Unit 3 Study Guide: Personality and Developmental Psychology

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts from the Unit 3 Study Guide on Personality and Developmental Psychology.

Personality

The unique, core set of characteristics that influence one's thoughts, actions, and feelings.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theories of personality and his system of psychotherapy.

Conscious

Mental activities of which you are currently aware.

Preconscious

Mental activities outside of awareness but easily brought to attention.

Unconscious

A level of consciousness outside of awareness that is difficult to access.

Id

The primitive part of personality that operates on the pleasure principle.

Ego

The part of personality that uses the reality principle to balance the id and superego.

Superego

The part of personality that guides behavior according to societal rules.

Pleasure principle

The guiding principle of the id that seeks instant gratification.

Reality principle

The guiding principle of the ego that negotiates reality and society's rules.

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious processes used by the ego to reduce anxiety.

Sublimation

Transforming negative feelings into positive actions.

Displacement

Shifting feelings from one target to a more acceptable one.

Repression

Pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious.

Rationalization

Creating excuses for uncomfortable situations.

Projection

Attributing one's own feelings onto someone else.

Denial

Refusing to acknowledge the existence of a conflict.

Psychosexual stages

Freud's stages of personality development with specific conflicts and erogenous zones.

Oral stage

Birth to 1.5 years; conflict over weaning.

Anal stage

1.5 to 3 years; conflict over toilet training.

Phallic stage

3 to 6 years; conflict involves sexual feelings and awareness of self.

Latency stage

6 years to puberty; sexuality is repressed.

Genital stage

Puberty onward; focus on sexual relationships.

Fixation

Being stuck in a psychosexual stage due to unresolved conflicts.

Oedipus complex

A boy's attraction to his mother and rivalry with his father.

Electra complex

A girl's attraction to her father and rivalry with her mother.

Inferiority complex

A sense of helplessness that can hinder personal development.

Striving for superiority

The drive to achieve personal excellence and overcome feelings of inferiority.

Birth order effects

The influence of one's order of birth on personality traits.

Collective unconscious

Jung's concept of shared memories and archetypes within humanity.

Archetypes

Universal symbols and themes present in the collective unconscious.

Introverts

Individuals energized by solitude, cautious, and reflective.

Extraverts

Individuals energized by social interactions, outgoing, and expressive.

Basic anxiety

A feeling of abandonment and helplessness that influences behavior.

Coping strategies

Methods of dealing with basic anxiety.

Womb envy

The idea that men envy women's ability to bear children.

Trait theories

Theories suggesting personality can be described by stable traits.

Big Five Personality Traits

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Openness

A trait reflecting creativity and willingness to experience new things.

Conscientiousness

A trait associated with reliability and diligence.

Extraversion

A trait characterized by sociability and energetic behavior.

Agreeableness

A trait reflecting kindness and cooperativeness.

Neuroticism

A trait associated with emotional instability and negative emotions.

Developmental psychology

The study of physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes across the lifespan.

Zygote

The initial single cell formed from the union of sperm and egg.

Germinal stage

The first two weeks after conception involving rapid cell division.

Monozygotic twins

Identical twins formed from one fertilized egg.

Dizygotic twins

Fraternal twins formed from two separate eggs.

Embryonic stage

The period from the 3rd to the 8th week of pregnancy.

Teratogens

Environmental agents that can cause harm to a developing embryo or fetus.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Developmental delays due to alcohol use during pregnancy.

Fetus

The developing human organism from the 2nd month until birth.

Reflexes

Innate, unlearned patterns of behavior that aid survival in infants.

Infant-directed speech

A form of speech used by caregivers to engage infants.

Cooing stage

Stage from 2 to 3 months where infants produce vowel-like sounds.

Babbling stage

Stage from 4 to 6 months where infants produce a combination of sounds.

One-word stage

Around 1 year, where infants begin using single words.

Telegraphic speech

Around 18 months, where toddlers use two-word phrases.

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

Four stages explaining cognitive growth in children.

Sensorimotor stage

Birth to 2 years; focuses on direct sensory experiences and motor actions.

Preoperational stage

Ages 2-7; characterized by egocentrism and lack of conservation.

Concrete operational stage

Ages 7-11; children grasp conservation and simple logic.

Formal operational stage

Ages 12 and up; involves abstract thinking and hypothesis testing.

Temperament

The innate traits that influence how individuals respond to the world.

Strange Situation

A procedure measuring attachment styles in infants.

Secure attachment

A style characterized by comfort and safety in a relationship.

Anxious/ambivalent attachment

A style marked by intense distress upon separation.

Avoidant attachment

A style where infants show little emotion toward their caregiver.

Erikson's psychosocial stages

Eight developmental stages characterized by specific conflicts.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Conflict during ages 35-55; making a positive impact on the next generation.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Conflict during ages 0-1; establishing trust in caregivers.

Integrity vs. Despair

Conflict in older adulthood regarding life reflection.