ch. 5

Self-Actualization

The primary drive in human life to grow, develop, and actualize one's potential.

Actual Self

Who we perceive ourselves to be now.

Ideal Self

The self we would most like to become.

Congruence

Alignment between one’s self-concept and one’s actual experiences.

Incongruence

Conflict between experiences and one’s self-view, often creating anxiety.

Defensive Processes

Mechanisms like distortion or denial used to maintain self-consistency when faced with threatening experiences.

Need for Positive Regard

The innate human desire for acceptance and positive evaluation from others.

Q-Sort Technique

A method to assess self-concept by sorting personality-describing cards along a continuum.

Semantic Differential

A technique using seven-point scales between bipolar adjectives to rate concepts like 'My Self' and 'My Ideal Self'.

Phenomenological Experience

Subjective interpretation of the world influenced by personal needs, goals, and feelings.

Positive Regard and Conditions of Worth

Acceptance that is conditional may lead individuals to distort their true self to gain approval.

Self-Consistency

The tendency to behave in ways that reinforce one's self-concept.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Acceptance without conditions, crucial for developing a stable self-affirming personality.

Subception

A process of distorting or denying threatening experiences often before full awareness.