Psych Motivation Vocab

psychodynamic theory

views personality w/ focus on unconscious mind & importance of childhood

unconscious mind

mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, memories

preconscious mind

outside awareness but accessible

ego defense mechanisms

protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

displacement

shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable/less threatening object or person

projection

disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

regression

retreating to an earlier psychosexual stages where some psychic energy remains fixated

rationalization

offering self-justifying explanations in place of real, more threatening unconscious reasons for actions

reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites

repression

banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, & memories

sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

projective tests

a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

collective unconscious

Carl Jung’s concept of shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from history

Id

unconscious energy, strives to satisfy basic pleasure drives

ego

partly conscious, operates on reality principle

superego

partly conscious, internalized ideals

humanistic psychology

theories that view personality w/ focus on potential for healthy personal growth

unconditional positive regard

caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude

self-actualization

process of fulfilling our potential

self-transcendence

meaning, purpose, & identity beyond self

traits

characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel & act in certain ways

personality inventory

questionnaire where people respond to items designed to gauge a range of feelings & behaviors

big five factors/theory

5 traits that describe personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

openness

practical, prefers routine, conforming

imaginative, prefers variety, independent

conscientiousness

disorganized, careless, impulsive

organized, careful, disciplined

extraversion

retiring, sober, reserved

sociable, fun-loving, affectionate

agreeableness

ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative

soft-hearted, trusting, helpful

neuroticism

calm, secure, self-satisfied

anxious, insecure, self-pitying

MMPI

most widely researched & clinically used of all personality tests

reciprocal determinism

interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, & environment

spotlight effect

overestimating others’ noticing & evaluating of our appearance, performance, & blunders

self-efficacy

our sense of competence & effectiveness

individualism

culture focuses on person’s own goals over group’s

collectivism

culture prioritizes goals of groups

motivation

a need or desire that energizes & directs behavior

drive-reduction theory

idea that physiological needs creates aroused state (drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

arousal theory

need to maintain an optimal level of arousal that motivates behavior w/o physiological need

Yerkes-Dodson Law

principle that performance increases w/ arousal only up to a point - beyond, it decreases

self-determination theory

we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy, & relatedness

intrinsic motivation

desire to perform behavior effectively for its own sake

extrinsic motivation

desire to perform behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

incentive theory

we are also pulled by incentives - positive or negative environmental stimuli that lure/repel us

instincts & evolutionary theory

instinct is complex behaviors rigidly patterned thru a species & is unlearned, genes predispose some species behavior

ostracism

deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

achievement motivation

desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery skills/ideas, for control, etc.

grit

passion & perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

sensation-seeking theory (experience, thrill, adventure, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility)

experience-seeking: desire for novel sensory/mental experiences

thrill/adventure: attraction to risky activities

disinhibition: loss of self control

ghrelin hormone

facilitates the sensations of hunger and fullness, and it promotes fat storage

leptin hormone

high levels make you feel full

set point

point where “weight thermostat” may be set

orexin hormone

hormone/neurotransmitter that in the LH that causes hunger

glucose

form of sugar that circulates in blood & provides major source of energy

PYY

hormone that signals satiety (a feeling of fullness) and reduces appetite

situational influences on eating

time of day, presence of others, serving size, variety of foods

universal emotions: anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, and fear

found across all cultures, each have facial expression, can be seen in primates

display rules

how much emotion to express, social norms

facial feedback effect

tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings

behavior feedback effect

tendency of behavior to influence our own & others’ thoughts, feelings, & actions

emotion

a response of the whole organism

broaden-and-build theory of emotion

proposes positive emotions broaden our awareness, which over time helps us build meaningful skills

James-Lange’s theory of emotion

body causes emotion

Cannon-Bard’s theory of emotion

body reaction & emotional awareness happen simultaneously

Schacter-Singer’s theory of emotion

body & thinking causes emotion

Zajonc-LeDoux

fear-provoking stimuli travel the faster cognitive “low road”

Lazarus’s theory of emotion

thinking causes emotion