Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Perspectives

Flashcards based on Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Perspectives, including key theories, figures, and concepts related to personality and motivation.

Personality

A person’s unique way of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Psychodynamic theories

Theories that view personality as coming from the unconscious and childhood experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory and therapy focusing on unconscious motives and conflicts.

Sigmund Freud

The founder of psychoanalysis, believed unconscious drives behavior.

Unconscious

A deep part of the mind with hidden thoughts, wishes, and feelings.

Free association

A technique where an individual says whatever comes to mind to explore the unconscious.

Preconscious

Thoughts we aren't currently aware of but can easily bring to mind.

Ego

The part of the mind that balances desires with what’s socially acceptable.

Id

Unconscious drives that seek immediate pleasure.

Superego

The moral voice that strives to do the right thing.

Defense mechanisms

Unconscious ways the ego protects us from anxiety.

Reaction formation

Acting the opposite of how you really feel.

Projection

Believing someone else has your unacceptable feelings.

Rationalization

Making excuses for bad behavior.

Displacement

Taking out feelings on a safer target.

Sublimation

Channeling bad urges into something acceptable, like art or sports.

Denial

Refusing to believe something bad is happening.

Repression

Blocking out bad memories from awareness.

Alfred Adler

A psychologist who focused on feelings of inferiority and striving for success.

Karen Horney

Criticized Freud, claiming childhood anxiety drives the need for love and security.

Carl Jung

Freud’s student, focused on the collective unconscious and archetypes.

Collective unconscious

Shared memory and images that all humans inherit.

Terror management theory

Theory that thinking about death causes fear and people cling to beliefs for comfort.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people create stories about pictures.

Projective test

A test where people describe unclear images to reveal hidden feelings.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test using inkblots to analyze inner thoughts.

Abraham Maslow

Created the hierarchy of needs and believed in striving toward self-actualization.

Humanistic theories

Focus on healthy personal growth and free will.

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s pyramid of basic needs to meet before achieving higher goals.

Self-actualization

Reaching one’s full potential.

Self-transcendence

Going beyond oneself to help others or find deeper meaning.

Carl Rogers

Humanistic psychologist focused on unconditional positive regard.

Unconditional positive regard

Total acceptance of others without judgment.

Self-concept

How you view yourself.

Trait

A stable quality that influences behavior.

Factor analysis

A method to find related traits by grouping them together.

Personality inventory

A questionnaire that measures personality traits.

MMPI

A widely used personality test originally created to identify emotional problems.

Empirically derived test

A test developed by selecting questions that match certain traits.

Robert McCrae

A psychologist who helped develop the Big Five personality traits.

Paul Costa

Worked with McCrae on the Big Five personality traits.

Big Five Factors

Five broad traits describing personality: Openness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Extraversion

Trait of being outgoing and energetic.

Conscientiousness

Trait of being organized and careful.

Agreeableness

Trait of being kind, trusting, and helpful.

Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)

Amount of negative emotions experienced; low neuroticism equals more stability.

Social-cognitive perspective

Theory that personality comes from the interaction of thoughts, behavior, and environment.

Albert Bandura

Developed social-cognitive theory; famous for studying modeling.

Reciprocal determinism

The concept that personality is influenced by the interaction of behavior, thoughts, and environment.

William James

Early psychologist who studied the concept of the self.

Self

Your sense of who you are.

Spotlight effect

Overestimating how much others notice and judge you.

Self-esteem

The value you place on yourself.

Self-efficacy

Belief in your ability to succeed.

Self-serving bias

Tendency to think more positively about yourself than may be realistic.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-focus.

Individualism

Prioritizing personal goals over group goals.

Collectivism

Prioritizing group goals over personal goals.

Motivation

A need or desire that pushes behavior.

Instinct

A natural, automatic behavior pattern.

Physiological need

A basic bodily requirement, like food or water.

Drive-reduction theory

Motivation theory that suggests we act to reduce needs to achieve balance.

Homeostasis

The body's goal to maintain balance and stability.

Incentive

Something that motivates behavior, positive or negative.

Arousal Theory

The theory that we seek the optimal level of excitement or alertness.

Sensation-Seeking Theory

The theory that some individuals seek more thrilling experiences.

Yerkes-Dodson law

Principle suggesting performance is best with moderate arousal.

Optimal level of arousal

The optimal amount of alertness for good performance.

Affiliation need

The desire to belong and connect with others.

Self-determination theory

Theory that motivation is driven by autonomy, competence, and connection.

Intrinsic motivation

Motivation to do something because you enjoy it.

Extrinsic motivation

Motivation to do something for rewards or to avoid punishment.

Phubbed/phone snubbed

Being ignored because someone is distracted by their phone.

Ostracism

Being excluded or left out.

Anterior cingulate cortex

Brain area that reacts to social pain such as rejection.

Self-disclosure

The act of sharing personal information with others.

Achievement motivation

The desire to accomplish goals and master skills.

Grit

Passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Organizational psychologists

Psychologists who work to improve motivation and productivity in businesses.

Walter Cannon

Studied hunger and found that stomach contractions relate to hunger.

Glucose

A sugar that provides energy; low levels signal hunger.

Hypothalamus

A brain area that controls hunger signals.

Pituitary gland

The master gland that regulates hormones, including those related to hunger.

Hunger hormones

Hormones that regulate hunger such as orexin, leptin, PYY, and ghrelin.

Set point

The body’s weight thermostat, attempting to maintain a stable weight.

Basal metabolic rate

The rate at which the body burns calories at rest.

Obesity

The condition of being extremely overweight to the extent that it harms health.

Emotion

A combination of body arousal, expressive behavior, and thoughts/feelings.

James-Lange Theory

Theory stating that body reaction occurs first, then emotion follows.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Theory claiming body reaction and emotion occur simultaneously.

Two-factor theory

Theory suggesting that emotion is a combination of physical arousal and cognitive labeling.

Spillover effect

The phenomenon where emotions from one situation carry over to another.

Epinephrine

A hormone that prepares the body for fight or flight responses.

Robert Zajonc Theory on Emotion

The theory that some emotions happen instantly, without cognitive processing.

Joseph LeDoux Theory on Emotion

Theory stating that simple emotions go straight to the brain's fear center.

Richard Lazarus Theory on Emotion

Theory that suggests we must appraise a situation before feeling emotion.

Izard's 10 basic emotions

A list of basic, universal emotions including joy, anger, fear, and disgust.

Valence and arousal

Valence refers to whether an emotion feels positive or negative; arousal measures the energy of an emotion.

Sympathetic division of autonomic nervous system

This part of the nervous system speeds up the body for action.

Polygraph

A lie detector test that measures physical arousal; it's not always accurate.