AP PSYCH Motivation

Displacement

A defense mechanism where an individual redirects emotions or impulses from the original source to a safer target.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism involving a cognitive distortion of the facts to make an event or an impulse less threatening.

EGO

The part of the psyche that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.

ID

The primitive and instinctive component of personality that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories.

SUPEREGO

The moral component of personality that incorporates the values and norms of society.

Projective Tests & Criticisms

Psychological tests where subjects respond to ambiguous stimuli, revealing hidden emotions and internal conflicts, often criticized for lack of reliability and validity.

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach developed by Freud that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements.

Self-Actualizing Tendency

The drive in every person to realize their potential and develop their individuality.

Self Efficacy

A belief in one’s own capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.

Bandura

Psychologist known for his work on social learning theory and self-efficacy.

Big Five Traits (Five Factor)

A widely researched model of personality that includes five dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Personality Inventories & Criticisms

Standardized questionnaires that assess personality traits and types, often criticized for cultural bias and lack of nuance.

Reciprocal Determinism

A concept in social learning theory that holds that a person's behavior is influenced by personal factors and the social environment.

Drive Reduction

The theory that physiological needs create an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

Yerkes Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal but only up to a point, after which performance decreases.

Incentive Theory

The theory that behavior is motivated by a desire for external rewards.

Intrinsic

Motivation that comes from within an individual, driven by personal satisfaction or interest.

Extrinsic

Motivation that comes from external factors such as rewards or punishments.

Homeostasis

The process by which an organism maintains a stable internal environment.

Instinct

An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.

Arousal Theory

The theory that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal, which varies between individuals.

Hunger and Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in regulating hunger and appetite.

Eckman Studies of Expressive Emotion

Research by Paul Ekman that explored the recognition and expression of emotions across different cultures.

Universal Emotion

Emotions that are recognized across cultures, such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise.

Display Rules

Cultural norms that dictate the appropriate expressions of emotions in social situations.