Psychological Theories and Concepts

These flashcards encompass key theories, concepts, and definitions related to psychological development, emotion, and identity formation.

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

A theory that proposes human development is shaped by various stages, each characterized by a particular erogenous zone and associated psychological conflicts.

Oedipus Complex

A child's feelings of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy toward their same-sex parent, occurring in the phallic stage of psychosexual development.

Ego

The rational part of personality that negotiates realistic ways to satisfy the id's impulses.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

A developmental theory that outlines eight stages where individuals face psychosocial conflicts that must be resolved.

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

A theory that emphasizes learning through observation and imitation of others, including concepts like vicarious reinforcement.

Hostile Attribution Bias

The tendency to interpret ambiguous actions by others as aggressive or hostile.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

A framework that identifies various environmental systems that influence human development, including microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

Affluenza

A condition affecting affluent youth, leading to maladjustment due to excessive achievement pressures and emotional disconnection from adults.

Emotion Regulation

The ability to adjust one’s emotional experiences and expressions to a comfortable intensity.

Temperament

The individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity, as well as self-regulation, believed to be biologically based.

Secure Attachment

An attachment style characterized by a child who is comfortable with proximity to the caregiver and shows distress when separated.

Self-Recognition

An infant's ability to recognize themselves in a mirror, often tested using the 'rouge test'.

Identity Status Theory

A framework that categorizes individuals' identity formation into four statuses: achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion.

Emotional Display Rules

Societal guidelines for when and how emotions should be expressed, which children learn to obey as they grow.

Self-Esteem

An individual's evaluation of their self-worth, influenced by perceived competencies and social acceptance.