A.P psych unit 10

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

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

unconcious

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

preconscious area

temporarily stores thoughts from unconscious from which we can retrieve them into conscious awareness

repress

forcibly block unacceptable passion or thoughts from our conscious awareness

manifest content

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream

latent content

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

Freud's personality structure

id, ego, superego

Id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

ego

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

Superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations

Freud's Psychosexual Stages

the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

oral

0-18 months, pleasure centers on the mouth- sucking, biting, chewing

anal

(18-36 months) pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control

Phallic

(3-6 years) pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings

Latency

6-puberty, dormant sexual feelings

Genital

(puberty on) maturation of sexual interests

Oedipus complex

according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father

Electra complex

Conflict during phallic stage in which girls supposedly love their fathers romantically and want to eliminate their mothers as rivals

identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos - now called gender identity

fixate

a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

defense mechanism

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality - function indirectly and unconsciously

Repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories - underlies all the other defense mechanisms

7 defense mechanisms

regression, reaction formation, projection, rationalization, displacement, sublimation, denial

Regression

psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

reaction formation

psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites

Projection

disguising one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Rationalization

defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions

Displacement

psychoanalytic defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet

Sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

Denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

psychodynamic theories

modern-day approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Neo-Freudians

Group of psychologists who agree with Freud's emphasis on personality structure, importance of unconsciousness, shaping of personality in childhood, dynamics of anxiety and defense mechanisms, but move away from a sole focus on sex and aggression and have a more emphasis on the conscious mind's role in interpreting and coping with the environment

Alfred Adler

Neo-Freudian; introduced the concept of "inferiority complex" and stressed the importance of birth order - childhood social tensions are crucial for personality formation - behavior driven by efforts to conquer childhood inferiority

Karen Horney

neo-Freudian, psychodynamic; criticized Freud, stated that personality is molded by current fears and impulses, rather than being determined solely by childhood experiences and instincts, neurotic trends; concept of "basic anxiety" - childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love/ security - feminine view

Carl Jung

neo-Freudian who created the concept of "collective unconscious" and wrote books on dream interpretation - less emphasis on social factors and agreed that the unconscious has powerful influence

collective unconscious

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

projective test

a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Thematic Appereception Test (TAT)

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Roschach Inkblot Test

the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

researchers also think consciousness involves...

1. the schemas that automatically control our perceptions and interpretations. 2. priming by stimuli to which we have not consciously attended 3. right hemisphere brain activity that enables the split- brain, patient's left hand to carry out an instruction patient cannot verbalize 4. implicit memories that operate without conscious recall, even among those with amnesia 5. emotions that activate instantly, before conscious analysis. 6. self- concept and stereotypes that automatically and unconsciously influence how we process info about ourselves and others

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors (roy baumeister)

terror management theory

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

humanistic theories

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth - choices are made by trying to be the best version of yourself

self-actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential

person/client-centered perspective

Carl Rodgers - people are basically good and endowed with self actualizing tendencies. Primed for growth and fulfillment

growth- promoting climate requires 3 things

Genuineness, acceptance, empathy

Genuineness

Genuine people are open with their own feelings , transparent, and self-disclosing

Acceptance

accepting people offer unconditional positive regard, relief to drop our pretenses, confess worst feelings, and discover we are still accepted. in good marriage, close family or friendship, free to be spontaneous without fearing loss of either's esteem. - find self- actualization - still love someone despite annoying characteristics

unconditional positive regard

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

empathy

empathetic people share/ mirror others' feelings and reflect meaning. - relationships are strong - big quality in becoming better

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?" - central feature of personality for Maslow and Rodgers

Trait

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs use to describe/ sort personality differently according to Carl Jung's personality types - based on responses to 126 questions - mostly used in counseling, leadership training, and work team development - group like minded people together

Gordon Allport

defined personality in terms of traits identifiable behavior patterns - concerned less with explaining traits than with describing them - trait theory

factor analysis

a statistical procedure used to identify clusters of test items that tap basic components of intelligence - Hans Eysenck and Sybil Eysenck - narrow down different types of personality into 4 categories

primary personality factors

extraversion- introversion and emotional stability - instability

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

Hans and Sybil Eysenck came up with it to describe personality variations

brain arousal in extroverts

low, seek stimulation - PET scans show frontal lobe area involved in behavior inhibition is less active in extroverts than in introverts - dopamine/ dopamine related neural activity tend to be higher

autonomic nervous system reactivity

Jerome Kagan has attributed differences in children's shyness and inhibition to it - reactive\= respond to stress with greater anxiety and inhibition - fearless/ curious child becomes rock climbing, fast driving adult

