Psychology Ch. 12-15

Personality

an individual’s characteristics pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Psychodynamic Theories

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

unconscious

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

free association

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Frued, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

Ego

the largely conscious, “executive” part of the personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the Id, superego, and reality. operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

Superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement and for future aspirations

Psychosexual Stages

the childhood stages of development during which, according to Freud, the Id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Oedipus complex

according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents; values into their developing superegos

Fixation

according to Freud, a lingering cause of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts we unresolved

defense mechanisms

psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of rescuing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

collective unconscious

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

projective test

a personality, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

Rorschach Inkblot test

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed be Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Humanistic theories

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

Self Actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs arise after basket physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Unconditional Positive Regard

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

self concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Trait

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

personality inventory

a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

originally developed to identify emotional disorders, this test now used for many other screening purposes

Empirically Derived Test

a test developed by testing a pool of items and the selecting those that discriminate between groups

Social-Cognitive Perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context

Reciprocal Determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

Self

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

Spotlight Effects

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 and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

Social Psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Attribution Theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

Fundamental Attribution Error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact f a personal disposition

Situational Attribution

examines what information is gathered and how it’s combined to form a casual judgement

Distributional Attribution

is the assumption that a person’s behavior reflects his internal disposition like his personality, beliefs, attitude, etc.

Attitude

feelings often influenced by our beliefs that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Peripheral Route Persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Central Route Persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and responds with favorable thoughts

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, when can reduce the resulting dissonance (discomfort) by changing our attitudes

Culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Norm

an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. they describe a proper behavior

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Normative Social Influence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Informational Social Influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions about reality

Social Facilitation

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Social Loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Deindividuation

the loss of self awareness and self restraint occurring in a group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group override a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Prejudice: Automatic, Gender

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and it’s members. generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Stereotype

a generalized belief about a group of people

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Just-World Phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just, and that people, therefore, get what they deserve and deserve what they get… (Karma)

In-group Bias Definition

the tendency to favor our own group

In-group bias

“us”- people with whom we share a common identity

Out-group bias

“them”- those perceived as different or apart from our group

The other race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

Scapegoat theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid of other bystanders are present

The Chameleon Effect: Mimicry

non-conscious mimicry of the postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, etc.

Social Trap

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Asch Conformity Experiment

college students and comparing lines

Milgram Study

obedience- wrong answer person gets shocked, each time more painfully

Stanford Prison Experiment

what happens when you put good people in an evil place? does humanity win or evil triumph? college students

Psychological Disorder

a significant dysfunction in a person’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

ADHD - attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms; extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

Medical Model

the concept that diseases, in this case, psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital

DSM-V

the American Psychiatric association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, with an updated “text revision”; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

Anxiety Disorders

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

Generalized Anxiety Disorders

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of automatic nervous system arousal

Panic Disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations

Phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

OCD

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted receptive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

PTSD

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

Mood disorders

psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes. Major depression, mania, and bipolar disorder

Major Depressive Disorder

a mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods or diminished interest or pleasure in most activities, along with at least 4 other symptoms

Bipolar Disorder

a mood disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness

Mania

a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common

Schizophrenia

a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and behaviors

Psychosis

a psychological disorder in which a person loses contact with reality, experiencing irrational ideas and distorted perceptions

Delusions

false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

Dissociative Disorders

disorders in which conscious awarness becomes seperated (dissociated

Dissociative Identity Disorder

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits 2 or more distinct and alternating personalities. Formerly called multiple personality disorder

Dissociative Fugue

characterized by reversible amnesia for personal identity, including the memories, personality, and other identifying characteristics of individuality

Personality Disorders

characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts and deviating markedly from those accepted by the individual’s culture.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

a personality disorder in which a person exhibits a lack of conscience for wrong doing, even toward friends and family members. May be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

Maladaptive

may refer to a belief that is false and rationally unsupported

Atypical; Disturbing; Maladaptive; unjustifiable

What are the 4 de\`terminants for classifying a psychological disorder

Psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

Biomedical Therapy

prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on a person’s physiology

Eclectic Approach

an approach to psychotherapy that, depending on the client’s problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s therapeutic technique. believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transfers. the therapist’s interpretations of them released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

Psychodynamic Therapists (Psychoanalysis)

try to help people understand their current symptoms by focusing on themes across important relationships

Interpretation (Psychoanalysis)

the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material