Theories of Personality Reviewer

Flashcards on Theories of Personality based on lecture notes.

Persona

The mask people wear or the role they play in life.

Personality

Pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to human behavior.

Characteristics

Unique qualities of an individual that include such attributes as temperament, physique, and intelligence.

Theory

Set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses.

Descriptive Research

Research that provides a framework for an evolving theory.

Hypothesis Testing

Research that expands our knowledge of a scientific discipline.

Internally Consistent Theory

Includes operational definitions that define concepts in terms of specific operations to be carried out by the observer. (logically compatible)

Parsimonious Theory

When two theories are equal on the first five criteria, the simpler one is preferred.

Causality

Behavior is a function of the past experiences

Teleology

Explanation of behavior in terms of future goals or purposes

Repression

Blocking out of anxiety-filled experiences

Phylogenetic Endowment

Inherited experiences that lie beyond an individual's personal experience

Ego

Governed by the reality principle and responsible for reconciling the unrealistic demands of both the id and the superego with the demands of the real world.

Superego

Serves the idealistic principle and has two subsystems: the conscience and the ego-ideal.

Impetus

Amount of force it exerts

Libido

Aims to seek pleasure through the erogenous zones.

Genital Period

Reawakening of the genital aim of Eros, continues through adulthood.

Free Association and Dream Analysis

Technique used to uncover repressed memories and strengthen the ego.

Transference

Strong sexual or aggressive feelings, positive or negative, that patiens develop towards the analyst during the course of treatment.

Latent Content

The unconscious meaning of the dream that lies hidden from the dreamer.

Adler's View on People

Backward moving, social animals motivated by goals they set (consciously and unconsciously) for the future.

Striving for Success or Superiority

The sole dynamic force behind all actions.

Fictionalism

People's beliefs and expectations of the future; guides behavior.

Social Interest

A feeling of oneness with all of humanity.

Style of Life

The manner of a person's striving; influenced by heredity, environment, and creative power.

Safeguarding Tendencies

Protecting fragile self-esteem by maintaining a neurotic status quo to avoid public disgrace.

Masculine Protest

Overemphasizing the desirability of being manly.

Early Recollections

Not chance memories, but templates on which people project their current style of life.

Dreams (Adlerian)

Provides clues to solving future problems.

Ego (Jung)

The center of consciousness but not the core of personality.

Personal Unconscious

Psychic images not sensed by the ego; includes complexes and the collective unconscious.

Collective Unconscious

Beyond our personal experiences, originating from repeated experiences of our ancestors.

Persona

The side of personality shown to others

Shadow

The dark side of personality.

Self Archetype

The image of fulfillment, completion, or perfection.

Mandala

Symbolizes self-realization; a perfect geometric figure.

Self-Realization/Individuation

A psychological rebirth and integration of various parts of the psyche into a unified whole.

Active Imagination (Jung)

Technique requiring the patient to concentrate on a single image until that image begins to appear in a different form.

Object Relations Theory

Objects that infants introject, or take into their psychic structure and then later project onto other people

Phantasies (Klein)

Active, unconscious fantasy life of very young infants.

Ego (Internalization)

Early ego's ability to feel anxiety, use defense mechanisms, and form object relations.

Idealized Self-Image

Suggests children have an idealized image of themselves.

Mechanisms of Escape (Fromm)

To reduce the frightening sense of isolation and aloneness.

Necrophilia

The love of death and the hatred of all humanity.

Interna-External Control Scale (Rotter)

The degree to which people perceive a causal relationship between their own efforts and environmental consequences.