Psychology of Personality Exam 2

brain structures associated with extraversion

nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra, amygdala

brain structures associated with neuroticism

hypothalamus, amygdala, insula, mPFC, dlPFC, hippocampus

brain structures associated with conscientiousness

dlPFC, lateral orbitofrontal cortex

brain structure associated with agreeableness

insula

brain structure associated with openness

prefrontal cortex

neurotransmitters associated with extraversion

dopamine, endogenous opiates

neurotransmitters associated with neuroticism

serotonin, cortisol

neurotransmitters associated with conscientiousness

serotonin

neurotransmitters associated with agreeableness

serotonin, testosterone

neurotransmitters associated with openness

dopamine

hypothalamus

- connected to many brain structures

- secretes several hormones

- 3 Fs: fleeing, fighting, fornicating

amygdala

- links perceptions and thoughts with emotional meaning

- (+ and -), including learning objects to fear

- linked with serotonin

- relevant to motivation

- anxiety, sociability, sexuality, fearfulness

hippocampus

- crucial in processing memories

- involved in neuroticism

frontal cortex

- planning ahead

- anticipating consequences/self control

- emotional experience/social understanding

- higher cognition functions

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

anterior cingulate

- tamps down amygdala

- important for experiencing normal emotions

- controlling emotional responses and behavior impulses

endorphins

the dopaminergic system triggers their release, produce pleasure and relieve pain, they can also trigger the release of dopamine,

nucleus accumbens

implicated in responsiveness to reward

CNS (central nervous system)

brain and spinal cord

PNS (peripheral nervous system)

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

neocortex

The outermost part of the cerebral cortex, most distinctive part of the human brain

serotonin

- plays role in behavior impulses

- fear/anxiety

- lower anger,

- oversensitivity

- serotonin agonists reduce feelings of fear and anxiety by reducing degree to which amygdala reacts to threatening stimuli

epinephrine

- released in fight or flight

- hormone and neurotransmitter

- muscles tense

- heart beats faster

- digestion stops

- tend and befriend

- biological aspects of fight or flight

cortisol

- released by adrenal cortex

- causes increased heart rate

- stim. muscle strength

- increase bp

- metabolize fat

Norepinephrine

- released in fight or flight

- helps control alertness and arousal

- undersupply can depress mood

- both a hormone and a neurotransmitter

- psychological aspects of fight or flitend and befriendght

oxytocin

- released by pituitary gland

- causes nurturing behavior in females

- increase in attachment

- decrease in anxiety

- sociable behaviors

dopamine

- allows brain to control body

- reward response

- sociability

- general activity

- novelty/reward seeking

- activates behavioral activation system

somatic marker hypothesis

emotions enable people to make decisions that maximize good outcomes and minimize bad ones, and to focus on what is really important

adrenal cortex

outer section of each adrenal gland; secretes cortisol and sex hormones (signaled by hypothalamus)

pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

alleles

different versions of a gene

Epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

heritability coefficient

a statistic that describes the proportion of the difference between people's scores that can be explained by differences in their genes

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior, also called trait genetics

genome wide association studies

A large-scale analysis of the genomes of many people having a certain phenotype or disease, with the aim of finding genetic markers that correlate with that phenotype or disease.

psychic determinism

the assumption that all psychological events have a cause

oral stage

Time: 0-18 months

Physical focus: mouth, lips, tongue

Relevant structure: Id

Psych theme: passivity and dependency

oral character

personality type resulting from fixation in the first psychosexual stage; characterized by optimism, passivity, and dependency, id

anal stage

Time: 18m-3.5yrs

Physical focus: anus/organs of excretion

Relevant structure: ego

Psych theme: obedience and self-control

anal character

obedient or anti-authority determined by the amount of control parents try to control their child

phallic stage

Time: 3.5-7

Physical focus: sex organs

Relevant structure: superego

Psych theme: gender identity and sexuality

phallic character

over/undersexualized

genital stage

Time: puberty thru adulthood

Physical focus: sexuality in context of a mature relationship

Relevant structure: ego, Id, superego balanced

Psych theme: creation and enhancement of life

genital character

a mature adult (seldom achieved)

compromise formation

In modern psychoanalytic thought, the main job of the ego, which is to find a compromise among the different structures of the mind and the many different things the individual wants all at the same time. What the individual actually thinks and does is the result of this compromise.

