psy 1102 ch.12: Personality

personality

an enduring set of internally based characteristics that produce uniqueness and consistency in the expression of a person’s thoughts and behaviours, along with an explanation to account for these characteristics

personality traits

internally based characteristics that make up ones personality

three distinct elements of personality

uniqueness, consistency, explanation

uniqueness of the individual

the quality of being one of a kind, distinguishing an individual from others in thoughts and behaviors.

consistency of behaviour

the stability of an individual's behavior across different situations and over time.

explanation of personality

the rationale behind an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that accounts for their personality traits.

NOT a critical element of defining personality

how a person’s behaviour is affected by social and cultural norms

psychodynamic perspective

the expression of personality is motivated by internal processes and conflicts that individuals have little or no conscious awareness and have limited personal control over

individual most closely associated with the psychodynamic perspective

sigmund freud

conscious mind

the part of the mind that contains thoughts and feelings of which we are currently aware.

preconscious mind

mental information the individual may not be thinking about at any given moment but can easily access when needed, and remove when it is no longer needed

unconscious mind

the part of the mind that contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are not accessible to conscious awareness, often influencing behavior.

free association

a therapeutic technique where patients express thoughts as they occur without censorship, revealing unconscious thoughts.

manifest content

what the dreamer remembers, according to freud this is the disguised content

latent content

the expression of the unconscious mind and a reflection of a person’s true feelings, needs, and desires

id

located completely in the unconscious mind, the id is the primal part of personality that contains basic instincts and drives, such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.

id operates on

pleasure principle, which seeks immediate gratification of desires and needs.

ego

the rational part of personality that mediates between the desires of the id and the realities of the external world. It operates on the reality principle, seeking to satisfy the id's demands in a realistic and socially appropriate manner.

ego operates out of

develops out of the id and operates on all three levels of consciousness

superego

the moral component of personality that incorporates social standards about what represents right and wrong. It strives for perfection and judges actions, leading to feelings of pride or guilt.

ego ideal and conscience

the sense of morality characteristics of the superego is regulated by this

ego ideal

the part of the superego that represents an individual's ideal self and standards of perfection, guiding moral behavior.

conscience

the part of the superego that incorporates the values and rules of society, leading to feelings of guilt when one does not adhere to these moral standards.

the uniqueness in expression of personality according to freud

reflects how the ego serves to mediate between the demands and desires of the id and the moral constraints of the superego in a consistent manner across time

reality anxiety

informs the ego of real danger

moral anxiety

notifies the superego that the ego is considering violating a moral code

neurotic anxiety

warns the ego of the threatening expression of id impulses at the level of conscious awareness

defense mechanisms

psychological strategies used to cope with anxiety and protect the ego from distressing thoughts or feelings.

repression

the individuals ego removing the threatening impulse form conscious awareness

reaction formation

unacceptable thoughts and desires in the unconscious being expressed as their opposite in consciousness

projection

attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, impulses, and motives to others

regression

reacting to a threatening situation with a response characteristic of an earlier stage of development

sublimation

transforming inappropriate impulses and motives into socially acceptable and even valuable expressions

denial

consciously refusing to perceive and believe painful facts or situations exist

rationalization

creating an acceptable explanation to replace a true but threatening cause of behaviour

displacement

shifting the expression of an unwanted impulse from a threatening person to a less threatening one

David forgets that he has a term paper in his psychology class until the night before it is due. Although he forgot about it until now, the information about the term paper was stored in which region of his mind?

preconscious

Which of the following statements is true? 

The id is the core component of personality and is located completely in the unconscious region of the mind.

Sue decides that she will deal with her shyness by joining a poetry reading group instead of just sitting at home and daydreaming of meeting someone. Her decision is based on which principle as mediated by her ego?

the reality principle

Which of the following can the ego utilize to help deal with the threatening influences of neurotic anxiety?

defense mechanisms

oral psychosexual stage erogenous zone & source of conflict

mouth conflict associated with weaning from breast or bottle feeding

healthy outcome from the oral stage

learning that although distress is created when needs may not be met immediately, eventually they will be met in a consistent matter, resulting in a sense of pleasure

life lesson learned in the oral stage

develop a willingness to delay gratification

unhealthy outcome from the oral stage

overindulgence in oral-related activities when stressed

expressions of fixation and regression in the oral stage

employing oral-related strategies, such as overeating and excessive drinking and yelling at others to deal with problems and frustrations in adulthood

anal stage erogenous zone and source of conflict

anus conflict associated with toilet training

healthy outcome of the anal stage

learning that the achievement of pleasure associated with the release of such bodily tension is restricted to specific locations

life lesson learned in the anal stage

when seeking pleasure, there is a right time and right place

unhealthy outcome of the anal stage

difficulties interacting with others in a civil society due to a tendency to behave inappropriately

expressions of fixation and regression in the anal stage

employing anal-related strategies, such as making a mess of things at work, saying or doing something inappropriate in public, or being overly concerned with order and neatness to deal with the problems and frustrations as an adult

phallic stage erogenous zone and source of conflict

genitals conflict associated with competition with the same-sex parent for the affection of the opposite sex parent

healthy outcome of the phallic stage

identifying with the same sex parent helps children to acquire an understanding of appropriate sex role behavioural patterns and to develop a superego by incorporating the values of society as expressed by their parents

life lesson learned in the phallic stage

go along to get along with those more powerful than you

unhealthy outcome of the phallic stage

experiencing problems dealing with individuals and agencies in a position of power

expressions of fixation and regression in the phallic stage

expressing oppositional and hostile behavioural patterns when dealing with supervisors at work, law enforcement personnel, and government officials to deal with feelings of powerless as an adult

erogenous zone and source of conflict in the latency period

no erogenous zone, conflict associated with practicing emerging sex-role behaviours during interaction with same-sex peers

healthy outcome of the latency period

acquiring and practicing the knowledge and skills necessary to execute complex sex-role behaviours effectively is easier with other who are similar

life lesson learned in the latency period

it is good to know you are not alone during difficult times of transition

unhealthy outcome of the latency period

exhibiting extreme sex role stereotypical behaviour and attitudes and/or developing an excessive amount of comfort being around others who think and act in a similar way while failing to consider the value of those who are different

expressions of fixation and regression in the latency period

making sexist and racist comments about others while interacting with those who feel and behave in the same way to deal with the fear of being rejected during adulthood

erogenous zone and source of conflict in the genital stage

genitals conflict, associated with the expression of emotional feelings and establishing meaningful relationships with members of the opposite sex

healthy outcome of the latency period

offering expressions of affection with the hope of receiving such expressions in turn as the basis of healthy and loving adult romantic and sexual relationships

life lesson learned in the genital stage

to get pleasure, you must give pleasure

unhealthy outcome of the genital stage

being unable to form loving and intimate relationships in adulthood due to an inability to provide comfort and support to others and thinking of only one’s personal needs and desires.

expressions of fixation and regression in the genital stage

experiencing a sense of loneliness and isolation due to a series of failed intimate relations that stems from selfishness

The process of identification with the same-sex parent is associated with the acquisition and understanding of sex-role behavioral patterns during which stage of psychosexual development?

phallic

collective unconscious

according to Jung, the unconscious mind is interconnected with the experiences of past generations of different people throughout the world

archetypes

all inherited universal knowledge in the collective unconscious mind is stored here

specific archetype: the persona

the tendency for people to develop a certain pattern of behaviour when in public to get along with others

specific archetype: the shadow

represents the dark and more primitive side of personality

specific archetype: the self

most important archetype, serves to unite all other aspects of the individual’s personality

general archetype: sage

a wise of holy figure, a guardian of special knowledge, its harry potter character is dumbledore

general archetype: rebel

transgressor, shows a general disregard for the rules/authority, harry potter character is sirius black

general archetype: hero

a path from the ego to a new identify, the self, harry potter character is harry potter

general archetype: jester/trickster

intellect, secret knowledge, nothing is what it seems, chaos, moral ambiguity, harry potter character is fred and george weasley

general archetype: caregiver/mother

love, home, safety, protection, nurturing, harry potter character is molly weasley

general archetype: monster

evil, destruction, forces actively working against the hero, harry potter character is voldemort

general archetype: the shadow of the doppelganger

evil twin, mirror image, the part of the self that is kept hidden, harry potter character is draco malfoy

striving for superiority

operating at the conscious level, was the primary motivational source of personality, it means trying to become a better person in an effort to overcome real or imagined feelings of inferiority developed earlier in life through interactions with parents, siblings and peers

what adler believed striving for superiority should be guide by

the principle of social interest

the principle of social interest

the goal should be to make society better as you make yourself a better person

what the uniqueness of the individual is based on for adler

the selection of specific strategies used when striving for superiority

what the consistency of behavior is based on for adler

the extent to which the specific strategies used are selected in a similar manner over time and across situations

the motivational force underlying the expression of personality for horney

the search for social security, a sense of feeling safe and loved in our relationships woth others

how people develop feelings of basic anxiety

feeling of being unsafe, unloved, and powerless in their relationships

how people develop feelings of basic hostility

along with the belief that significant others are not helping to create a secure environment

three basic strategies used to reduce feelings of basic anxiety and establish a sense of safety

moving toward people, moving away from people, moving against people

strategy of moving toward people

the individual does and says certain things in the hopes that others will like and take care of them

strategy of moving away from people

the individual withdraws emotionally in hopes that other will not be able to harm them

strategy is moving against people

the individual tries to harm others first in the hopes of preventing others from considering doing harm to them

the operational process serving as the principal motivating source for the expression of personality for horney

attempting to reduce feelings of basic anxiety and feelings of insecurity

uniqueness of an individual for horney

based on the specific combination of horney’s three strategies used by the person seeking social security

consistency of an individual for horney

based on the extent to which horneys three strategies are used in a similar manner over time and across situations

Jerry expresses his passion for auto racing by entering all of the local races he can. He has recently started entering more competitive races in other states and teaching classes on being a race car driver in an attempt to test the limits of his driving ability. Adler would say that Jerry is engaged in which of the following processes?

striving for superiority

Dale’s classmates laugh at and tease him about his poor grades, but he still treats them to meals when they are hanging out because he is new to campus and wants desperately to make some friends. Which of the following is Dale demonstrating?

moving toward people

How do the perspectives of humanistic psychology differ from those of the Freudians (and neo-Freudians)? 

Humanism focuses on uniqueness and personal growth; Freudians focus on the influences of the unconscious.

self-concept

what carl rogers purported that the core element of an individuals personality is, this refers to how someone perceives their unique set of characteristics, skills, qualities, and abilities

self-esteem

how positively or negatively a person evaluates him- or herself based on life experiences

when an individuals self esteem is high

positive self-evaluation is consistent with thoughts and actions

when an individual’s self esteem may be low

if a person’s evaluation is inconsistent with life experiences