Phycology chapter 13-17 (Freshman Year semester 1)

Psychodynamic approaches to personality

approaches that assume that personality is primarily unconsious and motivated by inner forces and conflicts about which people have little awareness

Psychoanalytic theory

Freud’s theory that unconscious forces act as determinates to personality

Unconscious

A part of the personality that contains the memories, knowledge, beliefs, feelings, urges, drives, and instincts of which the individual is unaware

Id

The instinctual and unorganized part whose sole purpose is to reduce tension created by the primitive drives related to hunger, sex, aggression, and irrational impulses

Ego

the rational, logical parts that attempts to balance the desires of the id and the realities of the objective, outside world

Superego

the part of personality that harshly judges the morality of our behavior

Psychosexual stages

the developmental periods that children pass though during which they encounter conflicts between the demands of society and their own sexual urges

Fixations

Conflicts or concerns that persist beyond the developmental period in which they first occur

Oral stages

According to Freud, a stage from birth to age 12 to 18 months in which an infant’s center of pleasure is the mouth

Anal stage

from age 12 to 18 months to age 3, when a child’s pleasure is centered on the anus

Phallic stage

beginning around age 3, when a child’s pleasure focuses on the genitals

Latency period

the period between the phallic stage and puberty, in which children’s sexual concerns are temporarily put aside

Genital stage

from puberty until death, marked by mature sexual behavior

Defense mechanism

In freudian terms, unconsious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by distorting reality and concealing the source of the anxiety from themselves

Regression

The ego pushes unacceptable or unpleasant thoughts and impulses out of consciousness but maintains them in the unconscious

Neo-Freudian psychoanalyst

those who were trained in traditional Freudian theory but who later rejected some of its major points

Collective unconscious

according to Carl Jung, an inherited set of ideas, feelings, images, and symbols that are shared with all humans because of our common ancestral past

Archetypes

Universal symbolic representations of particular types of people, objects, ideas, or experiences

Karen Horney

One of the earliest psychologist to champion women’s issues

Inferiority complex

describes adults who have not been able to overcome the feelings of inadequacy they developed as children or a lack of self-worth

Traits

consistent, habitual personality characteristics and behavior displayed across different situations

Trait theory

a model of personality that seeks to identify the basic traits necessary to describe personality

Factor analysis

a statistical method of identifying patterns among a large number of variables

Social cognitive approaches to personality

theories that emphasize the influence of a person’s cognitions. Thoughts, feelings, expectations, and values as well as observations of other’s behavior in determining personality

Self-efficacy

The belief that we can master a situation and produce positive outcomes

Self-esteem

the component of personality that encompasses our positive and negative self-evaluations

Biological and evolutionary approches to personality

theories that suggest that important components of personality are inherited

Social potency

The degree to which a person assumes mastery and leadership roles in social situations

traditionalism

the tendency to follow authority

Temperament

An individual’s behavioral style and characteristic way of responding that emerges early in life

Humanistic approaches to personality

theories that emphasizes people’s innate goodness and desire to achieve higher levels of functioning

Self-actualization

The state of self-fulfillment in which people realize their highest potential each in a unique way

Unconditional positive regard

an attitude of acceptance and respect on the part of an observer, no matter what a person says or does

Psychological test

standard measures devised to assess behavior objectively

Self-report meathod

gathering data about people by asking them questions about their own behavior and traits

Test standardization

validating questions on personality test by analyzing responses from people with the same set of questions under the same circumstances

Projective personality test

a test in which a person is shown an ambiguous stimulus and asked to describe it or tell a story about it

Behavior assessment

direct measures of an individual’s behavior used to describe personality characteristics

Health psychology

the branch of psychology that investigates the psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems

Psychoneuroimmunology or PNI

The study of the relationship among psychological factors, the immune system and the brain

Stress

a person’s response to events that are threatening or challenging

Cataclysmic events

strong stressors that occur suddenly and typically affect many people at once

Personal stressors

major life events that have immediate negitive concequences that generally fade with time

Background stressors

everyday annoyances, such as being stuck in traffic, that cause minor irritations and may have long-term ill effects if they continue or are compounded with other stressful events

Posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD

a phenomenon in which victims of major catastrophes or strong personal stressors feels long-lasting effects that may include re-experiencing the event in vivid flashbacks or dreams

Psychophysiological disorders

medical problems influenced by an interaction of psychological, emotional, and physical difficulties

General adaption syndrome or GAS

a theory developed by Hans Selye that suggest that a person’s physilogical response to a stressor consist of three stages

Stage one: Alarm and Mobilization

people become aware of the presence of the stressor; te sympathetic nervous system is energized

Stage Two: Resistance

the stressor persists; the body actively fights stressor; people use a variety of means to cope

