APPSYCH - Motivation, Emotion, and Personality

Motivation

The driving force that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.

Instinct

Inborn patterns of behavior that are biologically determined rather than learned.

Physiological need

Basic bodily requirement such as food, water, and sleep.

Drive-Reduction Theory (W. James)

A theory proposing that motivation arises from imbalances in homeostasis that create needs.

Homeostasis

The body's tendency to maintain a stable internal state.

Incentive

External stimuli that motivate behavior.

Yerkes-Dodson law

The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow's theory that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy, with basic needs at the bottom and higher-order needs at the top. Physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self- actualization.

Set point

The point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set.

Basal metabolic rate

The body's resting rate of energy expenditure.

Obesity

A condition characterized by excessive body fat.

Asexual (Alfred Kinsey)

Refers to individuals who do not experience sexual attraction.

Testosterone

The primary male sex hormone.

Estrogen

The primary female sex hormone.

Sexual response cycle (Masters & Johnson)

The four stages of sexual responding - excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.

Refractory period

A resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm.

Affiliation need

The need to build relationships and feel connected to others.

Ostracism

Exclusion from a group.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-absorption.

Achievement motivation

The desire for significant accomplishment.

Emotion

A response involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.

James-Lange Theory

The theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus.

Cannon-Bard Theory

The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion simultaneously.

Schachter Two-factor Theory

The theory that to experience emotion, one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal.

Facial Feedback Theory

The idea that facial expressions can influence emotions.

Stress

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

General Adaptation Syndrome (H. Selye)

The body's adaptive response to stress in three stages - alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Tend-and-befriend Response

A behavior pattern that emphasizes nurturing and seeking social support under stress.

Health Psychology

A subfield of psychology that focuses on how biological, psychological, and social factors influence health and illness.

Psychoneuroimmunology

The study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and health.

Type A

A personality type characterized by competitiveness, impatience, and hostility.

Type B

A personality type characterized by being more relaxed and laid back.

Feel-good-do-good phenomenon

People's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood.

Mindfulness meditation

A mental training practice that involves focusing awareness on the present moment.

Positive psychology (M. Seligman)

The scientific study of human flourishing, focusing on strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.

Adaptation-level phenomenon

The tendency to judge stimuli relative to our past experiences.

Relative deprivation

The perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself.

Overjustification Effect

Studies show that if you externally reward someone (excessively) for something they love doing, they will lose their intrinsic desire to do it

Personality

A set of individual traits and characteristics that determine how a person thinks, feels, and behaves consistently across different situations.

Psychodynamic theories (Freud & NeoFreudians)

Focus on unconscious processes shaping behavior, emphasizing childhood experiences and defense mechanisms.

Psychoanalysis

A method of therapy developed by Sigmund Freud that aims to bring repressed feelings and memories into conscious awareness.

Id, ego, superego

Freudian theory of personality. Id is primal desires, ego mediates reality, superego enforces morals.

Unconscious

Mental processes inaccessible to awareness.

Subconscious

Below conscious awareness but can influence behavior.

Conscious

Awareness of thoughts and surroundings.

Psychosexual stages

Developmental phases where children focus on different erogenous zones, shaping personality and behavior later in life.

Fixation

The inability to move past a particular stage of psychosexual development, leading to behaviors and attitudes characteristic of that stage in adulthood.

Defense mechanisms

Unconscious psychological strategies used to cope with anxiety and protect the ego from distressing thoughts or feelings.

Collective unconscious (Jung)

The shared reservoir of memories and experiences inherited from our ancestors.

Projective & TAT tests

Psychological assessment tools used to reveal unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations through ambiguous stimuli like images or stories.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Psychological test using inkblots to assess personality characteristics and emotional functioning. Responses are analyzed for insight into an individual's thoughts and feelings.

Humanistic Theories (self-actualization)

Emphasizes personal growth, self-actualization, and the importance of fulfilling one's potential for psychological well-being.

Abraham Maslow

Psychologist known for the hierarchy of needs theory. Believed people strive for self-actualization once basic needs are met. Known for humanistic psychology.

Unconditional Positive Regard (Rogers)

A concept in humanistic psychology by Carl Rogers, emphasizing acceptance and support without judgment or conditions.

Personality Inventory

A self-report questionnaire assessing various aspects of an individual's personality, traits, and behaviors.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Psychological assessment tool used to evaluate mental health and personality traits. Consists of true/false questions to assess psychopathology and personality characteristics.

Social-Cognitive Perspective (Bandura)

How we interact with our culture and environment

Reciprocal Determinism

A person's behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals.