Unit 4 Psych Personality & Motivation/Emotion

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Perspective of Personality:

• Definition: A theory that emphasizes the influence of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories, especially from early childhood, on personality development.

• Example: A therapist using dream analysis to uncover a patient's hidden anxieties stemming from childhood experiences.

Preconscious Mind:

• Definition: The level of mental activity containing information that is not currently in conscious awareness but can be readily brought into consciousness.

• Example: Remembering what you had for breakfast yesterday when someone asks you about it.

Unconscious Mind:

• Definition: The level of mental activity containing thoughts, feelings, and memories that are outside of conscious awareness and have a significant impact on behavior.

• Example: Unresolved childhood trauma influencing adult relationship patterns without the individual being aware of the connection.

Id:

• Definition: The primitive, instinctual part of the personality that operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification.  

• Example: A baby crying for food immediately when hungry.

Ego:

• Definition: The rational part of the personality that operates on the reality principle, mediating between the id and superego.

• Example: Deciding to study for an exam instead of going to a party, balancing the desire for fun with the need for academic success.

Superego:

• Definition: The moral part of the personality that represents internalized societal and parental standards.

• Example: Feeling guilty after lying to a friend, due to internalized moral values.

Denial:

• Definition: Refusing to acknowledge a painful reality.

• Example: An alcoholic insisting they don't have a drinking problem.

Rationalization:

• Definition: Creating logical explanations to justify unacceptable behavior.

• Example: A student who cheats on a test saying, "Everyone else does it."

Repression:

• Definition: Unconsciously blocking unacceptable thoughts or memories from awareness.

• Example: An adult having no memory of childhood abuse.

Displacement:

• Definition: Redirecting emotions from the original source to a safer target.

• Example: Yelling at your spouse after having a bad day at work.

Projection:

• Definition: Attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to others.

• Example: A person who is dishonest accusing others of being dishonest.

Reaction Formation:

• Definition: Behaving in a way that is the opposite of one's true feelings.

• Example: A person with repressed anger being overly nice.

Regression:

• Definition: Reverting to an earlier stage of development in response to stress.

• Example: An adult throwing a temper tantrum when frustrated.

Sublimation:

• Definition: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

• Example: A person with aggressive tendencies becoming a professional boxer.

Humanistic Perspective of Personality:

• Definition: A theory that emphasizes the inherent goodness of people and their potential for growth and self-actualization.

• Example: A therapist focusing on a client's strengths and potential rather than their weaknesses.

Unconditional Positive Regard:

• Definition: Accepting and valuing a person regardless of their behavior.

• Example: A parent loving their child even when they make mistakes.

Self-Actualizing Tendency:

• Definition: The innate drive to develop one's full potential.

• Example: An individual pursuing a lifelong passion for painting, despite facing challenges.

Social-Cognitive Theory of Personality:

• Definition: A theory that emphasizes the interaction between cognitive processes, behavior, and the environment in shaping personality.

• Example: A student's belief in their ability to succeed (self-efficacy) influencing their study habits and academic performance.

Reciprocal Determinism:

• Definition: The dynamic interaction between behavior, personal factors (cognition), and the environment.

• Example: A person who enjoys reading (personal factor) spends more time in the library (environment), which reinforces their reading habit (behavior).

Self-Efficacy:

• Definition: Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

• Example: A student who believes they can learn math working harder in the subject.

Self-Esteem:

• Definition: Overall evaluation of one's self-worth.

• Example: A person with high self-esteem feeling confident in their abilities and value.

Self-Concept:

• Definition: An individual's perception of their own abilities, behavior, and personality.

• Example: A person describing themselves as "kind," "intelligent," and "creative."

Trait Theories of Personality:

• Definition: Theories that focus on identifying and describing stable, enduring personality traits.

• Example: Using personality tests to determine an individual's levels of extraversion and conscientiousness.

Openness

• Definition: Willingness to try new things and embrace new experiences.

• Example: Someone who enjoys traveling to foreign countries and trying new foods.

Conscientiousness:

• Definition: Being organized, responsible, and dependable.

• Example: A person who is always punctual and completes tasks thoroughly.

Extraversion

• Definition: Being outgoing, sociable, and assertive.

• Example: Someone who enjoys parties and social gatherings.

Agreeableness:

• Definition: Being cooperative, compassionate, and trusting.

• Example: Someone who is quick to help others and avoid conflict.

Neuroticism

• Definition: Tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and anger.

• Example: Someone who worries excessively and is easily stressed.

Personality Inventories:

• Definition: Standardized questionnaires used to assess personality traits.

• Example: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).

Factor Analysis:

• Definition: A statistical technique used to identify clusters of related items on a test.

• Example: Using factor analysis to identify the underlying dimensions of personality traits.

Projective Tests:

• Definition: Personality tests that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that are believed to reveal unconscious thoughts and feelings.

• Example: The Rorschach inkblot test.

Drive-Reduction Theory:

• Definition: The idea that physiological needs create drives that motivate behavior to reduce those needs.

• Example: Feeling hungry (need) creates a drive to eat (behavior).

Homeostasis

• Definition: The body's tendency to maintain a stable internal environment.

• Example: Sweating to cool down when body temperature rises.

