Psychology Study Guide: Sigmund Freud and Personality Theory

These flashcards cover essential terms and concepts related to Freud's personality theory, psychological motivations, and emotion theories.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud's theory emphasizing the influence of childhood experiences and unconscious motivations on personality and psychological disorders.

Unconscious Mind

A reservoir for unacceptable thoughts, wishes, and memories, influencing behavior without one's awareness.

Free Association

Technique where patients verbalize thoughts without censorship to uncover unconscious memories.

Dream Analysis

Method where dreams are analyzed as a means to reveal hidden desires through symbolism.

Id

The part of the personality that operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification for basic instincts.

Ego

The part of the personality that operates on the reality principle, mediating between the id and external demands.

Superego

The aspect of personality that represents internalized ideals and moral standards, striving for perfection.

Psychosexual Stages

The stages proposed by Freud through which personality develops, including oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.

Fixation

The development of a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage, often due to unresolved conflicts.

Repression

A defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing wishes and feelings from consciousness.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual retreats to an earlier developmental stage.

Reaction Formation

A defense mechanism that switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites.

Projection

A defense mechanism where one attributes their own unacceptable urges to others.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that provides self-justifying explanations for one's behavior.

Displacement

A defense mechanism that shifts aggressive impulses to a less threatening object.

Denial

A defense mechanism where an individual refuses to accept painful realities.

Humanistic Psychology

Approach emphasizing positive growth rather than pathology; key figures include Maslow and Rogers.

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A theory outlining a hierarchy of human needs from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.

Trait Definition

Stable and enduring patterns of behavior that help describe personality.

Eysenck's Dimensions

Two basic dimensions of personality proposed by Eysenck: extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability.

Big Five Personality Factors

Five major traits of personality: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Cognitive Processes in Conditioning

Awareness of expectations that can affect learning outcomes.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs by observing the actions and outcomes of others.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A motivational theory proposing that basic needs must be satisfied before higher-level needs can motivate behavior.

James-Lange Theory

Theory stating that physiological arousal precedes emotional experience.