Psychosexual Stages and Social Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards on Freud's Psychosexual Stages and Social Psychology

Oral Stage

(0-18 months) Pleasure from the mouth; conflict arises from weaning.

Anal Stage

(18 months - 3 years old) Pleasure from elimination; conflict involves potty training.

Phallic Stage

(3-6 years old) Conflict involves gender identity/conscience; includes Oedipus and Electra complexes.

Latency Stage

(6 to puberty) Dormant sexual feelings.

Genital Stage

(Puberty and older) Mature sexual relationships.

Fixation

Lingering focus of pleasure-seeking on an earlier stage because a conflict was not successfully resolved.

Defense Mechanisms

Ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Regression

Retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage.

Reaction Formation

Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites.

Projection

Disguising own threatening impulses by attributing them to others.

Rationalization

Self-justifying explanations in place of real, more threatening unconscious reasons.

Displacement

Shifting sexual or aggressive impulse to a more acceptable/less threatening object or person.

Denial

Refusing to believe painful realities.

Trait

Summarizes cumulative acts; a typical pattern of behavior, feelings, thoughts.

Barnum Effect

General descriptors (not causes) in personality assessments that could apply to anyone and place the person in a flattering light.

Reciprocal Determinism

The interaction between traits/cognition and social context influencing behavior.

Internal Locus of Control

An individual believes they are responsible for their own successes and failures.

External Locus of Control

An individual believes that their life is controlled by external factors beyond their own control.

Social Desirability

The tendency of individuals to present themselves in a favorable light.

Social Psychology

How people think, feel, and behave in social situations.

Social Cognition

Mental processes people use to make sense of their social environment.

Attribution Theory

The theory we use to explain someone else’s behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Tendency to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of disposition.

Attitude

Feelings, often influenced by beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a certain way.

Central Route Persuasion

Focus on arguments to persuade.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Influenced by cues such as attractiveness, power, prestige, or popularity to persuade.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

We act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Role

A set of expectations about a social position defining how those in the position should behave.