New Dimensions Psychology Unit

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

- behavior: psychical and observed actions

- mental processes: internal and subjective experiences that can be inferred from behavior

Behaviorism

study observable actions and learn from them; stimulus; we are products of our environment

Psychodynamic

explores unconscious desires, feelings, and thoughts that shape our personality

Psychoanalysis

a type of therapy that focuses on bringing hidden/unconscious thoughts and memories into the conscious level

Neo-Freudianism

the unconscious motivates us, but not in a purely sexual/animalistic way like Freud emphasized

- society, family, and our relationships shape our personality

Humanism

emphasizes the uniquely human aspect of the person, stressing the behavior and choices come from within and each person is their own individual

Freud's definition of source, aim, and object

source: the body part where the drive originates

aim: the need the body part produces

object: something external to the person required to satisfy the aim

main ideas about Freud

- people are sexual and aggressive

- the goal is pleasure

- id, ego, superego

- first to bring up the idea of the unconscious

The Id (Freud)

the animalistic, primitive side of a human's unconscious that doesn't know right from wrong and exists to receive pleasure

The Ego (Freud)

exists purely to satisfy the id urges and allow the id to receive pleasure

- wants to satisfy the id in a more ethical/acceptable way

Superego (Freud)

exists to say "no" to the id and understands right from wrong

- the first time the id is ever unsatisfied

- internalizing parental authority

- results in guilt because the id isn't pleased and is experiencing pain

Freud's definition of Repression

the process of keeping mental components out of consciousness; unpleasant/shameful thoughts/desires/experiences are pushed to the unconscious

- these are uncomfortable to bring into awareness

Repetition Compulsion

Freud's idea that one will continue repeating a harmful/painful action or experience with hopes of receiving pleasure from it

The difference between Fright, Fear, and Anxiety (according to Freud)

fright: immediate pain

fear: the anticipation of pain

anxiety: the anticipation of an unknown event

Freud's psychosexual stages of development

1. the oral stage (birth-1 yr): id dominates the mind and unconscious

2. the anal stage (2-3 yrs): the ego is starting to develop

3. the phallic stage (4-5 yrs): superego starts to develop; oedipus complex, castration complex, electra complex

4. the latent stage (6-12 yrs): sexual feelings are starting to be repressed

5. the genital stage (adolescence-adulthood): final stage

Free Association

Freudian therapy when the therapist says very little and the patient does most of the talking in order to bring repressed unconscious thoughts/feeling into awareness

Repression (defense mechanism)

ego places conscious painful events into the unconscious to protect itself from the pain associated with it

Rationalization (defense mechanism)

interpreting motive and behavior in a way that makes the person look good to their self and others (enhance self concept)

Reaction-Formation (defense mechanism)

acting in opposite fashion from unconscious desires (lack of confidence countered by overconfidence)

Regression (defense mechanism)

retreat from a higher level of development to an earlier stage

Projection (defense mechanism)

defending against motives, desires, and character traits that you are not willing to recognize in yourself by attributing them to others

Displacement (defense mechanism)

shifting an emotion from one person/object to another; taking external pain from one thing and taking it out on someone else

Sublimation (defense mechanism)

id urges are redirected by the ego into socially acceptable behaviors (similar to displacement but more socially acceptable)

Fantasy (defense mechanism)

imagine yourself somewhere else or as someone else (escaping reality)

Compensation (defense mechanism)

emphasizing a strength in another area of your life rather than dealing with an inferiority (try to make something good out of a bad situation)

Emotional Insulation (defense mechanism)

apathy-not allowing yourself to feel the pain any longer (something bad happens once so you will never do that thing again)

Identification (defense mechanism)

identify with someone you admire and act like them instead of resolving the issue (pressure to fit a certain image)

Undoing (defense mechanism)

overcompensating to make up for a mistake

Denial (defense mechanism)

rejecting or refusing to acknowledge an inevitable reality; pathological rejection of reality and refuse to consciously acknowledge it

Personal Unconscious (Jung)

repressed or forgotten personal memories or experiences (called "complexes")

Collective Unconscious

Jung's idea that there is a deeper stratum of the unconscious which contains inherited, collective experiences of the human species (manifest as archetypes)

