AP Psychology - Emotions and Personality

Emotion

* a response of the whole organism
* physiological arousal (heart pounding)
* Expressive behaviors (quickened pace)
* Conscious experience (interpreting a persons intentions and feeling fearful)

difference between mood and emotion

Mood lasts longer than emotions and is milder whereas emotions are short lived but are more intense

Theories of Emotion

* James Lange
* Cannon Bard
* Schachter Two factor theory
* Other: zajonc, Lazarus

James Lange Theory Of emotion

* experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion - arousing stimuli
* Ex: sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) → pounding heart (arousal) - (sympathetic nervous system - arousal) → fear (emotion)

Cannon Bard Theory of emotion

* emotion arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger:
* physiological responses, subjective experience of emotion
* Ex: sight of oncoming car → arousal and emotion at the same time

Schachters Two factor theory of emotion

* to experience emotion, one must be physically aroused, cognitively label the arousal
* Ex: sight of oncoming car → arousal and cognitive label “I’m afraid” → emotion (fear)

Zajonc (zi-yenoe) theory of emotion

Emotion is like a reflex (event -→ emotional response)

Lazarus theory of emotion

* need to know what you are reacting to:
* cognitive → emotion
* event → appraisal → emotional response

Two dimensions (two - dimensional) of emotion

positive valence, negative valence, low arousal, high arousal

positive valence, high arousal

* joy


* ex - six flags, amusement park

positive valence, low arousal

* pleasant, relaxation
* ex - sleeping, reading, listening to music, spa

negative valence, low arousal

* sadness
* ex - going to a funeral, death of a pet

negative valence, high arousal

* fear, anger
* ex - test scores, argument

polygraph

* machine commonly used in attempts to detect lies
* measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion
* perspiration, cardiovascular, breathing changes

Expressed emotion

* people more speedily detect an angry face than a happy one
* ex - shown many images of faces together, easily find the angry one

catharsis (experienced emotion)

* emotional release
* catharsis hypothesis

catharsis hypothesis

* “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

Feed good - do good phenomenon

* people’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

subjective well - being

* self perceived happiness or satisfaction with life
* subjective to ones beliefs
* ex - everyone has different things that make them happy and feel satisfied - girlfriend, shoes, book, etc

Adaptation - level phenomenon

* tendency to form judgements relative to a “neutral” (changes based on experience over time) level
* defined by our prior experience
* ex - brightness of lights, volume of sound, level of income

relative deprivation

* perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

is fear learned

fear is inborn and can be learned

what role does the amygdala play in fear

a neural key to fear learning

difference between gestures and facial expressions

* facial expressions are universal, gestures are not

Freud

* stage theorist and doctor
* explored the unconsciousness, childhood, dreams, repression

personality

* an individuals characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

what are the four basic perspectives of personality

* psychoanalytic, trait, humanistic, social - cognitive

the psychoanalytical perspective

* from Freud’s theory which proposes that childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality

psychoanalysis

* technique of treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
* Freud’s psychoanalytical theory of personality sought to explain what he observed during psychoanalysis

Freud’s Iceberg theory of personality

1. conscious - things we are aware of (ego)
2. preconscious - things we can be aware of if we think of them (superego)
3. unconscious - deep hidden reservoir that holds the true “us”, all of our desires and fears (id)

what are the 3 basic structures of personality

* id, ego, superego

ID

* pleasure principle (devil)
* exists entirely in the unconscious (so we are never aware of it)
* our hidden true animalistic wants and desires
* works on the pleasure principle
* avoid pain and receive instant gratification

superego

* moral principle (angel)
* develops last at about the age of 5
* it is our conscience (what we think between right and wrong)
* the ego often mediates between ID & superego

ego

* develops after the ID
* works on the reality principle
* negotiates between the ID and the environment
* ex - if you want to be with someone, your ID says to just take them but your ego does not want you to end up in jail, so the ego makes you ask her out

psychosexual stages

* the childhood stages of development during which the pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
* what you experience as a child impacts your personality to who you are today

fixation

* a lingering focus of pleasure seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, where conflicts were unresolved