Arousal Theory

• Definition: The idea that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal.

• Example: Seeking out exciting activities when bored and relaxing activities when stressed.

Yerkes-Dodson Law:

• Definition: The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

• Graph: an inverted U-shaped curve, showing optimal performance at a moderate level of arousal.

Self-Determination Theory:

• Definition: The idea that people are motivated by needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

• Example: Feeling motivated to work on a project when you have a sense of control over it (autonomy), feel capable of doing it well (competence), and feel connected to others involved (relatedness).

Intrinsic Motivation:

• Definition: Motivation that comes from within, driven by personal satisfaction.

• Example: Reading a book for enjoyment.

Extrinsic Motivation:

• Definition: Motivation that comes from external rewards or punishments.

• Example: Studying for a test to get a good grade.

Incentive Theory:

• Definition: The idea that people are motivated by external rewards and punishments.

• Example: Working hard to earn a bonus.

Instincts:

• Definition: Innate, unlearned patterns of behavior.

• Example: A baby's sucking reflex.

Lewin’s Motivational Conflicts Theory:

• Definition: Theory describing the conflicts that arise from competing motives

Approach-approach:

• Choosing between two desirable options.

• Choosing between going to a concert or a movie.
  

Avoidance-avoidance:

• Choosing between two undesirable options.

• Choosing between doing chores or studying for a difficult exam.

Approach-avoidance:

• Having a single option with both positive and negative aspects.  

• Eating a delicious but high-calorie dessert.

Double approach-avoidance:

Choosing between a job that has high pay and long hours or a job with low pay and short hours.

Sensation Seeking

Definition: A personality trait characterized by the pursuit of novel and intense experiences. It consists of:

• Experience seeking: Desire for new sensations.  

• Thrill and adventure seeking: Desire for physically risky activities.  

• Disinhibition: Desire for social activities that involve breaking rules.

• Boredom susceptibility: Aversion to repetitive experiences.

• Example: A person who enjoys skydiving, traveling to exotic locations, and attending wild parties.

Eating Motivation:

• Definition: The psychological and physiological factors that drive the desire to consume food.  

• Example: Feeling hunger pangs and seeking out a meal.

Ghrelin:

• Definition: A hormone produced by the stomach that stimulates hunger.  

• Example: Increased ghrelin levels before a meal.

Leptin:

• Definition: A hormone produced by fat cells that signals satiety (fullness) to the brain.  

• Example: Increased leptin levels after a meal.

Hypothalamus:

• Definition: A brain structure that plays a critical role in regulating hunger, thirst, and other bodily functions.

• Example: The lateral hypothalamus stimulating hunger, and the ventromedial hypothalamus inhibiting hunger.

Pituitary Gland:

• Definition: A gland in the brain that secretes hormones that regulate various bodily functions, including some related to hunger and metabolism.  

• Example: Plays a supporting role in metabolism and hormone control which indirectly influences hunger.

External Factors Motivating Hunger:

• Definition: Environmental cues that influence the desire to eat, such as the sight, smell, or availability of food.  

• Example: Smelling freshly baked cookies and feeling hungry, even if you weren't before.

Internal/External Factors Affecting Emotion:

• Definition: Both physiological and environmental stimuli that trigger emotional responses.

• Example: Internal: a racing heart from fear. External: seeing a scary movie.

Physiological and Cognitive Experiences of Emotion:

• Definition: The combined experience of bodily changes (physiological) and mental interpretations (cognitive) that constitute an emotion.  

• Example: Feeling a racing heart (physiological) and interpreting it as fear (cognitive).

Cognitive Label:

• Definition: The mental interpretation or appraisal of a physiological arousal that determines the specific emotion experienced.

• Example: Interpreting a racing heart in a scary situation as fear, but in an exciting situation as exhilaration.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis:

• Definition: The idea that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.  

• Example: Smiling can make you feel happier.

Facial Expressions (Ones Universally Common):

• Definition: Nonverbal cues that communicate emotions, with some expressions being universally recognized.  

• Example: Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.

Cognitive Appraisal:

• Definition: The process of evaluating a situation and its potential impact on one's well-being, which influences emotional responses.

• Example: Appraising a difficult task as a challenge rather than a threat.

Broaden-and-Build Theory of Emotion:

• Definition: The idea that positive emotions broaden cognitive resources and build resilience.  

• Example: Experiencing joy leading to increased creativity and social connections.

Display Rules:

• Definition: Social and cultural norms that dictate how and when emotions should be expressed.

• Example: Suppressing anger in a formal social setting.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion:

• Definition: The theory that emotions arise from the perception of physiological arousal.  

• Example: "We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble."

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion:

• Definition: The theory that physiological arousal and emotional experience occur simultaneously.

• Example: Seeing a snake triggers both a racing heart and the feeling of fear at the same time.

Schacter & Singer 2 Factor Theory of Emotions:

• Definition: The theory that emotions arise from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive labeling.

• Example: Experiencing a racing heart and then labeling it as fear based on the context.

Elicitors for Emotional Expression:

• Definition: Stimuli that trigger emotional responses and their corresponding expressions.

• Example: A loud noise eliciting a startle response.