Psychology: Freudian Theories, Social Psychology, and Personality Traits

Id

Unconscious drives seeking immediate gratification.

Ego

Rational mediator between id and reality.

Superego

Moral conscience.

Oedipus Complex

Freudian theory: young boys feel unconscious sexual desire for their mother and rivalry toward their father.

Psychosexual Stages

Freud's stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital—each with unique conflicts.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies (repression, denial, projection, displacement) that protect from anxiety.

Psychoanalysis vs. Neo-Freudians

Neo-Freudians placed less emphasis on sex/aggression and more on social/cultural influences.

Self-Efficacy

Bandura: belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations.

Locus of Control

Internal = belief you control outcomes; External = outcomes due to luck or outside forces.

Marshmallow Test

Mischel's study: children who delayed gratification had better long-term outcomes.

Self-Actualization

Maslow: achieving one's fullest potential.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Rogers: accepting others without judgment; essential for healthy self-concept.

Trait

Stable characteristic of behavior or disposition.

Two Basic Dimensions of Personality

Eysenck: extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability.

The Big Five

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Person-Situation Controversy

Debate over whether traits or situations better predict behavior.

Reciprocal Determinism

Bandura: interaction between behavior, personal factors, and environment.

Projective Tests

Tests using ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious processes (Rorschach, TAT).

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating personality and underestimating situational factors when judging others.

Just-World Hypothesis

Belief that people get what they deserve; leads to victim-blaming.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Agreeing to a small request increases chance of agreeing to a larger one.

Stanford Prison Experiment

Zimbardo: roles and situations can produce extreme behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance

Discomfort caused by inconsistent attitudes or behaviors; motivates attitude change.

Asch Conformity Study

Participants conformed to incorrect group answers about line lengths.

Milgram Obedience Study

Participants obeyed authority even when harming others with shocks.

Group Polarization

Group discussion strengthens existing opinions.

Stereotypes and Discrimination

Stereotypes = beliefs; discrimination = harmful behavior toward groups.

Implicit Racial Associations

Unconscious attitudes tested by the Implicit Association Test (IAT).

In-Group Bias

Favoring one's own group over others.

Robber's Cave Experiment

Sherif: intergroup conflict reduced through cooperation toward shared goals.

Ways to Reduce Prejudice

Cooperation, equal-status contact, empathy, education, meaningful interactions.

Bullying

Repeated aggression with a power imbalance.

Bystander Effect

People are less likely to help when others are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Feeling less personal responsibility when others share responsibility.