Social Psychology and Personality Disorders Review Flashcards

These flashcards encompass key definitions and concepts from social psychology, classical and contemporary perspectives on personality, and psychological disorders, intended for exam preparation.

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts.

Attribution Theory

A framework for understanding how people explain the causes of behavior and events.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors when judging others' behaviors.

Attitudes

Evaluative judgments about objects, people, or events that can influence behavior.

Zimbardo’s Prison Study

An experiment that examined how situational factors affect behavior, leading to extreme behaviors in prison settings.

Asch’s Conformity Study

A study that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups, showing that individuals might conform to incorrect answers.

Milgram’s Obedience Study

An experiment that tested how far individuals would go in obeying authority figures, even when it conflicted with personal conscience.

Social Facilitation

The improved performance of tasks in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Deindividuation

A state of reduced self-awareness and decreased personal responsibility occurring in groups.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help a victim when there are other people present.

Prejudice

A preconceived opinion or judgment about an individual or group that is not based on reason or actual experience.

Mere Exposure Effect

The tendency for people to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Personality

The unique and relatively stable patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that characterize an individual.

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach that focuses on uncovering and understanding unconscious motivations and conflicts.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A psychological approach that emphasizes the influence of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences on behavior.

Id, Ego, and Superego

The three components of personality according to Freud, representing primal urges, the conscious self, and moral constraints, respectively.

Oedipus Complex

A child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and jealousy toward the same-sex parent during the phallic stage of development.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by individuals to cope with reality and maintain self-image.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective psychological test consisting of ambiguous inkblots to assess personality and emotional functioning.

Self-Actualization

The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potential, considered as a drive or need present in everyone.

Unconditional Positive Regard

An attitude of total acceptance and support for another person regardless of what they say or do, as emphasized by humanist psychologists.

Big Five Personality Factors

A model describing five major dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Person-Situation Controversy

The debate regarding whether a person's behavior is more a result of their personality traits or situational factors.

External Locus of Control

The belief that outcomes are determined by external factors or events, rather than one's own actions.

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that one has control over their own life and outcomes are the result of their own decisions and efforts.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute positive events to one’s own character but attribute negative events to external factors.

Psychological Disorders

Conditions characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cause significant distress or impairment.

Medical Model

A framework for understanding psychological disorders as diseases that can be treated in the same way as physical illnesses.

Anxiety Disorders

A group of disorders characterized by excessive fear or anxiety, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, OCD, and PTSD.

Mood Disorders

Psychological disorders characterized by disturbances in mood or emotions, including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

Explanatory Style

The manner in which people evaluate and make sense of events, which can significantly affect their mental health.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perceptions, emotions, and behavior.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

A psychiatric condition in which a person's identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personality states.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by persistent patterns of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.