AP Psych Personality Unit

personality

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

psychodynamic theories

view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Freud's psychoanalytic theory

personality is shaped by childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts/desires

*diagram of Freud's structure of personality

free association

a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

unconscious

a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

id and pleasure principle

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

ego and reality principle

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.

superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

fixation

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

defense mechanism

the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

regression

psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites

projection

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

rationalism

offering self-justifying examples in places of real, more threatening unconscious reason for one's action

displacement

psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

neo-freudians

Group of psychologists who agree with Freud's emphasis on the impact of childhood on one's life, but move away from a sole focus on sex and aggression.

Alfred Adler

Neo-Freudian; introduced concept of "inferiority complex" and stressed the importance of birth order

Karen Horney

childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security

Carl Jung

less emphasis on social factors and agreed that unconscious exerts a powerful influence

collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

*archetypes

universal, symbolic images that appear in myths, art, stories, and dreams; to Jungians, they reflect the collective unconscious

projective tests

personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli to the client and ask the client to respond with whatever comes to mind

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Rorshack Inkblot Test

The most widely used projective test, seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.

~ what are two critisms of projective tests

1. that these assessments may incorrectly diagnose people with mental health disorders

2. the reliability and validity of the test - fixating more on childhood aspects of trauma related to influence

~ is repression a myth?

- under Freud's influence, became widely accepted

-rare mental response to trauma

- some researchers believe that extreme prolonged stress can lead to damage to the hippocampus and reduce memory

- high stress -> associated stress hormones enhance memory

~ how does recent research support Freud's defense mechanisms?

unconscious thought processes relating to Freud's defense mechanisms:

- schemas

- priming

- implicit memories (amnesia)

- emotions

- stereotypes

Gordon Allport

described personality in terms of fundamental traits or peoples characteristics behavior and unconscious motive

traits

A characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.

*central traits

reflect a characteristic way of behaving, dealing with others, and reacting to new situations

*secondary traits

changeable aspects of personality

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

a test according to Carl Jung's personality types in an attempt to figure out one's personality

factor analysis

(Cattel and Spearman) a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person's total score.

extraversion-introversion/emotional stability-instability

(Hans and Sybil Eysenck) using the Eysneck personality questionnaire we analyze the extraversion and emotionality factors that emerge as basic personality dimmensions

personality inventory

a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.

~ how do personality inventories contrast from projective tests

projective tests use ambiguous stimuli to asses an individuals unconscious fears, desires, and challenges while personality inventories don't permit much freedom of choice - but they are both used for interpretation

Big Five Personality Factors

conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

~ how stable are these factors?

personality continues to develop and change through late adulthood and adolescence. after 40, the maturity principle shows that we become more conscientious and agreeable

~ how heritable are they?

Fifty percent or so for each trait.

~ how well do they predict behavior?

conscientiousness and agreeableness predict workplace success and helpfulness, ultimately characterizing some career paths

*Barnum effect

the tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments or horoscopes, even when the information is so vague as to be worthless.

person-situation controversy

the question of whether behavior is caused more by personality or by situational factors

social-cognitive perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.

reciprocal determinism (Albert Bandura)

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

self

in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

spotlight affect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

self-esteem

one's feelings of high or low self-worth

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

external locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.

internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate

self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.

*attribution style

optimism vs. pessimism

~ what is the danger of having excessive optimism

blind us to risks with overconfidence, no responsibility, deny addiction and bad relationships

~ what is the major criticism of social-cognitive perspective

isn't a unified theory, they don't create a cohesive explanation of behavior, doesn't account for observational learning

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

humanistic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Abrhab Marslow

theorist along with Carl Roger who offered a third-world perspective that emphasized human potential - striving for self-determinism

self-actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential

self-transcendence

according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self

Carl Rogers

humanistic psychologist with a client-centered perspective that people are good and endored with self-actualization and transcendance

growth promote climate

an environment that promotes growth and fulfillment:

- acceptance

- genuineness

- empathy

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

~ what are 3 criticisms of the humanistic perspective

1. subjectivity

2. importance of individualism

3. nativity