Archetypes

the ways we see commonalities of shared human experiences; can be characters, themes, settings; organize themes of the collective unconscious; portrayed often through religion or myth

Jungian archetypes examples

- the child

- the hero

- the wise old man

- the great mother

- the serpent

Individuation

continuous goal in life of achieving balance (balancing opposites or dualism), psychic wholeness, and self-realization

Persona

one's public personality or mask, social roles

Shadow

one's dark side, parts of ourselves we dislike

Self

central archetype of personality, represents wholeness

Anima

female archetypes, feminine side of a man or hyper-feminine side of a woman

Animus

male archetypes, masculine side of a woman or hyper-masculine side of a man

Jungian Dream Analysis

dreams are the gateways to the collective unconscious and guide us in how to achieve balance

Word Association

Jungian therapy where a therapist would say one word and see how the patient reacts (hesitation often indicates a problem area)

Mandala

a very important Jungian idea and is a symmetrical design based on the square and circle and is a symbol of psychic wholeness

- balance/individuation

Introvert vs. Extrovert

- introvert: person is turned inward, often reflective and keeps to themself

- extrovert: person is turned outward, candid and outgoing in nature

Jung main ideas

- the goal in life is to achieve balance aka individuation

- the collective unconscious

- archetypes are universal and a manifestation of the collective unconscious

- dreams are symbolic

Holism

the individual in an integral part of a social system (family, society); more of a focus on interpersonal than intrapersonal

Inferiority

our own feelings of being "less than" those around us make us strive toward identity and perfection

- perfection is the goal in life

Adler's perfection definition

continuing to achieve/strive towards the best version or ideal version of ourselves

Teleology

humans live by goals and purposes or motivating factors

- something is teleological if it has a goal that can be strived towards

Phenomenology

one's subjective experience of reality; how we interpret a situation is more important than the reality of the situation

Fictive Notions

unconscious notions about inadequacies, sense of belonging, and comparison to self and others

Family Constellation

Adlerian idea of how one's self awareness develops is based on relationships, interactions, and temperament among the family; birth order also plays a role in later personality development

Life Tasks

must continue to strive to keep them all good; hwoever impossible to have 100% of the time

- friends: healthy peer relationships

- work: healthy, goal-oriented successes at work (includes school)

- love: healthy intimate and romantic relationships (includes family)

Adlerian therapy

an educational model that is optimistic; family therapy is essential

psychosocial definition

Erikson's theories of the stages of development; conflicts at each stage can manifest themselves later depending on how the person handles them

- heavily influenced by society and culture

Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development

1. trust vs mistrust (Birth-1 year old)

2. autonomy vs doubt/shame (1-3 years)

3. initiative vs guilt (3-6 years)

4. industry vs inferiority (6-12)

5. identity vs role confusion (Adolescence)

6. intimacy vs isolation (young adulthood)

7. generativity vs stagnation (adulthood)

8. ego integrity vs despair (maturity/old age)

feminine psychology

claimed Freud's theory suffered from a male perspective and directly challenged his theory of female development

Masculinity Complex

Horney's idea that women have a rejection of their own femininity and feel revenge against men

Overvaluation of Love

Horney's explanation for female feelings of inferiority; women overvalue romantic love in their lives because they base their personalities based off their lover

Basic Anxiety

Horney believed that anxiety leads to the “Id” urges (opposite of Freud who believed that anxiety is a result of drives and impulses)

- leads to basic hostility

Horney's 3 personality types

- compliant: pleaser, "moving toward people"

- aggressive: gets angry, "moving against people"

- detached: autonomous, "moving away from people"

Object Relations theory

Klein's idea that interpersonal relationships, not biological drives, are most significant

Paranoid-Schizoid Position

Klein; feeling intense pleasure and aggression at the same time is very difficult so we deal with it by splitting internal and external objects into the good and the bad

- very infantile/childlike approach to dealing with good vs bad

Depressive Position

Klein; good and bad can coexist as one unified whole; relies on mature defenses to tolerate guilt or loss

