AP Psych Unit 9: Personality

Sigmond Freud

psychodynamic theory; existence of unconscious mind, development of sexuality, dream analysis, psychoanalysis

Ego defense mechanisms

how we unconsciously protect ourselves from unacceptable thoughts/feelings

Rationalizations

substituting a more acceptable but false reason for one's behavior; making excuses (after the incident)

Denial

rejection (refusing to acknowledge) an intolerable reality (in the moment)

Repression

forgetting situations that would cause painful emotions; stays buried in the unconscious

Regression

retreating to an earlier developmental level involving less mature responses (act like a child under a circumstance)

Projection

seeing one's personality traits, attitudes, or faults in others but not in oneself; ex: you think someone is mad at you but you're the one that's mad

Displacement

shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person; ex: you can't yell at your teacher about a test so you take out anger on a friend

reaction formation

modifying an anxiety-causing impulse by performing in ways opposite to one's feelings; ex: you hate someone but act like their friend

Psychodynamic Personality Theory

unconscious processes drive our personalities

The big 5 theory

a trait theory that identifies 5 main characteristics that account for most individual differences in personality

Agreeableness

friendly/compassionate vs. critical/judgemental

Openness

inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious

Extraversion

outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved

Conscientiousness

efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless

Emotional Stability (Neuroticism)

Resilient/confident vs. sensitive/nervous

unconscious mind

Freud's term for the part of our mind where our ideas, thoughts, and feelings we aren't aware

preconscious mind

Freud's term for what is stored in one's memory that one is not presently aware of but can access

sublimation

People re-channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities (ex: channel aggression into competitive sports)

humanistic psyhcology

belief that people are inherently good and are motivated to improve themselves

Self-actualizing tendency

our innate drive to be the best version of ourselves

Unconditional positive regard

When significant others value you for who you are; you are accepted & supported without judgment

social cognitive personality theory

belief that personality is shaped through interactions of our thoughts, behaviors, and environment

Internal Locus of Control

the perception that you control your own fate

External Locus of Control

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

Self-Concept

a description of how you perceive yourself

Self-Esteem

regard or respect you have for yourself; your feelings about yourself

Self-Efficacy

belief in your ability to be successful at accomplishing a task/goal

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

personality inventories

a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to measure a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.

projective test

a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner thoughts and feelings

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

dream interpretation

a technique used in which the content of dreams is analyzed for disguised or symbolic wishes, meanings, and motivations

Personal factors

what you think about your personality in relation to environment and behavior factors

environmental factors

the environmental situation that affects your behavior and personality factors

behavior factors

what you decide to do based on your environment and personality