Barnum effect

People have the tendency to see themselves in vague, stock descriptions of personality

personality inventory

a questionnaire (often with 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 (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes. - empirically

empirically derived

a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups - Stark Hathaway - tested questions multiple times to figure out best questions

big 5 perosnality traits

conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion ( CANOE)

Conscientiousness (Big 5)

disorganized, careless, impulsive vs. organized, careful, disciplined - how goal directed/ persistent/ organized

Agreeableness (Big 5)

ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative vs. soft-hearted, trusting, helpful - how much someone puts others interests above their own

Neuroticism (emotional stability vs. instability)

calm, secure, self-satisfied vs. anxious, insecure, self-pitying - how sensitive someone is to stress and negative emotional triggers

Openness (Big 5)

practical, prefers routine, conforming vs. imaginative, prefers variety, independent - how open someone is to new ideas/ experiences

Extraversion (Big 5)

retiring, sober, reserved vs. sociable, fun-loving, affectionate - how much a person is energized by the outside world

Stability of the Big 5 Personality Traits

very stable - emotional stability, extraversion, and openness wane a little bit in early/ middle adulthood - agreeableness and conscientiousness rise

Heritability of Big 5

very, genetics play a big role in personality

Validity of big 5 personality traits

predict our behavior, valid

person-situation controversy

the question of whether behavior is caused more by personality or by situational factors - solve by looking for personality traits that are persistent over time and across situations - tend to say situation caused it when evaluating ourselves, personality caused it when evaluating others

personality traits seen in...

music preferences, bedrooms, offices, personal websites, electronic communication

social-cognitive perspective

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.- Albert Bandura

behavioral approach

in personality theory, this perspective focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

3 ways individuals and environments interact

-different people choose different environments( choose environment then it shapes you) -our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events (anxious people perceive the world as threatening) -our personalities help create situations to which we react ( how we view/ treat others influence how they view/ treat us)

biopsychosocial approach on personality

bio- genetically determined temperament, autonomic nervous system reactivity, brain activity- psycho- learned responses, unconscious thought processes, expectations/ interpretation - social- cultural- childhood experiences influence on the situation, cultural expectations, social support

personal control

whether we learn to see ourselves as controlling, or as controlled by, our environment

pessimism

the tendency to focus on the negative and expect the worst - people who attribute poor performance to their lack of ability or to situations out of their control - low grades

optimism

A general tendency to expect good outcomes. - good/ positive/ hopeful attitude

attributional style

a person's characteristic way of explaining outcomes of events in his or her life

positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive - exploring positive well-being, health, neuroscience, education - Pillars: positive emotions (happiness) positive character, positive groups, communities, and cultures

predicting future behavior

the person's best behavior patterns are in similar situations

self

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

spotlight effect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us) - fewer people notice than we presume

self-esteem

one's feelings of high or low self-worth

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

higher self esteem and self efficacy

fewer sleepless nights, more persistent, less shy/ anxious/ lonely, happy

self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably - people accept more responsibility for good deeds than for bad, and for successes than for failures - people see themselves as better than average

narcissism

excessive self-love and self-absorption - rising

why people disparage themselves

1. self- directed put downs can be subtly strategic 2. prepare us for possible failure 3. learn from our mistakes 4. pertains to one's old self

defensive self-esteem

fragile; focuses on sustaining itself, which makes failures and criticism feel threatening, exposes one to perceive threats which feeds anger and disorder

secure self-esteem

less fragile, less contingent on external evaluations, and more likely to achieve a greater quality of life, relieves pressure to succeed, focus beyond ourselves, losing ourselves in relationships and purposes larger than self

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications - north america, western europe, new zeeland - big "I" small "we"- more loneliness, higher divorce and homicide rates, stress- related disease

Collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly - south Korea, Japan, China - priority is "we" not "me" - more commitment/ friendship

psychoanalytic theory

freud - emotional disorders from unconscious dynamics ( unresolved sexual/ childhood conflicts, fixations at various stages) defense mechanisms fend off anxiety - personality consists of pleasure- seeking impulses (id) a reality oriented executive ( ego) and an internalized set of ideals (superego)

Psychodynamic

Adler, Horney, Jung - The unconscious and conscious minds interact. Childhood experiences and defense mechanisms are important. - The dynamic interplay of conscious and unconscious motives and conflicts shape our personality.