personality that serves as your moral conscience. It represents the internalization of societal rules, cultural norms, and parental standards

Define repression

An involuntary removal of something from consciousness. It’s one of the most important processes in Freud’s theory

Define denial

Operates at the preconscious and conscious level. Simplest of all self-defense mechanisms

Define sublimation

Involves diverting sexual or aggressive energy into other channels, one that are usually socially acceptable and sometimes even admirable

Define reaction formation

A defense mechanism where a person hides an unsettling impulse by overemphasizing its exact opposite

Define projection

Mechanism of self-deception. Attributing to others one’s own unacceptable desires and impulses

What is Adler’s concept of The Final Goal?

People strive toward a final goal of with personal superiority to the goal of success for all humankind

What are the motivations of a healthy individual according to Adler?

Social interest and drive for success that benefits humanity rather than seeking personal power

Which theorist is associated with Analytical Psychology?

Carl Jung

Define the archetype Persona

The side of personality that you show to the world

Define the archetype Anima

The feminine side of men

Define the archetype Shadow

Archetype of darkness and repression. It represents the those qualities we do not wish to acknowledge but attempt to hide from ourselves and others

Define the archetype Animus

The masculine archetype in women

Define the archetype Wise Old Man

The archetype of wisdom and meaning. It symbolizes preexisting knowledge of the mysteries of life

Describe the Oedipus Complex

Before the phallic stage, the boys forms an identification with his father and wants to be his father. The boy grows a sexual desire for his mother, sees father as a rival, and can develop castration complex or anxiety

Describe the Psychosexual Stages of Development

Oral — birth to first year of life

• Mouth is the first organ or provide an infant with pleasure

• The sexual aim of early oral activity is to incorporate or receive into one’s body, the object of choice

Anal — one to three years

• Aggressive drive more fully develops in the second second

• Anus is the sexually pleasurable zone

Phallic — three to four years

• Genitals become the leading erogenous zone

• Kids experiment with masturbation but this is usually suppressed due to disapproval of parents

Latency — six to twelve years

• nothing erotic

• forms relationships

Gentian — thirteen and up

• normal sexual development

Define the collective unconscious

Has roots in the ancestral past of the entire species. Distant ancestors experiences with universal concepts such as God, mother, water, earth, evil, etc. have been passed down through generations and all descendants have been influenced by them

What is Adler’s Birth Order Theory of personality

A unique giving special attention to the relationships between siblings and the position in one’s family.

Define Freud’s types of anxiety

Realistic anxiety — involves actual threats to our physical safety

Neurotic anxiety — arises from internal danger, the threats that unacceptable id impulses will break through and be acted on by the individual

Moral anxiety — arises from conflict between our ego and the constraints imposed on it by the superego

What are latent contents of dreams according to Freud?

The underlying meaning of dream, the unconscious material from the id deserving satisfaction

What are Adler’s safeguarding tendencies?

Conscious or unconscious protective behaviors used to shield a person’s fragile self-esteem from public disgrace or feelings of inferiority. Three primary categories of safeguarding tendencies were: excuses, aggression, and withdrawals

What is the ultimate symbol of self according to Jung?

The mandala

Describe the research on the MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

• Jung provided the theoretical foundation in his 1921 book, Psychological Types

• Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, not formally trained psychologists, dedicated their lives to make Jung’s complex “esoteric” ideas accessible and practical for the general public.

• They combined Jung’s three original dichotomies and added a fourth one. This then created the 16 personality types.

What type of theory is Jung’s personality theory?

A psychodynamic TYPE theory

What makes a theory useful?

If it transcends mere speculation and provides a functional framework for understanding behavior

Define Adler’s term Style of life?

Referred to flavor of a person’s life. Includes a person’s goal, self-concept, feelings for others, and altitude toward the world