Self-Concept

the set of beliefs a person has about themself which determines how they behave; stems from society

holism (humanism)

a person isn't made of parts (ex. id, ego, etc) but is a single unified entity that works towards goals of the whole person

Self-Actualization

the purpose of individuals is to become what they are capable of being; be the best version of yourself

Jean Charcot

Proponent of Hypnosis

• Hypnosis was curing paralysis of patients

• implied unconscious

Josef Breuer

Discovered that talking to traumatized individuals under hypnosis relieved emotional and physical symptoms

Pleasure Principle

Seek pleasure, avoid pain (Id)

Psychoanalytic Transference

Therapy patient “transfers” feelings, desires, and/or expectations directed toward a significant figure (likely a parent) onto the therapist

Dreams (Freud)

the “royal road to the unconscious"; disguised wish fulfillments of repressed, unconscious desires

Censor

Mental filter that blocks unacceptable thoughts, wishes, and memories from entering the conscious

Hypnotism

How Freud accessed the unconscious of his patients; put them into a trance-like, suggestible state

Manifest (Theory of Dreams)

The actual storyline, images, and events of the dream that you remember

Latent

The hidden, unconscious meaning.dormant state behind dreams

Condensation (Dreams)

Multiple, distinct ideas, images, or desires are fused into a single manifest element

Unconscious Motivations

Hidden desires, fears, and instinctual drives; typically sexual/aggressive in nature

Preconscious

Layer of awareness containing information not currently in conscious thought, but could be easily recalled and brought to mind

Psychic Energy

The dynamic, driving force behind all thoughts and actions

• The Id’s “pleasure principle”

• also dubbed “Libidinal Energy”

Childhood Sexuality

Human sexuality begins in infancy and develops through psychosexual stages

Oral Stage (0-1 year)

Pleasure centers on mouth; if don’t resolve, develop oral fixation (smoking, biting nails, etc)

Anal Stage (1-3 years)

Pleasure centered on bowels and bladder during potty training; develop anal fixation (obsession with order) if unresolved

Phallic Stage (3-6 years)

Pleasure centers on genitals and physical curiosity; Oedipus and Electra complexes; results in mommy/daddy, gender, or sexuality issues if unresolved

Latent Stage (6-12 years)

Sexual impulses are suppressed; energy channeled into social + intellectual skills

Genital Stage (Puberty onward)

Sexuality matures and more intimate relationships may develop

Oedipus Complex

Psychoanalytic concept describing boy’s unconscious desire for mother and hostility towards father

Electra Complex

Oedipus complex but for girls (desire for father, hostile towards mother)

Castration Complex

Boys: fear that father will cut off his penis as punishment for desiring mother

Girls: penis envy, can’t have this complex which results in “natural passivity”

Penis Envy

Girls feel inferior because they lack a penis; blame mothers for this and prefer dad

Eros

“The Life Drive”; Life instinct that drives survival, creativity, reproduction, and social cooperation

Thanatos

“Death Instinct”; an unconscious drive toward self-destruction, aggression, and a return to an inorganic, lifeless state.

Libido/Libidinal Energy

Vital psychic energy created by survival and sexual instincts driving behavior

Repetition Compulsion

Unconscious drive to re-enact painful or traumatic past events, relationships, or emotional states in order to “master” the trauma

Reality Principle

“Ego” referees the Id’s impulses to meet social expectations/norms

Conversion (defense mechanism)

Person turns emotional pain, stress, or conflict into a physical symptom/illness (headache, stomach ache, hives, etc)

Anna Freud

Made the defense mechanisms; daughter of Sigmund Freud; worked with children and rival to Melanie Klein

Jungian Psychoanalysis

Psychotherapy focused on integrating the conscious and unconscious mind to achieve psychological wholeness “balance”

Balance

Dynamic, self-regulating process where the psyche works to harmonize opposing forces (work/life, family/friends, anima/animus)

Myers-Briggs Test (Jung)

Foundational theory of psychological types with specific attitudes towards different personality functions; test created from this

Thinking/Feeling/Sensing/Intuition (Jung)

Thinking: Logical evaluation

Feeling: Value-based evaluation

Sensing: Perceiving through the senses

Intuition: Perceiving via unconscious hunches