MODULE 4.5A PSYCHODYNAMIC AND HUMANISTIC THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

Psychodynamic theories

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

Psychoanalysis Theory

 theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious movies and conflicts. Therapeutic techniques Released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self insight.

Unconcious

 reservoir of unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. Information processing of which we are unaware.

Free Association

a method of exploring the unconscious, in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind.

Id

operates on pleasure principle, unconscious psychic energy, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives.

Ego

operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id desire in ways that will bring pleasure than pain.

SuperEgo

conscious part of personality, represents internalized ideals and provides a standard for judgement.

Pyschosexual stages

a series of developmental stages during childhood where a child's libido (sexual energy) is focused on different erogenous zones of the body, including the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages

Oral Stage

Pleasure focused on mouth through sucking feeding

Anal Stage

 Bowel movements and toilet training

Phallic Stage

Pleasure focused on the genitals

Latency stage

Sexual desires repressed and focus shifts to social development

Genital Stage

sexual interest reemerges and is directed toward mature relationships.

Defense Mechanisms

ego’s protective method of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Repression

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

Collective unconcious

shared inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species history

Terror Management Theory

 theory of death related anxiety: explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interest through stories they make up abt ambiguous scenes

Projective Ttest

 personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

a projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach, seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots, a childhood game.