AP PSYCH Personality and Positive Psychology

Psychoanalytical Explanation

Personality/psyche is largely unconscious and shaped from early childhood experiences

• Id

• Superego

• Ego

Therapy: Hypnosis, dream interpretation, couch sitting, free association, projective tests

• Transference: Project feelings/desires onto therapist

  • ex. Mom dismisses yr feelings, so you believe yr therapist will dismiss yr feelings

Id

Deepest/unconscious animalistic desire based on the pleasure principle

Superego

Morale compass

• “Conscience”

• Between Conscious and Unconscious

Ego

Conscious mediator b/w superego and id based on the reality principle

• Protects itself in reality using defense mechanisms

Defense Mechanisms

How egos protect themselves from threats

• Repression

• Regression

• Denial

• Rationalization

• Displacement

• Projection

• Reaction formation

• Sublimation

Repression

Burying memories into unconscious

• ex. Forgetting sexual abuse from past

Regression

Moving back to a more comfortable period of earlier development

• ex. Sucking yr thumb

Denial

Reject the ego-threatening truth

• ex. Refuse to believe you have cancer

Rationalization

Justifying why something is happening / Finding the best outcome of a situation

• ex. Saying the college that rejected you sucked anyway

Displacement

Take feelings for something onto another object/person

• ex. Mad at yr teacher, so you yell at yr dog

Projection

Believing others believe what you believe / Attribute personal shortcomings onto others

• ex. Man who had an affair w/ wife accuses her of having an affair

Reaction formation

Doing the opposite of how you feel/unacceptable motive

• ex. Insecure about masculinity → becomes extra aggressive

Sublimation

Placing unacceptable motive towards a socially acceptable goal

• ex. Easily angered → kickboxing

Projective Tests

Subjective assessments with ambiguous stimuli and free-responses reveal your unconscious/personality

• Not reliable nor valid

• Rorschach Inkblot Test

• TAT/Thematic Apperception Test

Subjective Tests

Tests that are open to interpretation

• MCQ: MBTI and MMPI

  • Self-report inventory

• FRQ: Projective tests

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Subject projects personality on how they interpret Inkblots

TAT

Thematic Apperception Test: Project one’s personality/creativity when imagining scenario from cards

MBTI

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Assigns numerical value to-

• Extroversion vs. Introversion

• Sensing vs. Intuition

• Thinking vs. Feeling

• Judging vs. Perceiving

MMPI

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory: 75 True/false questions

Psychodynamic Explanation

Unconscious and conscious interact to form personality

• Jung: est. Introvert vs. Extrovert, effect of birth order, personal vs. collective unconscious

• Adler: Inferiority Complex

Trait Theory

Personalities are built off of -

• traits: genetic, enduring and descriptive characteristics that predict other attributes

Big Five

OCEAN / CANOE

• Openness to Experience

• Conscientiousness

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

Factor Analysis

Statistical procedure used to identify patterns of OCEAN traits

Humanistic Explanation

All humans are naturally good and have free will for personal growth

• Self-actualization: fulfillment of full potential

  • Genuineness

  • Acceptance

    • unconditional positive regard

  • Empathy

Social-Cognitive Explanation

Personality stems from reciprocal determinism: interaction between genetic traits and the environment

• Self-efficacy: Belief that you can succeed and are competent

• Self-concept: How you view yourself in relation to others

  • Locus of Control: Extent to which the environment (external) or you (internal) control your situation

Positive Psychology

Focuses more on how we can improve human behavior

• Traditional: What is wrong with one’s behavior

6 Pillars of Positive Psychology

• Wisdom

• Courage

• Temperance

• Transcendence

• Justice

• Humanity

Feel-Good-Do-Good Phenomenon

More likely to do good deeds/decisions when confident/with high self-esteem

Objective Well-Being

Measurable security (money, education)

Subjective Well-being

How you feel about yourself (self-esteem/concept)