Social Psychology and Personality

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering motivation theories, emotion theories, psychodynamic perspectives, and personality traits from the AP Psychology Social Psychology & Personality unit.

Instincts

Innate, fixed patterns of behavior in animals that are triggered by specific stimuli, driving them to act in predictable ways.

Drive-Reduction Theory

A theory suggesting behavior is motivated by the need to reduce internal drives caused by physiological deficits, such as hunger or thirst, aiming to restore homeostasis.

Homeostasis

The body’s effort to maintain stable internal conditions.

Ghrelin

"Growlin' Stomach"; a hormone produced in the stomach that stimulates appetite.

Leptin

“Last Bite”; a hormone produced by fat cells that helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger.

Belongingness

The innate human desire to form and sustain close, meaningful relationships, which significantly drives behavior and affects emotional health.

Arousal Theory

Proposes that individuals are motivated to maintain an optimal level of alertness, seeking to increase it when it is too low and decrease it when it is too high.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal (alertness) but only up to a point; when arousal becomes too high, performance decreases.

Sensation-Seeking Theory

A theory proposing that motivation is driven by the need for varied, novel, and intense experiences.

Thrill Seeking

A component of sensation-seeking theory where individuals are motivated by the desire for intense and exciting experiences, often involving risk.

Adventure Seeking

A component of sensation-seeking theory where individuals are motivated by the desire for new and challenging experiences, often involving physical activities and exploration.

Disinhibition

The tendency to seek out social and experiential thrills by engaging in behaviors that are typically restrained by social norms and inhibitions.

Boredom Susceptibility

An individual's intolerance for repetitive or monotonous experiences, leading them to seek out new and stimulating activities to avoid boredom.

Incentive Theory

Suggests behavior is motivated by the desire for external rewards or incentives, such as money, praise, or other tangible benefits.

Self-Determination Theory

Proposes that people are motivated by intrinsic (internal) motivations, such as personal growth and fulfillment, or extrinsic (external) motivations, such as rewards and recognition.

Intrinsic Motivation

Engaging in activities for their own sake, driven by internal rewards such as personal satisfaction, enjoyment, or a sense of achievement.

Extrinsic Motivation

Engaging in behavior due to external rewards or pressures, such as money, grades, or approval from others.

Approach-Approach Conflicts

Occur when an individual must choose between two desirable options, leading to a conflict of which positive outcome to pursue.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflicts

Occur when an individual must choose between two undesirable options, leading to a conflict of which negative outcome to avoid.

Approach-Avoidance Conflicts

Occur when an individual is drawn to and repelled by the same option, leading to a conflict between the desire for a positive outcome and fear of a negative consequence.

Emotion

Also called affect; a feeling that involves thoughts, body reactions, and actions, influenced by internal and external factors.

Elicitors

Stimuli or events that trigger an emotional response in an individual.

James-Lange Theory (Arousal Comes Before Emotion)

Suggests that emotions follow bodily arousal; the perception of physiological changes (e.g., crying, trembling) leads to the experience of emotion.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

Suggests that facial expressions can influence emotions, such as the act of smiling leading to feeling happier.

Cannon-Bard Theory (Arousal and Emotion Occur Simultaneously)

Proposes that arousal and emotion occur simultaneously and independently; an emotion-triggering stimulus causes both bodily arousal and emotional experience at the same time.

Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory (Arousal + Cognitive Label = Emotion)

States that emotion is the result of physiological arousal and a cognitive label; the interpretation of arousal determines the specific emotion experienced.

Broaden-and-Build Theory of Emotion

Suggests that positive emotions help individuals think more openly and build personal resources, while negative emotions narrow attention and thinking.

Universal Emotions

The idea that certain emotional expressions (anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, and fear) are recognized and experienced similarly across different cultures.

Display Rules

Cultural norms that dictate how, when, and where individuals should express emotions.

Psychodynamic Theory

Suggests that personality is shaped by unconscious forces, internal conflicts, and defense mechanisms; originally developed by Sigmund Freud.

Preconscious Mind

Contains thoughts and feelings that are not currently in conscious awareness but can be easily accessed when needed.

Unconscious Mind

Consists of processes and memories that are beyond conscious awareness and significantly influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Projective Tests

Tools used to assess personality by eliciting responses (such as to Rorschach inkblots) that reveal the contents of the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety and perceived threats.

Denial

An ego defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously refuses to acknowledge reality or facts.

Displacement

An ego defense mechanism where emotional impulses are redirected from the original source to a safer or more acceptable substitute target.

Projection

An ego defense mechanism where individuals attribute their own unacceptable feelings, thoughts, or motives to someone else.

Rationalization

An ego defense mechanism where individuals justify their behaviors in a seemingly rational manner to avoid true underlying reasons.

Reaction Formation

An ego defense mechanism where individuals suppress unacceptable impulses by unconsciously displaying the opposite behavior or emotion.

Regression

An ego defense mechanism where an individual reverts to earlier stages of development and childlike behaviors when faced with stress.

Repression

An ego defense mechanism where distressing thoughts and feelings are unconsciously blocked from entering conscious awareness.

Sublimation

An ego defense mechanism where negative urges and impulses are channeled into socially acceptable or constructive activities.

Humanistic Psychology

Emphasizes the study of the whole person and individual uniqueness, focusing on self-growth and unconditional positive regard.

Unconditional Regard

Focuses on personal growth and self-acceptance by ensuring an individual is accepted and loved without conditions or judgments.

Self-Actualizing Tendency

The innate drive in every individual to grow, develop, and realize their fullest potential.

Social-Cognitive Theory

A theory that emphasizes the influence of cognitive processes, behaviors, and context in understanding personality.

Reciprocal Determinism

A concept proposing that an individual's behavior, personal factors (thoughts/emotions), and environment influence each other interactively.

Self-Concept

An individual's perception of themselves, encompassing self-awareness and the evaluation of their role in relation to others.

Self-Efficacy

The belief in one's own ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

Self-Esteem

A person's overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth.

Trait Theories

Suggest personality is made up of stable characteristics, called traits, that consistently influence how a person thinks and behaves.

Big Five Theory

Identifies five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Personality Inventories

Standardized tools, such as self-report questionnaires, used to assess and measure individual personality traits.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to identify clusters of related items (factors) in a set of data to distill personality data into key traits.

Openness to Experience

A Big Five personality trait encompassing imagination, curiosity, and willingness to engage with new ideas and creative pursuits.

Conscientiousness

A Big Five personality trait marked by organization, dependability, discipline, and a goal-directed approach.

Extraversion

A Big Five personality trait characterized by high sociability, energy, assertiveness, and a preference for social interaction.

Agreeableness

A Big Five personality trait characterized by warmth, kindness, empathy, and a cooperative and trusting nature.

Emotional Stability (Neuroticism)

A Big Five personality trait regarding consistent emotional reactions, resilience, and the ability to remain calm under stress.