Studied by 5 people
personality
an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
psychoanalytic theory
Sigmund Freud's theory proposed that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality
humanistic approach
focused on our inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment
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 technique 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
preconscious
an area in which we can retrieve them into conscious awareness
repress
forcibly block from our consciousness
manisfest content
remember the content of dreams
latent content
censored expression of the dreamer's unconscious wishes
id
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives
ego
the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standard for judgments (the conscience) and for future aspirations
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
Oedipus Complex
according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos
fixation
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
repression
the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
regression
defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
reaction formation
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
projection
defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
rationalization
defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions
displacement
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
sublimation
defense mechanism by which people re-channel their inacceptable impulses into socially approved activities
denial
defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe or even perceive painful realities
collective unconscious
Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history
projective test
a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics
Thematic Apperception Test
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach Inkblot test
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
false consensus effect
the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors
terror management theory
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's responses to reminders of their impending deat
third force perspective
Maslow & Rogers perspective that emphasized human potential
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
peak experience
ones that surpass ordinary consciousness
self-transcendence
meaning, purpose, and communion beyond the self
unconditional positive regard
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?"
trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior of a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
a test according to Carl Jung's personality types in an attempt to figure out one's personality
factor analysis
a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of correlated test items that tap basic components of intelligence
personality inventory
a questionnaire 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
developed to identify emotional disorders
empirically derived test
developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
person-situation controversy
while personality traits may be enduring, the resulting behavior in different situations is different
social cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits and their social context
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
personal control
the extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless
external locus control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate
internal locus control
the perception that you control your own fate
learned helplessness
the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events
tyranny of choice
brings information overload and a greater likelihood that we will feel regret over some of the unchosen options
postive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
self
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings and actions
spotlight effect
overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
self- esteem
one's feelings of high or low self-worth
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
individualism
giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than a group identifications
collectivism
giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly
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