Personality Parts 1 & 2

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to personality theories, definitions, and mechanisms discussed in the lecture.

Definition of Personality

A stable set of behavioral and experiential characteristics (traits) of an individual.

Phrenology

The pseudoscience of measuring the areas of a person’s skull to determine personality traits.

Somatotypes

William Sheldon's proposed classification of body types into ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.

The P. T. Barnum Effect

The tendency for people to identify with generalized personality descriptions.

The Big Three Personality Theories

Psychoanalysis, Behaviorism, and Humanism.

Psychoanalysis

A theory of personality based on the assumption that human behavior is driven by unconscious motivations.

Ego

The rational part of personality that balances the desires of the id and the moral demands of the superego.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety.

Rationalization

Justifying undesirable behaviors by using logic to explain them.

Psychosexual Development

Freud's theory detailing stages of personality development related to the sexual energy of the id.

Oedipus Complex

A child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that contains thoughts and feelings that are not accessible to conscious awareness.

Definition of Personality

A stable set of behavioral and experiential characteristics (traits) of an individual.

Phrenology

The pseudoscience of measuring the areas of a person
’s skull to determine personality traits.

Somatotypes

William Sheldon's proposed classification of body types into ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.

The P. T. Barnum Effect

The tendency for people to identify with generalized personality descriptions.

The Big Three Personality Theories

Psychoanalysis, Behaviorism, and Humanism.

Psychoanalysis

A theory of personality based on the assumption that human behavior is driven by unconscious motivations.

Ego

The rational part of personality that balances the desires of the id and the moral demands of the superego.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety.

Rationalization

Justifying undesirable behaviors by using logic to explain them.

Psychosexual Development

Freud's theory detailing stages of personality development related to the sexual energy of the id.

Oedipus Complex

A child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that contains thoughts and feelings that are not accessible to conscious awareness.

What do personality theories aim to understand?

Personality theories aim to understand the underlying motivations, patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make each individual unique and consistent over time.

What is the 'id' in Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

The 'id' is the primitive, instinctual component of personality that operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of urges and desires.

What is the 'superego' in Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

The 'superego' is the moral component of personality, representing internalized societal and parental standards of right and wrong, and striving for perfection.

What is the 'preconscious' level of the mind according to Freud?

The 'preconscious' contains thoughts, memories, and information that are not currently in conscious awareness but can be easily retrieved and brought into consciousness.

What is 'fixation' in Freud's psychosexual development theory?

Fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage because of over- or under-gratification of needs at that stage, potentially influencing adult personality traits.

What are 'Eros' and 'Thanatos' in Freud's theory?

Eros is the life instinct, encompassing drives for survival, pleasure, and reproduction; Thanatos is the death instinct, representing aggressive and self-destructive urges.

Behaviorism (Personality Theory)

A theory that personality is primarily shaped by environmental influences and learned behaviors through conditioning.

Trait Theory of Personality

An approach to personality that focuses on identifying, describing, and measuring individual differences in broad, stable dispositions.

Humanism (Personality Theory)

A theory emphasizing the innate goodness of individuals, their drive for self-actualization, and the importance of free will and personal growth.

Collective Unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a universal, inherited reservoir of memories, images, and archetypes shared by all humans, impacting personality.

Self-Actualization

Abraham Maslow's concept referring to the highest level of psychological development, where individuals achieve their full potential and realize their deepest desires.

Reciprocal Determinism

Albert Bandura's theory stating that personality is shaped by the continuous interaction among an individual's cognition, behavior, and environmental factors.