AP Pyschology-Personality

Unit 4

Psychodynamic theory

theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences

Unconscious processes

mental activities that occur without conscious awareness

Preconscious

information not currently in conscious awareness but can be easily brought to conscious awareness

Conscious

the state of being aware of oneself and one’s environment

Id

the most primitive and instinctive part of personality, present at birth

Ego

the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and unconscious, and is responsible for reality testing and sense of personal identity

Superego

the ethical component of the personality and provides moral standards by which the ego operates

Instincts

a complex behavior that is ridigly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

Defense mechanisms

the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression

the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

Denial

when someone acts as if the negative feelings or events that cause negative emotions do not exist

Displacement

when someone takes their negative emotions and focuses them on a different, safer target

Projection

when someone attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to another person

Reaction formation

when someone expresses an exaggerated, opposite version of how they actually feel

Regression

when an individual unconsciously reverts to earlier stages’ behavior as a way to cope

Rationalization

when someone creates seemingly logical reasons to justify their behavior, even if its not the real reason behind the behavior

Sublimination

when a person channels unacceptable impulses into acceptable behavior

Projective tests

a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger protection of one’s inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind

Humanistic psychology

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Self-concept

assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions

Self-esteem

our feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-actualize

the innate human drive to fulfill one’s full potential and become the best version of oneself

Unconditional postive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgemental attitude, which helps people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

Big five

there are five traits - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism - that describe personality

Agreeableness

compassion, kindness, and caring for other people

Openness

appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual idea, and curiosity

Extroversion

outgoing, sociable, and energetic behavior

Conscientiousness

responsible, hard-working, and organized

Emotional stability

a person’s ability to stay balanced and calm, especially during stressful times

Reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

Self-efficacy

our sense of competence and effectiveness

Internal locus of control

you are in control of the outcomes of your life

External locus of control

external factors control the outcomes of your life

Explanatory style

a person’s habitual ways of interpreting and explaining the causes of events in their life

Optimistic explanatory style

a style characterized by narratives that blame external forces or isolated events that affect a person’s life

Pessimistic explanatory style

a style characterized by people who view setbacks as personal, permanent, and pervasive

Personality inventories

a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feeling and behaviors used to assess selected personality traits