unit 4 personality

personality

an individual's characteristics pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Psychodynamic theories

theories that view personality with a focus on the

unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory & form of therapy, based on the idea that unconscious thoughts and conflicts shape our behavior and mental health.

Unconscious (Freud's definition)

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

Unconscious (contemporary psychologists' definition)

information processing of which we are unaware.

Free association

A psychoanalysis method where a person relaxes and says anything that comes to mind, without filtering their thoughts to explore unconscious thoughts

Id

part of the mind that holds basic urges (e.g: sex/aggression) & seeks immediate pleasure without thinking about consequences.

ego

The partly conscious “executive” part of the mind that makes decisions, balancing your basic urges, your morals, and what’s realistic. Mediate id and superego and reality--in the reality principle to realistically bring id pleasure w/o pain

Superego

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

Freud's psychosexual stages

the oral (0-18 months) pleasure center on the mouth - sucking, biting, chewing

the Anal (18-36 months) pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination, coping with demands for control

the Phalic (3-6 years) pleasure zone is the genital: coping with incestuous sexual feelings

the Latency( 6 years to puberty) A phase of dominant sexual feelings

Genital(puberty on) Maturation of sexual interest

Defense mechanisms:

In psychoanalytic theory, 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

a defense mechanism where an individual reverts to an earlier stage of development or immature behaviors when facing stress, anxiety, or trauma

reaction formation

Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposite

projection

a defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously attributes their own unwanted emotions, thoughts, or faults onto another person

rationaliztion

A defense mechanism where individuals justify unacceptable behaviors, thoughts, or feelings by creating logical, socially acceptable excuses, thereby avoiding uncomfortable truths

displacement

an unconscious defense mechanism where a person redirects negative emotions—typically anger or frustration—from the original, threatening source to a less threatening, safer target

Sublimation

a mature defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses, aggressive drives, or uncomfortable emotions (like rage or anxiety) are unconsciously redirected into productive, constructive, and socially acceptable activities

denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of

memory traces from our species' history.

Terror-management theory:

A theory of death-related anxiety; people's

emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

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.

Projective test

A personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides

ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and

explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Rorschach inkblot test:

A projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks

to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 ink blots.

Humanistic theories:

Theories that view personality with a focus on the potential

for healthy personal growth.

Hierarchy of needs:

Maslow's level of human needs beginning at the base with

physiological needs. Often visualized as a pyramid, with needs near the base taking priority until they are satisfied.

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.

Unconditional positive regard:

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude,

which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance. (Also known as unconditional regard.)

Self-concept

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

Traits

A characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

Personality inventory

inventory: a questionnaire (often with true- false or agree-disagree items) 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.

Empirically derived test:

a test (such as the MMPI) created by selecting from a

pool of items that discriminate between groups.

Big Five factors:

five traits - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion,

agreeableness, and neuroticism - that describe personality(Also called the five factor model.)

Social-cognitive perspective:

How people's behavior is shaped by the interaction of their traits and thoughts and the situation they're in.

Behavioral approach:

Focuses on the effects of learning on our personality

development

Reciprocal determinism:

The interacting influences of behavior, internal

cognition, and environment

Self:

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

Spotlight effect:

overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).

Self-esteem:

our feelings of high or low self-worth.

Self-efficacy:

our sense of competence and effectiveness.

Self-serving bias:

a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably.

Narcissism:

excessive self-love and self-absorption.

Individualism:

a cultural pattern that emphasizes people's own goals over group goals and defines identity mainly in terms of unique personal attributes.

Collectivism:

a cultural pattern that prioritizes the goals of important groups (often one's own extended family or work group).

Motivation:

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.

Instinct:

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.

Physiological need:

a basic bodily requirement.

Drive-reduction theory:

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused

state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

Homeostasis:

the tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates

behavior.

Yerkes-Dodson law:

the principle that performance increases with arousal only

up to a point, beyond which performance (e.g: little stressed is bored and too stressed is overwhelmed)

Affiliation need:

the need to build and maintain relationships and to feel part of a group.

Self-determination theory:

the theory that we feel motivated to satisfy our

needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Intrinsic motivation:

the desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own

sake.

Extrinsic motivation:

the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised

rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

Achievement motivation:

a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery

of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard.

grit

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Glucose:

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.

Set point:

the point at which the "weight thermostat" may be set. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight.

Obesity:

defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is calculated from our weight-to-height ratio. (Individuals who are overweight have a BMI of

25 or higher.)

Emotion:

A response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and, most importantly, (3) conscious experience resulting from one's interpretations.

Polygraph:

a machine used in attempts to detect lies; measures emotion-linked changes in perspiration, heart rate, and breathing.

Facial feedback effect:

The tendency of facial muscle states to trigger

corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness.

Behavior feedback effect:

The tendency of behavior to influence our own and

others thoughts, feelings, and actions.