Psychodynamic and Humanistic Theories to Personality

psychodynamic perspective

based on Freud. believes that a person’s personality and behaviors are shaped by their conscious and unconscious mind

sigmund freud

worked towards the psychodynamic perspective

denial

a defense mechanism when an individual refuses to accept their reality, essentially blocking certain external events or emotions from an individual’s awareness

displacement

a defense mechanism when a person redirects their reaction or emotional response from one situation to another

projection

a defense mechanism where a person attributes their thoughts and feelings to someone else

rationalization

a defense mechanism when a person justifies an uncomfortable thought or behavior to make it seem more acceptable

reaction formation

a defense mechanism when a person acts in the opposite way as they feel

regression

a defense mechanism when a person reverts back to behaviors of an earlier developmental stage. this usually happens when a person is extremely stressed

sublimation

a defense mechanism where an individual takes unacceptable impulses and channels them into socially acceptable actions

regression

a defense mechanism where a person pushes distressing memories or thoughts out of their conscious awareness

projective tests

this is a test used by the psychodynamic approach to assess a person’s personality. these have open responses and do not limit the person to the options given

objective personality tests

a test that has limited answers and seeks specific responses from test takers

humistic psychology

focuses on the inherent goodness of people and their desire to continue to grow and reach their full potential

positive regard

the support, love, and acceptance a person gets from others

unconditional positive regard

accepting and valuing someone without any conditions or requirements

conditional positive regard

when acceptance or approval is given only if the person meets certain conditions

self-concept

how a person sees and describes themselves, including their personality, skills, roles, and physical traits

self-esteem

how positively a person views themselves

self-actualizing tendency

the innate drive within a person to grow, improve, and reach their full potential

self-actualization

when a person is motivated to strive for their full potential

self-transcendence

when a person goes beyond their own self-interests to pursue something larger than one’s self

q-sort technique

this is used to assess a person’s self-concept by having them sort descriptive statements into categories based on how well they describe them

congruence

the alignment between a person’s ideal self to their real self