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personality
an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
psychodynamic theories
theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences.
psychoanalysis
Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.
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 Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.
ego
the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego 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 judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasureseeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.
Oedipus [ED-uh-puss] 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
in personality theory, according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing 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 test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics.
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.
Rorschach inkblot test
the most widely used projective test; a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.
terror-management theory
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.
humanistic theories
theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.
hierarchy of needs
Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active.
self-actualization
according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential.
self-transcendence
according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self.
unconditional positive regard
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.
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 in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.
personality inventory
a questionnaire (often with true-false or agreedisagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.
empirically derived test
a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a pool of items 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.
behavioral approach
focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development.
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 effect
overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).
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.
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