ap psych quiz 10

Big Five

five traits — openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism — that describe personality

unconscious

information processing of which we are unaware

ego

the executive part of personality that mediates the demands of the id, the superego, and reality

Reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites

Rationalization

offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions

Reciprocal determinism

the theory that a person's behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment

Trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways

Self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably

Collectivism

a cultural pattern that prioritizes the goals of important groups

Self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Protective tests

personality tests that show ambiguous images to gauge personality

Projection

disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Regression

retreating to an earlier developmental stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

Sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

Self-efficacy

our sense of competence and effectiveness

Personality

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

Spotlight effect

overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

Displacement

shifting impulses toward another object or person

Unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude

Defense mechanisms

the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Self-actualization

the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Humanistic theories

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

Self-esteem

our feelings of high or low self-worth

Individualism

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