AP Psychology Unit 4 - Motivation, Emotion, Stress, & Personality

motivation

an internal state that activates behavior and directs it toward a goal

instinct theory

belief that behavior patterns of a species is unlearned, innate, inherited

drive-reduction theory

belief that when we are not in homeostasis, it creates a need which motivates us to engage in a behavior to bring us back to stability

arousal theory

belief that we have an optimal level of energy and interest, and we will be motivated to act when it is too low

Yerkes-Dodson Law

inverted U-shaped model stating that performance is best under conditions of moderate arousal rather than either low or high arousal

sensation-seeking theory

belief that humans are willing to take risks to fulfill our need for new and intense experiences

self-determination theory

motivated by competence, autonomy, and relatedness

intrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

incentive theory

belief that drive pushes us while incentives pull us

Lewin's motivational conflict theory

proposes that choices create conflicts one must resolve as the basis of motivation

approach-approach conflict

choosing between two desirable options, like picking between two dream jobs

avoidance-avoidance conflict

choosing between two undesirable outcomes, like having to clean your room or study for a test

approach-avoidance conflict

deciding whether to take a high paying job that requires relocating to a city you dislike

Aron Ralston

guy who got his arm stuck in a boulder and was motivated enough to cut his arm in order to free himself

hunger

both physiological and psychological

lateral hypothalamus

tells us we are hungry and makes us want to eat

ventromedial hypothalamus

tells us we are full and makes us stop eating

ghrelin

hormone that is secreted by an empty stomach

leptin

secreted by the fat calls to signal satiety

emotions

a complex state of feeling that results in physical and psychological causes that influence thought and behavior, reflect internal and external factors without reasoning or knowledge

James-Lange theory

the theory that emotion occurs from a physiological reaction to stress

Cannon-Bard theory

the theory that physiological responses and emotions happen simultaneously

factor theory

the theory that there is no physiological response and we make a cognitive appraisal and give it a cognitive label

facial feedback hypothesis

emotional expressions can cause the emotional experiences they signify

broaden and build theory

theory that focuses on positive emotions because they increase awareness, boost coping,g and improve resilience

universal emotions

anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, contempt and fear

display rules

culture-specific rules that govern the how, when, and why expressions of emotion are appropriate

stress

any circumstance that may be real or perceived and threatens one's well-being, process by which we appraise and cope with stressors

behavioral medicine

an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease

health psychology

a field of psychology that contributes to behavioral medicine

distress

makes us feel anxious, overwhelmed, or frustrated, impairs focus and performance

eustress

makes us feel motivated, determined, or excited, improves focus and performance

flight, fight, freeze

response that occurs when you perceive a threat to your well being

general adaptation syndrome

according to Selye, stress response to any kind of stimulation is similar

coronary heat diseases

caused by stress that leads to elevated blood pressure, clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle

psychophysiological illness

literally, mind-body illness, any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health

B lymphocytes

fight bacterial infections

T lymphocytes

attack cancer cells and viruses

microphages

ingest foreign substances

tend and befriend theory

theory that females are more likely than males to respond to stressors with behaviors that are quiet, nurture and care for offspring (tending), and establish and maintain social networks (befriending)

personality

pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting, persistent in your life

Freud

took the psychoanalytic theory

Neo-Freudians

Jung, Horney, Adler, and Erikson gave us the psychodynamic approach by taking the sex/aggression part out of Freud's theory

conscious mind

psychodynamic theorists believe this is the part of personality that is our sense of right and wrong

unconscious mind

psychodynamic theorists say this is what we really use to make decisions and what controls our behavior

id

earliest part of our personality to develop, seeks immediate gratification, operates on the pleasure principle, completely in your unconscious

ego

develops in our early childhood, helps us understand the consequences of the decisions we make, operates on the reality principle, mostly in the conscious mind

superego

develops around the age of 5 as we internalize what our parents value as right and wrong, operates on the morality principle, found in both our conscious and unconsciousness

defense mechanisms

how our unconscious protects our ego in stressful situations

denial

refusing to recognize a painful reality

repression

pushing unwanted memories that are stressful/painful into your unconscious

sublimation

aggressive impulses are channeled into something acceptable

regression

reverting back to infantile behavior

reaction formation

having an unacceptable impulse and acting the opposite way

rationalizaiton

giving a logical reason to justify an unacceptable feeling or behavior

projection

disguising your real feelings by attributing them to others

displacement

shifting your anger or aggression from the real target to something else threatening

protective tests

personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli to the client and ask the client to respond with whatever comes to mind, they are subjective because it wants to project your unconscious mind, unstructured and open-ended

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

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

Rorschach's Ink Blot Test

a projective test in which people decide what an ink blob resembles to show their thoughs

Abraham Maslow

was all about growing and reaching our true potential, our personality was shaped by our growth and quest for self-esteem and self-actualization

Carl Rogers

he said that we are predisposed for growth and fulfillment, they have an innate drive toward reaching their full potential, we need empathy, geniuneness, anti acceptance from the important people

self-concept

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

unconditional positive regard

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

congruence

state of being in which our thoughts about our real and ideal selves are very similar

incongruence

state of being in which there is a great discrepancy between our real and ideal selves

self-efficacy

our belief in our own abilities

reciprocal determinism

Bandura's explanation of how the factors of environment, personal characteristics, and behavior can interact to determine future behavior

the big five

created by Costa and McRea, combination of five factors to rank as high for low, traits become stable in adulthood

objective tests

use self-report personality inventories, participants respond to questionnaires, easy to score and not subject to interpretation

factor analysis

a statistical technique used to analyze multiple factors to identify clusters of traits that are related to each other

construct validity

the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure

person-situation controversy

trait theory does not look at the situation, it assumes traits will be stable across situations

OCEAN

openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism