TAMU Psych 107 Final Exam

Personality

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

temperament + character

character

value judgments of a person's moral and ethical behavior

psychodynamic perspective

A psychological perspective that analyzes how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts (childhood experiences)

social-cognitive perspective

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

Humanistic Perspective

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

trait perspective

Perspective of personality that focuses on durable aspects of a persons characteristic behaviors and conscious motives

unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories of which we are unaware.

temperament

the enduring characteristics with which each person is born

Freud

father of modern psychology and of the psychoanalytic movement

Id

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

ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego 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

psychosexual stages

the childhood stages of development during which the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Oral Stage (0-18 months)

pleasure centers on the mouth- sucking, biting, chewing

Anal Stage (18-36 months)

pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control

Phallic Stage (3-6 years)

pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings

Oedipus complex

Latency Stage (6-puberty)

dormant sexual feelings

Genital Stage (puberty on)

maturation of sexual interests

identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

Fixation

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

might occur when a person is either overindulged or deprived

defense mechanisms

the ego's protective methods of reducing or redirecting anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression (defense mechanism)

Involuntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and experiences from ones awareness

(EX: An accident victim can remember nothing about the accident)

psychological defense mechanisms

denial, repression, rationalization, projection, reaction formation, displacement, regression, identification, compensation, sublimation (DRRRRPDICS)

Denial (defense mechanism)

refusal to recognize or acknowledge a threatening situation (ex: an alcoholic who refuses to acknowledge he is an alcoholic)

Rationalization (defense mechanism)

making up acceptable excuses for unacceptable behavior (ex: if I don't eat breakfast I can have cake later without hurting my diet)

reaction formation (defense mechanism)

forming an emotional reaction or attitude that is the opposite of one's threatening or unacceptable actual thoughts (ex: charley is attracted to Simon but outwardly expresses a hatred of homosexuals)

projection (defense mechanism)

placing one's own unacceptable thoughts onto others, as if the thoughts belonged to them and not to oneself

(ex: Britney is attracted to her sister's husband but denies this and believes the husband is attracted to her)

Regression (defense mechanism)

falling back on childlike patterns as a way of coping with stressful situations

(ex: four year old Blain starts wetting the bed after his parents bring home a new baby)

displacement (defense mechanism)

expressing feelings that would be threatening if directed at the real target onto a less threatening substitute target

(ex: sandra gets reprimanded by her boss and goes home to pick a fight with her husband)

identification (defense mechanism)

trying to become like someone else to deal with one's anxiety

(ex: sam admires emily the most popular girl in school, and tries to copy her dress and style)

compensation (substitution/defense mechanism)

trying to make up for areas in which a lack is perceived by becoming superior in some other area

(ethan is not good at sports so he puts his efforts into becoming an academic scholar)

sublimation (defense mechanism)

channeling socially unacceptable impulses into constructive, even admirable, behavior

(ex: ryder is very aggressive and becomes a skilled martial arts fighter)

Neo-Freudians

followers of Freud who developed PSYCHODYNAMIC theories

Broke off from Freud in 2 ways:

-placed more emphasis on the conscious mind's role in interpreting experience and in coping with the environment

-doubted that sex and aggression were all-consuming motivations; tended to emphasize loftier motives and social interactions (fame/wealth/success)

Alfred Adler

proposed feelings of inferiority as the driving force behind personality and developed birth order theory

Karen Horney

developed a theory based on basic anxiety is triggered by desire for love and security; rejected the concept of penis envy

Carl Jung

developed a theory of collective unconscious

collective unconscious

concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history (all memories shared by all members of the human species)

Erikson (Stages of social development)

developed a theory based on social rather than sexual relationships, covering the entire life span

Abraham Maslow

Humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization" (process of fulfilling our potential)

Carl Rogers

Person-centered perspective; a growth promoting social environment strengthens acceptance, genuineness and empathy; central feature is self-concept

self-concept

our understanding and evaluation of who we are that develops through interactions with significant people or events in one's life

humanistic theories

emphasize the way people strive for self-determination and self-realization

unconditional positive regard

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person given without conditions or strings attached

self-actualizing tendency

the striving to fulfill one's innate capacities and capabilities

Trait

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

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (factors) of test items that tap basic components of a trait

Allport

first developed a list of about 200 traits and believed that these traits were part of the nervous system

Cattell

reduced the number of traits to between 16 and 23 with a computer method called factor analysis

surface traits

aspects of personality that can easily be seen by other people in the outward actions of a person

source traits

the more basic traits that underlie the surface traits, forming the core of personality

The Big 5 Personality Traits

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, Extraversion

Conscientiousness

A personality dimension that describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized

Agreeableness

A personality dimension that describes someone who is good natured, cooperative, and trusting.

