ap psych unit 4 exam

Personality

an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking feeling and behaving that is relatively stable over time

Psychodynamic theories

approaches that emphasize unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences in shaping personality

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s therapeutic approach aimed at uncovering unconscious conflicts through techniques like free association

Sigmund Freud

founder of psychoanalysis who proposed the structure of personality and importance of the unconscious

Unconscious

mental processes and memories that are outside of conscious awareness but still influence behavior

Free association

a technique where a person says whatever comes to mind to reveal unconscious thoughts

Id

primitive part of personality driven by instinctual desires and immediate gratification

Ego

rational part of personality that balances the demands of the id and superego using reality

Superego

moral component of personality that internalizes societal rules and ideals

Defense mechanisms

unconscious strategies the ego uses to reduce anxiety and protect self-image

Repression

blocking distressing thoughts from conscious awareness

Alfred Adler

psychologist who emphasized social interest and feelings of inferiority in personality development

Karen Horney

psychoanalyst who focused on basic anxiety and social relationships in personality

Carl Jung

psychologist who proposed the collective unconscious and archetypes

Collective unconscious

shared human unconscious containing universal memories and archetypes

Terror-management theory

theory that humans manage anxiety about death by defending cultural worldviews

Thematic Apperception Test TAT

projective test where people create stories about ambiguous pictures to reveal motives

Projective tests

personality assessments using ambiguous stimuli to uncover unconscious thoughts

Rorschach inkblot test

projective test using inkblots to analyze personality interpretation patterns

Abraham Maslow

psychologist who developed the hierarchy of needs and humanistic theory

Humanistic theories

perspectives emphasizing personal growth and self-actualization

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs from basic survival to self-actualization

Self-actualization

achieving full personal potential and growth

Self-transcendence

going beyond self-interest to focus on broader meaning or helping others

Carl Rogers

humanistic psychologist who emphasized self-concept and unconditional positive regard

Unconditional positive regard

acceptance and support without conditions that fosters self-growth

Self-concept

one’s perception of their own identity and abilities

Trait

a stable characteristic pattern of behavior or thought

Personality inventory

questionnaire designed to measure personality traits

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory MMPI

widely used personality test assessing psychological disorders and traits

Empirically derived test

assessment created by testing items that differentiate groups based on actual data

Robert McCrae

psychologist known for Big Five personality trait research

Paul Costa

psychologist who collaborated on Big Five personality model

Big Five factors

five major personality traits openness conscientiousness extraversion agreeableness neuroticism

Social-cognitive perspective

theory that personality is shaped by interaction of behavior environment and cognition

Albert Bandura

psychologist known for observational learning and social cognitive theory

Behavioral approach

perspective that personality is shaped by learning and conditioning

Reciprocal determinism

concept that behavior environment and thoughts all influence each other

William James

early psychologist who studied the self and consciousness

Self

sense of identity and awareness of oneself

Spotlight effect

tendency to overestimate how much others notice us

Self-esteem

overall sense of self-worth

Self-efficacy

belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations

Self-serving bias

tendency to attribute successes to oneself and failures to external causes

Narcissism

excessive self-focus and self-importance

Individualism

cultural focus on independence and personal achievement

Collectivism

cultural focus on group goals and social harmony

Motivation

process that energizes and directs behavior toward goals

Instinct

biologically fixed pattern of behavior

Physiological needs

basic survival needs like food water and sleep

Drive-reduction theory

theory that behavior aims to reduce internal tension from unmet needs

Homeostasis

body’s tendency to maintain stable internal conditions

Incentive

external reward that motivates behavior

Yerkes-Dodson law

principle that performance is best at moderate levels of arousal

Affiliation needs

desire to form and maintain relationships

Self-determination theory

theory that motivation is driven by autonomy competence and relatedness

Intrinsic motivation

motivation driven by internal satisfaction

Extrinsic motivation

motivation driven by external rewards or pressures

Ostracism

being excluded or ignored by others

Achievement motivation

desire to accomplish goals and meet standards of excellence

Grit

perseverance and passion for long-term goals

Walter Cannon

physiologist known for early emotion and stress research

Glucose

simple sugar that provides energy for the body

Set point

ideal weight range that the body tends to maintain

Basal metabolic rate

rate at which the body uses energy at rest

Obesity

condition of excessive body fat affecting health

Emotion

psychological response involving feelings physiological arousal and behavior

Stanley Schachter

psychologist known for two-factor theory of emotion

Robert Zajonc

psychologist who argued some emotions occur without cognitive appraisal

Joseph LeDoux

neuroscientist who studied neural pathways of fear

Richard Lazarus

psychologist who emphasized cognitive appraisal in emotion

Polygraph

device measuring physiological responses to detect deception

Paul Ekman

psychologist known for research on universal facial expressions

Facial feedback effect

theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experience

Behavior feedback effect

idea that behavior can influence emotions.

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Freud psychosexual stages

anal stage focuses on control and toilet training

phallic stage involves identification with same sex parent and Oedipus complex

latency stage sexual feelings are dormant and focus is on social skills

genital stage sexual maturity and development of adult relationships

Defense mechanisms regression

returning to earlier developmental behaviors under stress

reaction formation

acting opposite to true feelings

projection

attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to others

rationalization

creating logical excuses for unacceptable behavior

displacement

shifting emotions from original target to safer target

sublimation

channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions

denial

refusing to accept reality of painful facts

Maslow hierarchy physiological needs

basic survival requirements like food and water

safety needs

need for security and stability

belonging and love needs

need for relationships and affection

esteem needs

need for respect and recognition

cognitive needs

desire to know and understand

aesthetic needs

appreciation of beauty and order

self-actualization

reaching full personal potential

transcendence

helping others achieve self-actualization or meaning beyond self

Motivational theories evolutionary instinct

behavior driven by innate biological tendencies

drive reduction

behavior motivated by reducing internal tension

optimal arousal theory

people seek optimal level of stimulation

Yerkes Dodson law

performance improves with arousal up to a point then declines

Maslow hierarchy

motivation based on satisfying needs from basic to advanced

Emotion theories James Lange

emotion results from physiological arousal