AP Psych Unit 4 Parts 4-7: Personality, Motivation, and Emotion

Tried and true

Personality

The enduring characteristics and traits that make an individual unique.

Psychodynamic theories

Theories that emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences on behavior and personality.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that holds thoughts, memories, and feelings that are not currently in conscious awareness.

Free association

A therapeutic technique where patients speak freely about their thoughts, feelings, and mental images to uncover the unconscious mind.

Id

The part of the personality that contains primal instincts and drives, operating on the pleasure principle.

Ego

The rational part of personality that mediates between the desires of the id and the reality of the outside world.

Superego

The part of the personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience).

Defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety and social judgment.

Denial

A defense mechanism where an individual refuses to accept reality or facts.

Displacement

A defense mechanism that shifts negative feelings toward a more acceptable target.

Projection

A defense mechanism in which individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that offers plausible reasons for actions that are actually motivated by irrational or emotional factors.

Reaction formation

A defense mechanism where a person behaves in a manner opposite to their true feelings.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development.

Repression

A defense mechanism that involuntarily pushes threatening thoughts or feelings out of conscious awareness.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism that transforms unacceptable impulses into socially accepted actions or behaviors.

Projective test

A personality assessment tool that involves interpreting ambiguous stimuli, like inkblots or pictures.

Thematic Apperception Test

A projective test that uses ambiguous pictures to elicit stories that reveal a participant’s motivations and conflicts.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective psychological test consisting of inkblots, used to assess personality characteristics and emotional functioning.

Humanistic theories

Psychological perspectives that emphasize the study of the whole person and the uniqueness of individual experience.

Unconditional positive regard

An attitude of acceptance and respect regardless of the feelings or actions of the person.

Self-concept

An individual's perception of their own identity and worth.

Trait

A consistent characteristic or quality that a person exhibits across various situations.

Personality inventories

Standardized questionnaires used to assess personality traits and characteristics.

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

A widely used personality test designed to assess and diagnose mental disorders.

Empirically derived test

A type of test created by a process of gathering data to determine which items correlate with specific criteria.

CANOE

An acronym for the five factors of personality assessed in the Five Factor Model: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Extraversion.

Social-cognitive perspective/theory

A view that emphasizes the interaction of social environment, cognition, and behavior in understanding personality.

Reciprocal determinism

The concept that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors interact to shape personality and behavior.

Self-efficacy

An individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

Self-esteem

An individual's subjective evaluation of their own worth and value.

Motivation

The internal process that drives individuals to take action towards goals or fulfill needs and desires.

Instinct

An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.

Physiological needs

Essential needs for human survival, such as food, water, sleep, and warmth.

Drive-reduction theory

A theory suggesting that motivation arises from the desire to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological needs.

Homeostasis

The body's tendency to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions.

Incentives

External stimuli that motivate behavior, often associated with rewards or punishments.

Extrinsic motivation

Engaging in a behavior to earn external rewards or avoid punishment.

Intrinsic motivation

Engaging in a behavior for the inherent satisfaction or pleasure derived from the activity itself.

Arousal Theory

A theory that suggests individuals are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal for performance and engagement.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that optimal performance occurs at moderate levels of arousal, with too little or too much arousal leading to poorer performance.

Glucose

A simple sugar that is an essential source of energy for cells in the body.

Hypothalamus

A region of the brain that regulates important functions including hunger, thirst, and temperature.

Ghrelin

A hormone that stimulates appetite and is often referred to as the hunger hormone.

Leptin

A hormone produced by adipose tissue that helps to regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger.

Orexin

A neuropeptide that plays a role in regulating arousal, wakefulness, and appetite.

PYY (Peptide YY)

A hormone produced in the gastrointestinal tract that helps to reduce appetite after eating.

Set point

The weight range that the body is programmed to maintain for optimal health, influenced by genetics and environment.

Settling point

A more flexible version of set point that indicates the weight at which the energy balance stabilizes.

Basal metabolic rate

The rate of energy expenditure per unit time by endothermic animals at rest, in a neutrally temperate environment.

Affiliation need

The desire to belong to and be accepted by a social group.

Ostracism

Exclusion from a group or society, often leading to feelings of isolation or violation.

Self-disclosure

The process of revealing personal information about oneself to others, promoting intimacy and understanding.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-centeredness, often leading to a lack of empathy for others.

Achievement motivation

The drive to excel and succeed in accomplishing difficult tasks.

Grit

Perseverance and passion for long-term goals, often associated with resilience and determination.

Emotions

Complex psychological states that involve a physiological response, subjective experience, and behavioral response.

James-Lange Theory

The theory that emotions occur as a result of physiological reactions to events or stimuli.

Cannon-Bard Theory

The theory that emotions and physiological responses occur simultaneously and independently after a stimulus.

2 Factor Theory

The theory which states that emotion arises from both physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of the arousal.

Spillover effect

The tendency for emotional responses in one context to affect emotional experiences in another context.

Primary emotions

Basic emotions that are universally recognized and experienced, such as joy, sadness, fear, and anger.

Facial feedback effect

The phenomenon where facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Behavior feedback effect

The influence that actions and movements have on emotional experiences.