Neuroticism

A personality dimension describing people with high levels of anxiety, hostility, depression, and self-consciousness.

Openness

a personality trait describing someone as curious, imaginative, creative, adventurous, and inventive

Extraversion

A personality dimension describing someone who is sociable, talkative, optimistic

Behaviorism/ists

define personality as a set of learned responses or habits and the interaction between traits and social context

Bandura

reciprocal determinism and self efficacy

reciprocal determinism

one's environment, characteristics and behaviors all interact and are influenced by personality

self-efficacy

one's sense of competence and effectiveness

Rotter

social learning theory and locus of control (personality is a set of potential responses to various situations including expectancy and control); one either assumes that one's actions directly affect events and reinforces these experiences or that these events are the result of fate, luck or a power greater than themselves

person-situation controversy

-the question of whether behavior is caused more by personality or by situational factors

-behavior is influenced by the interaction of our inner disposition and our environment

-for the most part personality traits are stable

-average behaviors are predictable

projection test

a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Rorsarch ink blot test

a type of projection test; set of 10 inkblots that seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

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

NEO-PI

a survey that assesses The Big Five traits, people indicate how much they think different verbal descriptions apply to them (personality inventory)

Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A widely used personality test based on Jungian types of personalities

MMPI-2

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 derived

psychological disorder

a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior

Abnormal Behavior Criteria

1. statistically rare

2. deviant from social norms

3. causes subjective discomfort

4. does not allow day-to-day functioning

5. causes a person to be dangerous to self or others

DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

-common tool for describing and diagnosing mental disorders through specific criteria and tests

-has 20 categories that help to identify more than 250 disorders

-has been revised as knowledge about and ways of thinking about psychological disorders has changed

phobia

type of anxiety disorder; irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

fear of interacting with others or being in social situations that might lead to a negative evaluation

anxiety disorders

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal for more than 6 months at a time; worry constantly about anything

panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations.

specific phobia

phobia that occurs in response to a specific type of object or situation

agoraphobia

fear of place or situation from which escape is difficult or impossible

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)

(used to be an anxiety disorder but was reclassified)

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

a disorder resulting from exposure to a major, traumatic stressor immediately after the event

cause of anxiety disorder

repressed urges and desires trying to come into consciousness, creates *** that is controlled by the abnormal behavior

behavioral (cause of anxiety)

disordered behavior learned through operant and classical conditioning techniques

cognitive (cause of anxiety)

excessive anxiety from illogical, irrational thought processes

biological (cause of anxiety)

chemical imbalance in the nervous system

mood

involves our over-all prevailing emotional state/tone

affect

involves out moment to moment emotional reactions and expressions

mood disorders

characterized by significant disturbances in emotion (emotions are extreme)

major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)

A type of mood disorder characterized by experiencing five or more symptoms of depression, including either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, for at least two weeks straight with no clear cause

bipolar disorder (manic depression)

A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania.

Bipolar I Disorder

full-blown mania that alternates with episodes of major depression

Bipolar II Disorder

a disorder characterized by alternating periods of extremely depressed and mildly elevated moods

causes of mood disorders

behavioral (links depression to learned helplessness), cognitive (distorted or illogical thinking) and biological (genes, hormones etc.)

Schizophrenia

a psychotic disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression

psychotic disorder

a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality

positive schizophrenia symptoms

inappropriate behaviors are present; delusions and unshakeable false beliefs and hallucinations

negative schizophrenia symptoms

loss or absence of normal thought processes and behaviors, including impaired attention, limited/toneless speech, flat affect,

social withdrawal

cause of positive schizophrenia

appears to be associated with over activity of the dopamine areas of the brain

cause of negative schizophrenia

appears to be associated with lower dopamine activity

Causes of Schizophrenia

abnormal brain activity and brain structure as well as genetics