Theories of Personality

Chapter 1-4

Personality

a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior

Trait

a relatively permanent disposition of an individual, which is inferred from behavior

Characteristics

unique qualities of an individual that includes such attributes as temperament, physique, intelligence, and other aptitudes

Theory

a set of related assumptions that allow scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate testable hypotheses

Reliability

the extent to which an instrument yields consistent results

Validity

the degree to which an instrument measures what it is support to measure

Construct validity

the extent to which an instrument measures some hypothetical construct

Predictive validity

the extent to which a test can predict future behaviors

Psychoanalysis

theory of personality, approach to psychotherapy, and method of investigation founded by Freud

Psychodynamic

loosely defined term usually referring to those psychological theories that heavily emphasize unconscious motivation

Hysteria

a mental disorder marked by the conversion of repressed psychical elements into somatic, when no physiological bases for these symptoms exist

Catharsis

the process of removing or lessening psychological disorders by talking about one’s problems

Unconscious

all those mental elements of which a person is unaware. Two levels of the unconscious are the unconscious proper and the preconscious. Unconscious ideas can become conscious only through great resistance and difficulty

Preconscious

mental elements that are currently not in awareness, but that can become conscious with varying degrees of difficulty

Conscious

those mental elements in awareness at any given time

Id

the region of personality that is alien to the ego because it includes experiences that have never been owned by the person. The __ is the home base for all the instincts, and its sole function is to seek pleasure regardless of consequences

Ego

the province of the mind that refers to the “I” or those experiences that are owned by the person. As the only region of the mind in contact with the real world, the ___ is said to serve the reality principle

Superego

the moral or ethical processes of personality. The ___ has two subsystems: the conscience, which tells us what is wrong, and the ego-ideal, which tells us what is right

Anxiety

a felt, affective, unpleasant state accompanied by the physical sensation of uneasiness

Neurotic anxiety

apprehension about an unknown danger

Moral anxiety

conflict between the ego and superego

Realistic anxiety

unpleasant, nonspecific feeling involving a possible danger

Repression

the forcing of unwanted, anxiety-laden experiences into the unconscious as a defense against the pain of that anxiety

Reaction Formation

a defense mechanism in which a person represses one impulse and adopts the exact opposite form of behavior, which ordinarily us exaggerated and ostentatious

Displacement

a Freudian defense mechanism in which unwanted urges are redirected onto other objects or people in order to disguise the original impulse

Fixation

a defense mechanism that arises when psychic energy is blocked at one stage of development, thus making change or psychological growth difficult

Regression

a defense mechanism whereby a person returns to an earlier stage in order to protect the ego against anxiety

Projection

a defense mechanism whereby the ego reduces anxiety by attributing an unwanted impulse to another person

Introjection

a defense mechanism whereby people incorporate positive qualities of another person into their ego

Sublimation

a defense mechanism that involves the repression of the genital aim of Eros and its substitution by cultural of societal aim

Infantile Period

the first 4-5 years of life characterized by autoerotic or pleasure-seeking behavior consisting of the oral, anal, and phallic stages

Latency Period

the time between infancy and puberty when psychosexual growth is at a standstill

Genital Period

the period of life beginning with puberty and continuing through adulthood and marked by full sexual identity

Maturity

the final psychosexual stage following the infancy, latency, and genital period

Free association

technique used in Freudian psychotherapy in which the therapist instructs the patient to verbalize every thought that comes to mind, no matter how irrelevant or repugnant it may appear

Individual Psychology

theory of personality and approach to psychotherapy founded by Alfred Adler

Safeguarding Tendencies

protective mechanisms such as aggression withdrawal and the like that maintain exaggerated feelings of superiority

Hesitating

safeguarding tendency characterized by vacillation of procrasination designed to provide a person with the excuse “it’s too late now”

Standing still

safeguarding tendency characterized by lack of action as a means of avoiding failure

Moving Backward

safeguarding tendency inflated feelings of superiority by reverting to a more secure period of life

Constructing Obstacles

safeguarding tendency in which people create a barrier to their own success, thus allowing them to protect their self-esteem by either using the barrier as an excuse for failure of by overcoming it