Psychology 2e: Chapter 11 Personality

These flashcards cover key concepts from Chapter 11 of Psychology 2e, focusing on theories and definitions related to personality.

Personality

The long-standing traits and patterns that propel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways.

ID

The primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories.

Ego

The part of personality that mediates between the id and the superego and operates according to the reality principle.

Superego

The ethical component of the personality that provides the moral standards by which the ego operates.

Unconscious

Mental activity that we are unaware of and are unable to access.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious protective behaviors that reduce anxiety.

Psychosexual Stages

Five stages of development proposed by Freud that children pass through, where pleasure-seeking urges are focused on different erogenous zones.

Inferiority Complex

A person's feelings that they lack worth and don't measure up to the standards of others.

Reciprocal Determinism

The theory that behavior, cognitive processes, and situational context all influence each other.

Locus of Control

The extent to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them, ranging from internal to external.

Self-efficacy

The level of confidence in one's abilities, influenced by social experiences.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test that uses inkblots to reveal unconscious feelings and struggles.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where individuals create stories about ambiguous images to reveal their social world.

Oedipus Complex

Freud's theory of a child's desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Five Factor Model

A personality theory proposing five traits known as the Big Five: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Trait Theorists

Psychologists who believe that individuals possess certain traits that shape their personality.

Collective Unconscious

A concept developed by Carl Jung referring to the part of the unconscious mind derived from ancestral memory and experience.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A psychological theory that categorizes human needs into a hierarchy, with basic needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top.

Coping Styles

Strategies that individuals use to manage stress and anxiety, such as moving toward, against, or away from people.

franz Gall

Proposed that the distances between bumps on the skull reveal a person’s personality traits, character, and mental abilities.This theory is known as phrenology, suggesting that different areas of the brain correspond to specific mental functions and personality characteristics.

Immanuel Kant

A German philosopher who proposed a theory of knowledge and morality, emphasizing the importance of autonomy and reason in the development of individual character. Belived that individuals could be categorized into one of the four temperaments.

Emotional/non-emotional

separated strong emotions (melancholic, choleric) from the weak emotions (phlegmatic, sanguine).

Changeable/unchangeable

divided the changeable temperaments (choleric, sanguine) from the unchangeable ones (melancholic, phlegmatic).

Sigmund Freud

He created the first comprehensive theory of personality explaining both normal and abnormal behaviors. Proposed that unconscious drives influenced by sex, aggression and childhood sexuality influence personality. Known as the father of psycollogy

Neo-Freudians

Agreed that childhood experiences matter. Less emphasis on sex. Focused on the social environment and effects of culture on personality.

Inferiority complex

A person’s feelings that they lack worth and don’t measure up to the standards of others or of society.

Occupational tasks

career

Societal tasks

Freindship

Love tasks

finding an intimate partner

Archetypes

universal symbols or themes in the collective unconscious, as proposed by Carl Jung.

Persona

the social mask one wears in public, reflecting the roles and expectations of society.

Social-cognitive theory

emphasizes both learning and cognition as sources of individual difference in personality.

Observational learning

learning by observing someone else’s behavior and it’s consequences.

Internal locus of control

tend to believe that most of our outcomes are the direct result of our efforts.

External locus of control

tend to believe that our outcomes are outside of our control.

Endomorphs

are individuals with a soft and round body type, characterized by a higher proportion of body fat and lower muscle mass. Relaxed, comfortable, good-humored, even-tempered, sociable, and tolerant.

Mesomorphs

are individuals with a muscular and athletic body type, characterized by a higher proportion of muscle mass and lower fat. adventurous, assertive, competitive, and fearless

Ectomorphs

are individuals with a slim and linear body type, characterized by lower fat and muscle mass. Anxious, self-conscious, artistic, thoughtful, quiet, and private