Stage Three: Exhaustion

Resistance is inadequate; the ability to fight the stressor declines; negative consequences such as illness and psychological symptoms appear

Psychoneuroimmunology (P N I)

the study of the relationship among psychological factors, the immune systems and the brain

Coping

The efforts to control, reduce, or learn to tolerate the threats that lead to stress

Avoidant coping

People may use wishful thinking or resort to more direct escape routes such as drinking

Defense mechanism (Chapter 14)

unconscious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by concealing the source from themselves and others

Learned helplessness

a state in which people conclude that unpleasant or aversive stimuli cannot be controlled

Hardiness

a personality trait characterized by a sense of commitment, viewing problems as challenges and having a sense of control over one’s life and environment

Resilience

the ability to withstand, overcome, and actually thrive after profound diversity

Social support

a mutual network of caring, interested others

Type-A behavior pattern (coronary heart disease)

a cluster of behaviors involving hostility, competitiveness, time urgency, and feeling driven

Type-B behavior pattern (coronary heart disease)

Characterized by a patient, cooperative, noncompetitive and non-aggressive

Type-D behavior pattern (coronary heart disease)

distressed behavior characterized by insecurity, anxiety and negative outlook, puts people at risk for repeated heart attacks

Vaping

the inhalation of vapors created by electronic cigarettes

Creative noncompliance

refers to practice of altering a treatment by substituting one’s own medical judgement

E-health communication

use technology to convey information

Positively framed messages

suggest that a change in behavior will lead to gain; they are best for motivating preventative behavior

Negatively framed messages

highlight what can be lost by not performing behavior; they are most effective in producing behavior that will lead to the detection of a disease

Subjective well-being

people’s sense of their happiness and satisfaction

Abnormal behavior

A deviation of average behavior

As a deviation from an ideal

As a producing sense of personal discomfort

As the inability to function effectively

As a legal concept

Medical Perspective

the perspective that suggest that when an individual displays symptoms of abnormal behavior, the root cause will be found in a physical examination of the individual

Psychoanalytic perpective

suggest abnormal behavior stems from childhood conflicts over opposing wishes regarding sex and agression

Behavioral perspective

looks at the rewards and punishments in environment that determine abnormal behavior

Cognitive perspective

suggest people’s thoughts and beliefs are a central component of abnormal behavior

Humanistic perspective

emphasizes the responsibility people have for their own behavior, even when such behavior is abnormal

Sociocultural perspective

assumes people’s behavior, both normal and abnormal is shaped by the society and culture in which they live

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (D S M-5)

A system used by most professionals to classify and define psychological disorders

Anxiety disorder

the occurrence of anxiety without an obvious external cause that affects daily functioning

Specific phobia

intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations

Panic disorder

anxiety disorder that takes the form of panic attacks lasting from a few seconds to several hours

Generalized anxiety disorders

the experience of long-term persistent anxiety and worry

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD

a disorder characterized by obsessions or compulsions

Obsession

a persistent unwanted thought or idea that keeps recurring

Compulsion

an irresistible urge to repeatedly carry out some act that seems strange and unreasonable

Somatic symptom disorders

psychological difficulties that take on a physical (somatic) form, but for which there is not medical cause

Illnesses anxiety disorder

a constant fear of illness and preoccupation with health

Conversion disorder

a major somatic symptom disorder that involves an actual physical disturbance

Dissociative disorders

psychological dysfunctions characterized by the separation of different facets of a person’s personality that are normally integrated

Dissociative identity disorder or DID

a person displays characteristics of two or more distinct personalities

Dissociative amnesia

a disorder in which significant, selective memory loss occurs

Dissociative fugue

A form of amnesia in which the individual leaves home and suddenly assumes a new identity

Mania

An extended state of intense, wild elation

Bipolar disorder

a disorder in which a person alternates between periods of euphoric feelings of mania and periods of depression

Schizophrenia

a class of disorders in which severe distortion of reality occurs

Personality disorder

characterized by a set of inflexible maladaptive behavior patterns that keep a person from functioning appropriately

Antisocial personality disorder

individuals show no regard for the moral and ethnical rules of society or others’ rights

Borderline personality disorder

characterized by problems with regulating emotions and thoughts, displaying impulsive and reckless behavior, and having unstable relationships with others

Narcissistic personality disorder

a personality disturbance characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

a disorder marked by inattention, impulsiveness, low tolerance for frustration, and a great deal of inappropriate activity

Autism Spectrum disorders

a severe developmental disability that impairs children’s ability to communicate and relate to others

Comorbidity

the appearance of multiple, simultaneous psychological disorders in the same person

Psychotherapy

a treatment in which a trained professional, a therapist, uses psychological techniques to help a person overcome psychological difficulties and disorders, resolve problems in living or bringing about personal growth