Psychology 4B

Psychodynamic theory of personality

Idea that unconscious processes shape personality. Childhood and social conflict play a large role.

Ego

part of one's personality that compromises between unconscious and conscious desires to shape personal identity and behavior

Defense mechanisms

ways in which the ego protects the conscious mind from threatening thoughts from the unconscious

Repression

pushing thoughts out of conscious awareness

Denial

not accepting the truth

Displacement

redirecting feeling toward another person/object that is less threatening

Projection

believing your opinions and tendencies are held by other people rather than by you

Reaction formation

expressing the opposite of how one truly feels

Regression

return to a more childish, comforting form of behavior

Rationalization

justifying or making excuses for an undesirable event or behavior

Sublimation

channeling frustration toward a different, more socially acceptable goal

Projective Tests

personality tests given to reveal a person's unconscious desires. Problem: they are very subjective

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

people are given a picture of an ambiguous scene and asked to say what is happening in the picture

Rorschach inkblot test

people are given a picture of a blob of ink (abstract shape) and asked to say everything they see in it

Humanistic theory of personality

our personalities are shaped by our innate goodness and desire to grow and thrive

Self actualization

people are motivated to grown and reach their full potential

Unconditional positive regard

When we are around people we trust to love us unconditionally, we can be our true selves

Social Cognitive theory of personality

personality is determined by the environment and your patterns of thought

Reciprocal determinism

interaction between thoughts/feelings (cognitions), environment, and behavior

Self concept

 your ideas about who you are as a person

Self efficacy

your belief about your own ability to achieve in a specific situation

Self esteem

 your feelings of self-worth; how you feel about yourself

Trait theory of personality

Personality is made up of characteristics that are consistent throughout life and in all different situations. Criticism: Underestimate the influence of situation/environment on behavior

Personality inventory

a test designed to measure an individual's level of a specific personality trait or set of traits, prone to self

factor analysis

a statistical technique used in personality inventories, some intelligence tests, and some diagnostic tests to combine information from all questions on a particular topic or trait

Big 5 Personality Traits (OCEAN)

OCEAN

Openness

imaginative, creative, open minded

Conscientiousness

organized, reliable, dependable

Extraversion

out going, sociable, assertive (strong/confident personality)

Agreeableness

kind, cooperative, compassionate

Neuroticism

emotional stability, low score indicates more calm, high score is more reactive