The Self According to Psychology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards defining key concepts and terms across major psychological theories of the self from a lecture presentation.

Self (in Psychology)

Our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, personality, memories, unconscious motives, relationships, and life experiences that make each individual unique.

Self as a Cognitive Construct

A mental picture or idea that we create about who we are, formed through our thoughts, memories, experiences, beliefs, and how we interpret the world.

Social Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as the ability of the person to interact with others.

Competence Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as the ability to meet basic needs.

Affect Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as the awareness of emotional states.

Physical Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as feelings about looks, health, physical condition, and overall appearance.

Academic Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as success or failure in school.

Family Domain (Bracken)

One of Bruce A. Bracken's six domains of self-concept, defined as how well one functions within the family unit.

I-Self (The Knower)

William James's concept of the self that experiences and does the thinking (e.g., 'I am reading').

Me-Self (The Known)

William James's concept of the self that can be described, divided into Material, Social, and Spiritual.

Self-Concept (Rogers)

According to Carl Rogers, the beliefs and ideas you have about yourself.

Ideal Self (Rogers)

According to Carl Rogers, the person you want to become, including your dreams, goals, and expectations.

Real Self (Rogers)

According to Carl Rogers, who you actually are right now, including your current strengths and weaknesses.

Congruence (Rogers)

A state described by Carl Rogers where your real self is close to your ideal self, resulting in feeling happy, confident, and satisfied.

Incongruence (Rogers)

A state described by Carl Rogers where there is a big difference between your real self and ideal self, causing feelings of disappointment, anxiety, or frustration.

Multiple Self

Gregg Henriques's concept that we behave differently in different situations because we play different roles in life.

Unified Self

Gregg Henriques's concept that all your different roles, thoughts, values, and experiences come together to form one identity.

True Self

Donald Winnicott's concept of the authentic, spontaneous self that expresses genuine feelings and needs.

False Self

Donald Winnicott's concept of a protective mask developed to gain approval or avoid rejection.

Self-Efficacy

Albert Bandura's concept defined as your belief that you can successfully do a task or achieve a goal, or confidence in your ability to succeed.

Mastery Experiences

One of Albert Bandura's sources of self-efficacy where successfully completing a task increases confidence.

Vicarious Experiences

One of Albert Bandura's sources of self-efficacy where seeing someone similar succeed makes you believe you can succeed too.

Verbal Persuasion

One of Albert Bandura's sources of self-efficacy where positive feedback and encouragement from others increase confidence.

Physiological and Emotional States

One of Albert Bandura's sources of self-efficacy where your emotions affect your confidence.

Ego (Jung)

According to Carl Jung, your conscious mind, which includes thoughts, memories, and experiences you are aware of.

Personal Unconscious (Jung)

According to Carl Jung, memories, feelings, and experiences that you are not thinking about right now, but can remember.

Collective Unconscious (Jung)

Carl Jung's concept of a set of inherited ideas, symbols, and patterns shared by all humans.

Archetypes

Shared inherited patterns within the collective unconscious according to Carl Jung, such as The Hero, The Mother, and The Wise Old Person.

Individuation

Carl Jung's term for the lifelong process of accepting all parts of oneself to become the most complete, authentic, and balanced version of yourself.

Id (Freud)

One of Sigmund Freud's major systems of personality, operating on the 'Pleasure principle'.

Ego (Freud)

One of Sigmund Freud's major systems of personality, operating on the 'Reality principle'.

Superego (Freud)

One of Sigmund Freud's major systems of personality, operating on the 'Ideal Principle'.

Oral Stage

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage (0-18 months) where eating is the major source of gratification from the mother, with fixations including alcoholism, smoking, and over-eating.

Anal Stage

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage (1 ½ to 3 y/o) influenced by toilet training, with fixations including poor decision making, disobedience, rebelliousness, or obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Phallic Stage

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage (4-6 y/o) where pleasure comes from sexual organs, associated with the Oedipus complex and Elektra complex fixations.

Latency Period

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage (6-12 y/o) where children direct attention outside the family, developing self-confidence and introversion or extroversion.

Genital Stage

Sigmund Freud's longest psychosexual stage (adolescence till old age and beyond) where sexual impulses become active and adolescents manifest sexual libido towards the opposite sex.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious mental processes described by Sigmund Freud that protect the conscious person from developing anxiety.

Repression

Freudian defense mechanism where anxiety-evoking thoughts or memories are pushed into the unconscious.

Regression

Freudian defense mechanism involving a reversion to immature patterns of behavior or an earlier stage of development in the face of unacceptable thoughts or impulses.

Displacement

Freudian defense mechanism involving taking out frustrations, feelings, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening than the original object.

Denial

Freudian defense mechanism defined as an outright refusal to admit or recognize that something has occurred or is currently occurring.

Projection

Freudian defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable impulses to others.

Rationalization

Freudian defense mechanism involving explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner to avoid true reasons.

Sublimation

Freudian defense mechanism involving the channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts, and emotions into more acceptable ones.

Reaction Formation

Freudian defense mechanism involving behaving in a way that is exactly the opposite of one's own true feelings.

Compensation

Freudian defense mechanism involving the process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other areas.

Intellectualization

Freudian defense mechanism defined as the overemphasis on thinking when confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation, or behavior without employing any emotions.

Identification

Freudian defense mechanism defined as bolstering self-esteem by forming an imaginary or real alliance with some person or group.

Ego (Erikson)

In Erik Erikson's theory, the positive force that contributes to identity formation and lays the foundation for certain strengths and virtues in life.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's 1st psychosocial stage (0-1 year) where infants rely on caregivers for basic needs; gains the virtue of Hope.

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Erikson's 2nd psychosocial stage (18 months–3 years / 1-3 years) where toddlers learn self-care and independence; gains the virtue of Will.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Erikson's 3rd psychosocial stage (3–6 years / 3-5 years) where children learn to plan activities and play; gains the virtue of Purpose.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Erikson's 4th psychosocial stage (7-11 years / 5-12 years) where children develop self-confidence in their abilities when competent; gains the virtue of Competence.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Erikson's 5th psychosocial stage (12–18 years) where adolescents experiment with roles and discover who they are; gains the virtue of Fidelity.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson's 6th psychosocial stage (18–40 years / 19-29 years) where young adults seek close bonds and romantic relationships; gains the virtue of Love.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Erikson's 7th psychosocial stage (30-64 years / 40-65 years) where individuals focus on guiding the next generation and contributing to society; gains the virtue of Care.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson's 8th psychosocial stage (65+ years) where late adults reflect on life achievements and face mortality; gains the virtue of Wisdom.