Comprehensive Psychology: Personality, Social, and Work Theories

How is personality defined in psychology?

A pattern of enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that characterizes the way an individual adapts to the world.

What are Freud's three levels of awareness?

Conscious (current awareness), Preconscious (accessible memories), and Unconscious (repressed or forgotten thoughts and instincts).

According to Freud, which level of awareness is the primary motivational force for behavior?

The unconscious, where sexual and aggressive instincts reside.

What are the three systems of personality proposed by Freud?

The Id (pleasure principle), the Ego (reality principle), and the Superego (idealistic principle).

Which personality system acts as the conscience and strives for moral perfection?

The Superego.

What is the function of defense mechanisms according to Anna Freud?

Techniques used by the ego to defend against anxiety and fear while maintaining self-esteem.

Define the defense mechanism 'Projection'.

Attributing one's own unacceptable faults or feelings to others.

What is 'Reaction Formation' in the context of defense mechanisms?

Experiencing or expressing the opposite of one's actual, unacceptable desires.

What is the primary criticism of Freud's personality theories?

A lack of scientific evidence and an over-reliance on case studies of disturbed individuals.

What is the focus of Humanistic theories of personality?

People's unique capacity for choice, responsibility, and personal growth.

In Carl Rogers' theory, what is the 'self-concept'?

An individual's organized perception of their own abilities and characteristics.

What are the five factors in the Five-Factor Model of personality?

Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

How does the trait theory define a 'trait'?

A relatively stable disposition to behave in a particular and consistent way.

What is 'Reciprocal Determinism' in Bandura's social-cognitive theory?

The interaction between an individual's behavior, personal characteristics, and the environment.

What is the 'person-situation controversy'?

The debate over whether behavior is caused more by stable personality traits or by situational factors.

What does the CAPS model of personality emphasize?

The interconnections among the person, the situation, and the interaction between the two.

How do sociocultural theorists view personality?

They believe that culture is a critical environmental factor that shapes personality development.

What is the difference between individualist and collectivist cultures regarding personality?

Individualist cultures emphasize self-oriented traits like autonomy, while collectivist cultures emphasize socially-oriented traits.

What is an 'oral fixation' in Freud's psychosexual stages?

A fixation occurring when a conflict in the oral stage of development is not successfully resolved.

Define 'Sublimation' as a defense mechanism.

Transforming unacceptable or 'vile' impulses into constructive, valuable activities.

What is the 'reality principle' associated with?

The Ego, which acts in a logical and rational way to satisfy the Id's urges.

What is 'Positive Regard' in Rogers' theory?

The human tendency to seek approval, love, and companionship from others.

Which personality trait in the Five-Factor Model describes someone who is self-disciplined and organized?

Conscientiousness.

What is the main criticism of the social-cognitive approach to personality?

It is often too concerned with situational change, making it difficult to form broad, generalizable predictions.

What is 'Displacement' in the context of defense mechanisms?

Shifting feelings or aggression from the original source to a new, less threatening object.

What are the two primary types of personality assessments?

Personality inventories (self-report questionnaires) and projective techniques.

What is a major limitation of personality inventories?

Social desirability bias and the fact that individuals are often not accurate judges of their own personality.

What is the purpose of projective techniques in personality assessment?

To reveal inner aspects of an individual's personality, such as unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires, using ambiguous stimuli.

What are the primary limitations of projective techniques?

They are open to subjective interpretation, prone to experimenter bias, and lack strong empirical support.

How is social psychology defined?

The subfield of psychology that examines how people think about, influence, and relate to other people.

What is social cognition?

The process of paying attention to, thinking about, and recalling information about ourselves and others.

What is the difference between the primacy effect and the halo effect in impression formation?

The primacy effect is the tendency for initial impressions to persist, while the halo effect is the tendency for an initial positive 'vibe' to influence later judgments.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The tendency to attribute others' behaviors to dispositional factors rather than situational factors.

How does the self-serving bias affect attributions about the self?

We attribute our own successes to dispositional factors and our failures to situational factors.

What is the just-world hypothesis?

The belief that people generally get the outcomes they deserve.

Define social roles, social norms, and social scripts.

Social roles are expected patterns of behavior for a group; social norms are group expectations for appropriate behavior; social scripts are knowledge about the sequence of events in a specific setting.

What is the difference between conformity and obedience?

Conformity is changing behavior to be consistent with social norms or group expectations; obedience is changing behavior to please an authority figure or avoid aversive consequences.

What is social loafing?

The tendency to exert less effort when working in a group because individual performance cannot be evaluated.

What is groupthink?

The tendency to prioritize group cohesion over critical thinking, often leading to poor decision-making.

What is group polarization?

The strengthening of a group's original attitude after discussing views within that group.

What is deindividuation?

A state in a group situation where a person feels a sense of anonymity and a reduced sense of self and accountability.

Define prosocial behavior and altruism.

Prosocial behavior is any action that benefits others; altruism is an unselfish interest in helping others even when the cost outweighs the benefits.

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

The theory that people aggress when their desires are frustrated or compromised.

What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?

Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a group, while discrimination is the negative behavior directed toward that group.

What is industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology?

The branch of psychology that studies how human behavior and psychology affect work and are affected by work.

What is the focus of industrial psychology?

Hiring practices, job analysis, training, and evaluating new employees.

What is the focus of organizational psychology?

How relationships at work impact employees and performance, including job satisfaction.

What is human factors psychology?

Designing tools used at work to optimize safety, productivity, and health by studying how workers interact with their equipment.

What is the goal of occupational health psychology?

To focus on the holistic well-being of employees and the organization.

What is included in a job analysis?

Describing the tasks, skills, knowledge, education, personality types, work styles, and projected growth for a specific job.

What is the purpose of performance appraisals in I/O psychology?

To design and implement systems to evaluate employee performance, such as probationary periods or yearly evaluations.