Self and Personality Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to self and personality development.

Personality

Organized combination of attributes, motives, values, and behaviors unique to each individual.

Self-concept

Perceptions of unique attributes and traits.

Self-esteem

Evaluation of worth as a person based on all the positive and negative self-perceptions that make up self-concept.

Identity

Overall sense of who they are, where they are heading, and where they fit into society.

Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud)

Personality formed during first 5 years of life, emphasized biological instincts and unconscious motivation, three parts of the personality (Id, Ego vs. Superego).

Neo-Freudian Erikson

People undergo similar personality changes at similar ages, placed more emphasis on social influences, potential for personal growth and change throughout lifespan.

Oral Stage (birth-1 year)

Libido is focused on the mouth as a source of pleasure. Obtaining oral gratification from a mother figure is critical to later development.

Anal Stage (1-3 years)

Libido is focused on the anus, and toilet training creates conflicts between the child's biological urges and the society's demands.

Phallic Stage (3-6 years)

Libido centers on the genitals. Resolution of the Oedipus or the Electra complex, which involves desire for the other-sex parent, results in identification with the same-sex parent and development of the superego.

Latent Period (6-12 years)

Libido is quiet; psychic energy is invested in schoolwork and play with same-sex friends.

Genital Stage (12 years and older)

Puberty reawakens the sexual instincts as youths seek to establish mature sexual relationships and pursue the biological goal of reproduction.

Trust vs. mistrust (birth-1 year)

Infants must learn to trust their caregivers to meet their needs. Responsive parenting is critical.

Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (1-3 years)

Children must learn to be autonomous—to assert their wills and do things for themselves—or they will doubt their abilities.

Initiative vs. guilt (3-6 years)

Preschoolers develop initiative by devising and carrying out bold plans, but they must learn not to impinge on the rights of others.

Industry vs. inferiority (6-12 years)

Children must master important social and academic skills and keep up with their peers; otherwise, they will feel inferior.

Identity vs. role confusion (12-20 years)

Adolescents ask who they are and must establish social and vocational identities; otherwise, they will remain confused about the roles they should play as adults.

Intimacy vs. isolation (20-40 years)

Young adults seek to form a shared identity with another person, but may fear intimacy and experience loneliness and isolation.

Generativity vs. stagnation (40-65 years)

Middle-aged adults must feel that they are producing something that will outlive them, either as parents or as workers; otherwise, they will become stagnant and self-centered.

Integrity vs. despair (65 years and older)

Older adults must come to view their lives as meaningful to face death without worries and regrets.

Trait theory

Personality is a set of dispositional trait dimensions along which people can differ, assumes that personality traits are consistent across situations.

The Big Five (OCEAN)

Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Openness to experience

Curiosity and interest in variety vs. preference for sameness.

Conscientiousness

Discipline and organization vs. lack of seriousness.

Extraversion

Sociability and outgoingness vs. introversion.

Agreeableness

Compliance and cooperativeness vs. suspiciousness.

Neuroticism

Emotional instability vs. stability.

Social learning theory

Rejects the notion of universal stages of personality development, questions existence of enduring personality traits, emphasizes that people’s behavior is influenced by the situations and environment.

Self-recognition

Infants recognize themselves visually as distinct individuals.

Temperament

Early, genetically based but environmentally influenced tendencies to respond in predictable ways to events, serve as the building blocks of later personality.

Goodness of fit

The extent to which the child’s temperament is compatible with the demands and expectations of the social world to which he/she must adapt.

Identity vs role confusion

Adolescence is a critical period in the lifelong process of forming an identity as a person.

forging an identity

Adolescent must integrate varied perceptions of the self-concept into a coherent sense of self.

Identity crisis

A period of confusion, revision of body image, adjust to being sexual beings.

Ethnic identity

Sense of personal identification with an ethnic group and its values and cultural traditions.

Activity theory

Aging adults will find their lives satisfying if they can maintain their previous lifestyles and activity levels.

Disengagement theory

Successful aging involves a withdrawal of aging individual from society that is satisfying to both.

Socioemotional selectivity theory

Older adults becoming more selective about social networks, placing higher value on emotional satisfaction.

Integrity versus despair

Complete psychosocial growth, Reminisce and reflect on unresolved conflicts of the past to come to terms with themselves.