Ch. 10 Personality and the Self

self

a mental representation—or schema— that organizes our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about who we are and we tend to behave

spotlight effect

our tendency to overestimate the extend to which other people notice and judge our appearance or behavior

humanistic

a school of thought that emphasizes people’s basic goodness and capacity for growth and fulfillment

self image

one’s perception of one’s self based on personal beliefs, biases, emotions, and feedback from others; one of the three components of self-concept, along with self-esteem and ideal self

self esteem

one’s feelings or evaluations about oneself; one of the three components of self-concept, along with self-image and ideal self

ideal self

our idealized, or fantasized, concept of who we would like to be; one of the three components of self-concept, along with self-image and self-esteem

self-serving bias

the tendency to make favorable attributions for our own behaviors or outcomes, such as making external attributions of our failures but internal attributions for our successes

downward social comparisons

comparing oneself to someone we perceive to be worse off, less skilled, or less attractive; tends to increase one’s self-esteem

upward social comparisons

comparing oneself to someone we perceive to be better off, more skilled, or more attractive; tends to decrease one’s self-esteem

individualistic cultures

culture in which the individual is given priority over the group and identity is defined by personal characteristic rather than group membership

collectivist cultures

culture in which the group is given priority over the individual and identity is defined by group membership rather than personal characteristics

psychodynamic perspective

Sigmund Freud’s theory that emphasizes the ways unconscious thoughts influence behavior

id

in the psychodynamic theory, the personality structure that is completely unconscious and operates on the pleasure principle

ego

in the psychodynamic theory, the personality structure that is mostly conscious and operates on the reality principle to find suitable ways to satisfy the id

superego

in the psychodynamic theory, the personality structure that represents internalized social rules and expectations

defense mechanism

in the psychodynamic theory, the unconscious mental strategies for relieving anxiety, typically by distorting reality

denial

a type of defense mechanism that involves refusing to believe or acknowledge a cause of one’s anxiety

projection

a type of defense mechanism that involved attributing one’s own unacceptable qualities to others

regression

a type of defense mechanism that involves reverting to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development when faced with stress or anxiety

displacement

a type of defense mechanism that involves shifting anxious thoughts or urges away from their original target and onto another person or situaiton

rationalization

a type of defense mechanism that involved creating a self-serving excuse for unacceptable or shameful behaviro

reaction formation

a type of defense mechanism that involved transforming an anxious thought or urge into its opposite

sublimation

a type of defense mechanism that involves channeling unacceptable urges into socially acceptable behaviors

libido

Sigmund Freund’s term for the motivation to pursue pleasurable behaviors that help us survive, from eating to sexual activity

oral stage

the first stage of Freud's psychosexual development, occurring from birth to about 18 months, where an infant's pleasure centers on the mouth

anal stage

the second stage of Freud's psychosexual development, occurring between ages 1 and 3, where a child's pleasure centers on the anus and the control of bowel movements

phallic stage

the third stage of Freud's psychosexual development, occurring from ages 3 to 6, where a child's pleasure centers on the genitals and the exploration of sexual identity

latency

the fourth stage of Freud's psychosexual development, occurring from ages 6 to puberty, where sexual feelings are largely suppressed and children focus on social skills and relationships

genital stage

the final stage of Freud's psychosexual development, occurring from puberty onward, where the focus shifts to mature sexual intimacy and the establishment of relationships

childhood fixations

Sigmund Freud’s idea that children can get “stuck” in one stage of psychosexual development, which has lasting effects on their personality and how they pursue pleasure

locus of control

one’s belief about whether outcomes are controlled by internal factors (personality, intelligence, skill, etc) or external factors (situation, fate, luck, etc)

internal locus of control

the perception that we control or determine our experiences and outcomes

external locus of control

the perception that forces outside of our control determine our experiences and outcomes

reciprocal determinism

Albert Bandura’s model describing the interacting influences of behavior, personal factors, and social environment

self-actualization

the psychological need to fulfill one’s potential

unconditional positive regard

a caring, empathetic, and nonjudgemental attitude toward a person