Studied by 39 people
Basal metabloic rate
the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure
Cannon Brad Theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion
Collective Unconscious
the concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
Collectivism
giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly
Defense Mechanism
the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
Drive-reduction theory
the idea that a psychological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need
Ego
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that meditates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality
Emotion
a response of the whole organism, involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience
Empirically derived test
a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
Estrogens
sex hormones secreted in greater amounts by females than by males and contributing to female sex characteristics
Facial Feedback effect
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
False Consensus effect
the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors
Fixation
A lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
Free Association
a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
General Adaptation Syndrome
(GAS) concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases- alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with psychological needs that must first be satisfied before before reaching a higher level of needs
Homeostasis
a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry
Id
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to be satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives
Identification
the process by which children incorporate their parents’ values into their developing superegos
Incentive
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior
Individualism
giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes
Instinct
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned
James-Lange Theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
MMPI
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests
Motivation
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior
Narcissism
excessive self love and self-absorption
Oedipus Complex
a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Personality
an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Personality Inventory
a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors
Projective Test
a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
Psychoanalysis
theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
Psychophysiological illness
literally, “mind-body” illness; stress related physical illness
Psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development during which id’s pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
Reciprical determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
Repression
the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
Rorscharch inkblot test
a set of 10 inkblots that seek to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
Self
the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
Self-actualization
the motivation to fulfill someone’s potential; One of Maslow’s needs after self-esteem
Self-efficacy
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
Self-esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self worth
Self-Serving Bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
Set Point
the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set
Sexual Dysfunction
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning
Sexual response cycle
the four stages of sexual responding: excitement
Spotlight Effect
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders
Stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
Superego
the part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment and for future aspirations
Tend and Befriend response
under stress, people often provide support to others and bond with and seek support from others
Terror Management Theory
a theory of death related anxiety people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
Thematic Apperception Test
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act
Two Factor Theory
the theory that to to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal
Type A
competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger prone people
Type B
easygoing relaxed people
Unconditional positive regard
a caring, accepting, non-judgemental attitude
Yerkes Dodson Law
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond performance decreases
Note 
Flashcard (36)