AP Psychology: Unit 4 (Personality)

Personality

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Freud's followers

individuals who accepted or rejected various ideas proposed by Freud

Projective tests

assessments used to evaluate personality that involve ambiguous stimuli

Criticisms of projective tests

concerns regarding the validity and reliability of the results from these assessments

Psychodynamic theories

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

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions.

Unconscious

According to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories (contemporary = information processing of which we are unaware).

Free association

In psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.

Id

A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives (operates on pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification).

Ego

The largely conscious, 'executive' part of personality that mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality (operates on reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain).

Superego

The part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.

Psychosexual stages

The childhood stages of development during which (according to Freud) the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.

Defense mechanisms

(In psychoanalytic theory) the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Repression

Banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to an earlier stage of development in response to stress.

Reaction formation

A defense mechanism where an individual behaves in a way that is opposite to their true feelings.

Projection

A defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner.

Displacement

A defense mechanism where an individual shifts their impulses from a threatening object to a safer target.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism that involves channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Denial

A defense mechanism where an individual refuses to accept reality or facts.

Adler's inferiority complex

A concept that suggests feelings of inferiority can lead to compensatory behaviors.

Horney's sense of helplessness

A theory suggesting that feelings of helplessness can arise from childhood experiences.

Jung's 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 that explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

Projective Test

A personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

(Most widely used projective test, designed by Hermann Rorschach) seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 ink blots.

Humanistic Theories

View personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.

Hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow's level of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs (needs near the base of pyramid taking priority until they are satisfied).

Self-actualization

The motivation to fulfill one's potential, arising after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved.

Self-transcendence

The striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self.

Unconditional positive regard

Caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Self-concept

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

Trait

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

Questionnaire (often 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.

Empirically derived test

A test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups.

Big Five factors

Five traits that describe personality: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (emotional stability vs instability), Openness, Extraversion.

Person-situation controversy

Debate on whether traits are consistent across different situations.

Strengths of personality inventories

Provide a wide range of feelings and behaviors assessment.

Weaknesses of personality inventories

Can be vague and subjective, and may reflect individualistic and Western biases.

Criticisms of Humanistic Theories

Vague and subjective, individualistic and Western biased, naïve.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A personality inventory that categorizes individuals into 16 different personality types.

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

A personality assessment tool that measures three dimensions of personality.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to identify underlying relationships between variables.

Naïve criticism

A critique suggesting that humanistic theories oversimplify complex human behavior.

Individualistic bias

A critique suggesting that humanistic theories may not apply universally across cultures.

Vague criticism

A critique indicating that humanistic theories lack clear definitions and measurable outcomes.

Jung Typology Test (MBTI)

A personality assessment that categorizes individuals based on four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perceiving.

Extraversion (E)

A trait that reflects how sociable and outgoing a person is.

Introversion (I)

A trait that reflects how reserved and solitary a person is.

Sensing (S)

A trait that describes how people gather information through their senses.

Intuition (N)

A trait that describes how people gather information through patterns and possibilities.

Thinking (T)

A trait that reflects how people make decisions based on logic and objective analysis.

Feeling (F)

A trait that reflects how people make decisions based on personal values and emotions.

Judging (J)

A trait that reflects how people prefer structure and decisiveness.

Perceiving (P)

A trait that reflects how people prefer flexibility and spontaneity.

Big 5 Traits

A model that identifies five key personality traits: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness.

Neuroticism

A trait characterized by emotional instability and reactivity.

Agreeableness

A trait characterized by kindness and cooperativeness.

Conscientiousness

A trait characterized by thoughtfulness and dependability.

Openness

A trait characterized by creativity and intrigue.

Social-cognitive perspective

A view that behavior is influenced by the interaction between personal traits and social context.

Behavioral approach

An approach that focuses on the effects of learning on personality development.

Reciprocal determinism

The concept that behavior, internal cognition, and environment interact and influence each other.

Self

In contemporary psychology, the center of personality, organizing thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Spotlight effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others notice and evaluate our appearance and actions.

Self-esteem

Our feelings of high or low self-worth.

Self-efficacy

Our sense of competence and effectiveness in performing tasks.

Self-serving bias

A tendency to perceive oneself favorably, attributing successes to oneself and failures to external factors.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-absorption.

Individualism

A cultural pattern emphasizing personal goals over group goals and defining identity through unique personal attributes.

Collectivism

A cultural pattern prioritizing the goals of important groups over individual goals.