Personality and gender unit

trait theory

- personality is made up of a number of characteristics that people can score high or low on

Factor Analysis

statistical procedure for determining the units that make up personality

Five-Factor Model (The Big 5)

trait theory of personality that includes: Openness, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism

Openness

creative, original, curious, open to new ideas, artistic

Conscientiousness

organized, responsible, self-disciplined

Extroversion

talkative, outgoing, sociable, fun loving, affectionate

Agreeableness

trusting, warm, good-natured, helpful, gentle

Neuroticism

prone to anxiety, insecurity, guilt worry

Sigmund Freud

founder of psychodynamic psychology, belief that behavior is controlled by subconscious forces

Id (subconscious)

source of instinctual energy, which works on the pleasure principle, and is concerned with immediate gratification

Ego (self) - In Freud's theory, the rational part of the psyche that deals with reality by controlling the id, while also satisfying the superego

Superego (conscious) - In Freud's theory, the "conscience" or part of the personality that incorporates parental and societal standards for morality

Defense Mechanisms

In Freudian theory, the ego's protective method of reducing anxiety by distorting reality

Repression

blocking a threatening idea, memory, or emotion from consciousness

Projection

person attributes their own unacceptable impulses to others

Displacement

redirecting impulses toward a less threatening person or object

Sublimation

person channels energy from unacceptable impulses to create socially acceptable accomplishments (art, music)

Reaction Formation -

refusing to acknowledge unacceptable urges, thoughts, or feelings by exaggerating the opposite state

Regression

turning to more primitive or childlike behaviors in response to stress

Denial

person refuses to recognize unpleasant reality

Psychosexual Stages

According to Freud, strong biological urges residing within the id supposedly push all children through five universal psychosexual stages during about first 12 years of life-oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Alfred Adler's Inferiority Complex

Adler's idea that feelings of inferiority develop from early childhood experiences of helplessness and incompetence

Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Stages

8 major periods of conflict that he believed led to specific personality development

Carl Jung

analytical psych emphasized on the unconsciousness mind and its influence on dream process; two forms of unconscious mind:

A) Personal unconsciousness: unique for each person

B) Collective unconsciousness: consists of primitive images and ideas that are universal for humans

Karen Horney

psychoanalytic theorist that believes Freud theories were sexist; people suffer from basic subconscious anxiety as a result of helplessness of infancy

Carl Rogers

humanistic therapist who developed client-centered therapy

Unconditional Positive Regard

Carl Rogers term for love and acceptance with no contingencies attached

Self-Concept

Roger's term for all the information and beliefs individuals have about their own nature, qualities and behavior

Self-Esteem

a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value

Self-Actualization

Maslow's term for the innate drive to develop all one's talents and capabilities

Maslow's Human Needs Hierarchy

basic physical necessities must be satisfied before higher-growth needs can be addressed

Albert Bandura's Reciprocal Determinism

Cognitive-social belief that thoughts, behaviors, and the environment interact to produce personality

Self-Efficacy

Bandura's term for a person's learned expectation of success particular to an activity or set of skills

Julian Rotter's Locus of Control

The extent to which people believe they have power over events in their lives; internal (events and outcomes are controlled by themselves) and external (external factors)

Neurotransmitters

concentrations of brain chemicals are a biological explanations for differences in personality

Genetic Factors

inherited genes account for an estimated 50% of the variability in traits

Sex

biological maleness or femaleness including chromosomal sex

Gender Identity

self-identification as either male or female

Gender Roles

-societal expectations for "appropriate" male and female behavior

Personality Assessment -

the use of tools to identify personal characteristics

Objective Tests

standardized questionnaires that require written or coded responses

MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

The most widely researched and clinically used self-report personality test; used in clinical settings

Myers-Briggs

objective test, used in employment

A)Extraversion/ Introversion

B)Sensing (take things as told)/ Intuitive (more big picture, conscientiousness)

C)Thinking/ Feeling (agreeableness)

D)Judging/ Perceiving

Projective Tests

Psychological tests using ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots or drawings, which allow the test taker to project his or her unconscious onto the test material

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

a projective test that shows a series of ambiguous black and white pictures and asks the test taker to create a story related to each; the responses presumably reflect a projection of unconscious processes

Rorschach Test

A projective test that presents a set of 10 cards with symmetrical abstract patterns, known as inkblots, and asks respondents to describe what they see in the image; their response is thought to be a projection of unconscious processes

Sentence Completion

also projective measures (i secretly wish..., what worries me is...)

Gender Schema Theory

Gender roles are acquired through social learning and active cognitive processing