thanatos

death drive

libido

life drive

fixation

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

condensation

In psychoanalytic theory, the method of primary process thinking in which several ideas are compressed into one, an image of a house or of a woman might consolidate a complex set of memories, thoughts, and emotions

regression

psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

symbolism

something (person, place, thing) that has another meaning to a person, in addition to

denial

refuse to believe bad news or anything that might make you anxious

repression

failure to acknowledge anything that might remind you of unwanted thoughts

reaction formation

create the opposite idea to what may cause anxiety (someone dislikes their colleague, but treats them even nicer to compensate)

projection

think something about self that would cause anxiety is instead true of others

rationalization

create rational, logical explanation that doesn't acknowledge the real motivation

intellectualization

translating anxiety causing thoughts into unemotional theories and jargon

displacement

moving object of emotions from dangerous target to a safe one

sublimation

providing safe outlet for problematic desires (lifting heavy weights because you're anxious)

ego psychology

a school of psychodynamic thought that emphasizes the skills and adaptive capacities of the ego, ego psychologists focus on perception, memory, learning, and rational, conscious thinking

archetypes

emotionally charged images and thought forms that have universal meaning (ex: the earth mother, the devil)

collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

4 basic ways of thinking (Jung)

rational thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting

perceptual defense

the tendency for consumers to avoid processing stimuli that are threatening to them

3 parts of experience

Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt

psychic conflict

conflict between id, ego, and superego (ego is supposed to find compromise)

3 feelings of existential angst

anguish, forlorn, despair

anguish

everyone feel this because choice are never perfect

forlorn

being alone in your own choices

despair

inability to chance crucial aspects of life

Bad faith

- living a cowardly lie

- unhappiness

- it is impossible

anatta

no self

anicca

the idea that all things must pass

Role Construct Reperatory Test (REP Test)

developed by Kelly in order to understand how a client's personal constructs influence their personal-social behavior

internal structure

assumption that the mind has an internal structure made of parts that can function independently and even be in conflict

basic anxiety (Horney)

fear of being alone and helpless in a hostile world

neurotic needs (Horney)

needs that people feel but are not actually necessary (ex: partner)

organ inferiority

what you were weak in as a child, you will try to be better at as an adult

masculine protest

overcompensating behavior (compensating for feelings of inferiority)

persona

the social mask one wears in public

objects

the mental image we hold of a person, relationships early in life impact how these ppl seem to

object relations theory

- Every relationship has elements of satisfaction and frustration, or pleasure and pain

- The mix of love and hate

- Distinction between parts of the love object and the whole person

- The psyche is aware of and disturbed by these contradictory feelings

1) trust vs mistrust

(infancy) to 1:Erikson's first stage during the first year of life, infants learn to trust when they are cared for in a consistent warm manner

2) autonomy vs shame and doubt

(toddlerhood) 1-2: Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do things independently; failure to do so causes shame and doubt

3) initiative vs guilt

(preschooler) 3-5 years old: learn to initiate own activities and feel proud of their accomplishments or feel guilty about efforts to be independent

4) industry vs inferiority

Elementary Middle School, 6-12, expected to learn and produce, peers and teachers become more important, success increases self-esteem and failure lowers it

5) Identity vs. Identity Confusion

- adolescence-adulthood

- individuals begin to decide how they are; if they do this in a "healthy" manner then positive identity will be achieved = IDENTITY

- if an identity is pushed onto the individual, and they don't get the chance to explore themselves = IDENTITY CONFUSION

6) Intimacy vs isolation

Erikson's sixth stage in which young adults form deeply personal relationships, marry, begin families. If bonds not achieved self-absorbed and isolation

7) Generativity vs. Stagnation

(middle adulthood) 40s to 60s: people discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually though family or work, or they may feel a lack of purpose.

8) integrity vs despair

(late adulthood) late 60s and up: When reflecting his/her life, the older adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or despair.

phenomenology

The study of individuals' own unique, first-person, conscious experience.

construal

the way in which people perceive, comprehend, and interpret the social world

existentialism

A philosophy based on the idea that people give meaning to their lives through their choices and actions

umwelt

the feeling of biological, physical experience

mitwelt

social experience

eigenwelt

psychological experience

thrown-ness

the time, place, and circumstances into which you happened to be born

angst

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish (existential anxiety)

nirvana

The state of englightenment for Buddhists.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization