unit 10 ap psych

Personality

An individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Psychodynamic Theory

Theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; techniques used in treating psychological disorders.

Unconscious

A reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories according to Freud; information processing of which we are unaware.

Free Association

A method in psychoanalysis used to explore the unconscious where the person relaxes and speaks freely about whatever comes to mind.

Id

A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operating on the pleasure principle.

Ego

The largely conscious, 'executive' part of personality that mediates between the demands of the id, superego, and reality.

Superego

The part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment and future aspirations.

Oedipus Complex

A boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for his rival father, according to Freud.

Identification

The process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos.

Fixation

A lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage where conflicts were unresolved, according to Freud.

Defense Mechanisms

The ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Repression

The basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.

Regression

Retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage where some psychic energy remains fixated.

Collective Unconsciousness

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history.

Projective Test

A personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people express inner feelings and interests through stories they create about ambiguous scenes.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

The most widely used projective test, consisting of 10 inkblots designed to identify inner feelings by analyzing interpretations.

Terror-Management Theory

A theory exploring people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

Humanistic Theories

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

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's pyramid of human needs, starting with physiological needs before safety needs and psychological needs.

Self-Actualization

One of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic needs are met; the motivation to fulfill one's potential.

Self-Transcendence

Striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self, according to Maslow.

Unconditional Positive Regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude that helps clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Self-Concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, 'Who am I?'

Trait

A characteristic pattern of behavior or disposition to feel and act, assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.

Personality Inventory

A questionnaire on which people respond to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess personality traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

The most widely researched personality test, originally developed to identify emotional disorders.

Empirically Derived Test

A test developed by selecting items that discriminate between groups.

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits and their social context.

Behavioral Approach

Focuses on the effects of learning on personality development.

Reciprocal Determinism

The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover strengths and virtues that help individuals thrive.

Self

Assumed to be the center of personality; the organizer of thoughts, feelings, and actions in contemporary psychology.

Spotlight Effect

Overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders.

Self-Esteem

One's feelings of high or low self-worth.

Self-Efficacy

One's sense of competence and effectiveness.

Self-Serving Bias

A readiness to perceive oneself favorably.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-absorption.

Individualism

Giving priority to one's own goals over group goals; defining identity in terms of personal attributes.

Collectivism

Giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining identity accordingly.