Mere Exposure Effect → Big Five Factors

Mere Exposure Effect

The tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them

Passionate Love

An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship

Companionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Equity

A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Self-disclosure

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Reciprocity norm

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

Social-responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those needing their help.

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Social Trap

A situation in which two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Mirror-image Perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment

superordinate goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

GRIT

Graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension-reduction; a strategy designed to decrease international tensions.

Personality

An individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

psychodynamic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences.

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.

Unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.

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 embarassing.

id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

ego

The partly conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, the 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

Superego

The partly conscious part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.

Defense Mechanisms

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

Repression

In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history.

terror-management theory

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.

Projective Test

A personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots

Humanistic Theories

Theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for health personal growth.

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow's levels of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs. Often visualized as a pyramid, with needs nearer the base taking priority until they are satisfied.

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.

Self-transcendence

According to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self.

Unconditional Positive Regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self acceptance.

Self-concept

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

trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.

personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

The most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.

Empirically Derived Test

A test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups.

Big Five Factors

Five traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism— that describe personality (Also called the five-factor model)