unit 4 vocab

personality

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

humanistic theories

our inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment

psychodynamic theories

view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences

physchoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions.

unconscious

according to Freud, a revisors of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories.

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

ego

the partly conscious "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of id, the superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure than pain

superego

the partly conscious part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscious) and for future aspirations

defense mechanism

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety- arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

collective unconsciousness

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

terror-management theory

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT)

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

projective test

a personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots

humanistic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

hierarchy of needs

Maslow's levels of human needs begin at the base with physiological needs. Often visualized as a pyramid, with needs nearer the base taking priority until they are satisfied.

self-actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical, and self-esteem is achieved, is the motivation to fulfill one's potential

self-transcendence

According to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

unconditional positive-regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance. (also known as unconditional regard)

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answers to the question, "Who am I?"

trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with true-false pt agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.

empirically derived test

a test (such as MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items those that decimate between groups

Big Five Factors

five traits- openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism - that describe personality. (Also created the five-factor model.)

self

In modern psychology, assumed to be the center of personality; the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

spotlight effect

overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shine on us).

Self-Esteem

our feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-Efficacy

our sense of competence and effectiveness

Self-Serving Bias

a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably

induvidualsm

a cultural pattern that emphasizes people's own goals over group goals and defines identity mainly in terms of unique personal attributes

collectivism

a cultural pattern that prioritizes the goals of important groups (often ones extended family or work group).

motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

instinct

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

physiological need

a basic bodily requirement

drive-reduction theory

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

homeostasis

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Yerkes-Dodson Law

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

Affiliation need

the need to build and maintain relationships and to feel part of a group

self-determination theory

the theory that we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness

intrinsic motivation

the desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

extrinsic motivation

the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

ostracism

deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

achievement motivation

a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard

grit

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

glucose

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues, when its level is lows, we feel hunger.

set point

the point at which the "weight thermostat: may be set. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight,

emotion

a response of the whole oragnism, involving 1. phsyiological arousal, and 2. expressive behaviors and most importantly 3. consious experience resulting from ones interpretations

facial feedback effect

The tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness