AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 8

Denial

Refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought, or feeling does not exist.

Displacement

Redirecting emotions or feelings, often anger, towards a less threatening target.

Projection

Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Rationalization

Creating logical excuses to justify unacceptable behavior or feelings.

Reaction formation

Expressing the opposite of what one truly feels or believes.

Regression

Reverting to behaviors typical of an earlier stage of development.

Repression

Unconsciously blocking unacceptable thoughts or feelings from awareness.

Unconditional (positive) regard (UPR)

Accepting and valuing a person without conditions or reservations.

Self-actualizing tendency

The drive to realize one's full potential and seek personal growth.

Preconscious mind

The level of consciousness that contains thoughts not currently in awareness but can be easily accessed.

Unconscious mind

The part of the mind that houses desires, thoughts, and memories not accessible to consciousness.

Big Five Theory

A model outlining five major personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability.

Openness

A personality trait reflecting an individual's willingness to try new experiences and be imaginative.

Conscientiousness

A personality trait characterized by organization, dependability, and goal-directed behavior.

Extraversion

A personality trait indicating a preference for social interaction and high energy.

Agreeableness

A personality trait associated with kindness, empathy, and cooperative behavior.

Emotional stability

A personality trait reflecting resilience and the ability to handle stress.

Reciprocal determinism

The theory that a person's behavior is influenced by personal factors and social environment.

Self-efficacy

One's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations.

Self-concept

An individual's perception and understanding of themselves.

Self-esteem

The overall subjective emotional evaluation of one's worth.

Drive-reduction theory

The idea that physiological needs create an aroused state that drives an organism to reduce that need.

Homeostasis

The process of maintaining a stable internal environment amidst external changes.

Arousal theory

The theory that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal.

Optimal arousal

The ideal level of arousal for performance, which can vary depending on the task.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal up to a point, after which performance will decrease.

Self-determination theory

A theory of motivation that emphasizes the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in driving human behavior.

Intrinsic motivation

Engaging in behavior because it is personally rewarding or fulfilling.

Extrinsic motivation

Engaging in behavior to earn external rewards or avoid punishment.

Incentive Theory

The theory that behavior is motivated by a desire for reinforcement or incentives.

Instincts

Innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to specific stimuli.

Lewin’s motivational conflicts

A framework identifying three types of conflicts: approach-approach, approach-avoidance, and avoidance-avoidance.

Approach-approach

A conflict occurring when a person must choose between two positive options.

Approach-avoidance

A conflict that arises when a single goal has both attractive and unattractive qualities.

Avoidance-avoidance

A conflict involving a choice between two undesirable options.

Sensation-seeking theory

The theory proposing that individuals engage in behaviors to seek varied and novel experiences.

Emotion/affect

The complex psychological state involving subjective experience, physiological response, and behavioral or expressive response.

Facial-feedback hypothesis

The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Broaden-and-build theory

A theory suggesting that positive emotions broaden one's awareness and encourage novel, varied, and exploratory thoughts and actions.

Universality of emotional expression

The concept that certain emotional expressions are recognized across different cultures.

Display rules

Culturally specific guidelines for how and when to express emotions.