Oedipus complex

* a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father (mamas boy, daddies girl)

oral stage ages

0-18 months

oral stage source of pleasure

pleasure centers on the mouth - sucking, biting, chewing

oral stage result of fixation

* oral character → oral fixation
* if weened of boob to early then person become pessimistic, envious, suspicious, sarcastic) or if late

anal stage ages

18-36 months

anal stage source of pleasure

* pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination


* coping with demands of control

anal stages result of fixation

* conflict is potty training
* if you poop everywhere, then grow up anal expulsive (messy, reckless, etc)
* if held onto poop, then grow up to be an anal retentive character (stingy, orderly)

phallic stages ages

3 years (36 months) -6 years

phallic stages source of pleasure

* pleasure zone in the genitals
* coping with incestuous sexual feelings

phallic stage result of fixation

* if fixated at this stage, then will have relationship problems in future and with sexual identity

latency stage age

6 to puberty

latency stage source of pleasure

* dormant sexual feelings

latency stage result of fixation

* not much fixation at this stage
* focused on school, friends, sports, etc

genital stage age

puberty and on

genital stage source of pleasure

motivation of sexual interests

genital stage result of fixation

* focusing on relationships
* if there is a problem at this stage, this means still fixated at phallic stage and cant get a relationship

defense mechanisms

* the ego has a pretty important job, which is to protect you from threatening thoughts in our unconscious
* one way it protects us is through defense mechanisms
* you are usually unaware that they are even occurring

example scenario for Freuds defense mechanisms

quarterback, Brandon, on the hs football team, is dating Jasmine. Jasmine dumps Brandon for Drew, president of the chess club

repression

* pushing thoughts into our unconscious
* ex - when asked about Jasmine, Brandon may say “who? I have not thought about her for awhile”

reaction formation

* expressing the opposite of how one truly feels
* cooties stage in Freud’s latent development
* ex - Brandon claims he hates Jasmine

projection

* believing that the feelings one has toward someone else are actually held by the other person and directed at oneself
* ex - Brandon insists that Jasmine still cares for him

rationalization

* excuses
* self justifying explanations for unexpectable behaviors
* ex - Brandon thinks he will find a better girlfriend “Jasmine was not all that hot anyway”

displacement

* redirecting one’s feelings toward another person or object
* often displaced on less threatening things
* ex - Brandon may take his anger out on another kid by bullying

sublimation

* channeling one’s frustration toward a different goal
* this is the healthiest mechanism
* ex - Brandon will listen to music, journal, workout, bake, walk

denial

* refusing to accept the truth
* not accepting the ego - threatening truth
* ex - Brandon may act like he is still together with Jasmine, he may hang out by her locker and plan dates

regression

* returning to an earlier, comforting form of behavior
* ex - Brandon begins to sleep with his favorite childhood stuffed animal or blanky, etc (crying, throwing tantrum)

identification

* bolstering self - esteem by forming an imaginary or real alliance with some person or group
* ex - Brandon may join the baseball team to forget about Jasmine

criticisms of Freud

* he really only studied wealthy women in Africa
* his results are not empirically verifiable (really hard to test)
* Karen Horney said he was sexist with the “penis envy” and there is an actual “womb envy”
* she said children have basic anxiety because the world is so big

Neo - Freudians

Alfred Adler, Carl Jung

Alfred Adler

* his ideas of superiority and inferiority complex, also talked about birth order and how it played a part in personality

Carl Jung

* emphasized the collective unconscious
* concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history

transference

* transferring your feelings onto therapist
* as you get more comfortable with your therapist, then transfer feelings of what you tell them

psychoanalysis

* pull out manifest content (dream) → then talk about latent context (underlying meaning of dream)
* transference
* couch sitting

Projective Test

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

TAT Test

* thematic apperception test
* giving the subject a picture that is ambiguous (can have several meanings) and ask them what is occurring

Rorschach Inkblot Test

* the most widely used projective test
* a set of 10 inkblots designed by Herman Rorschach
* seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots

Trait (trait perspective)

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

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 access selected personality traits

MMPI

* the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests (reliable)

Empirically Derived Test

* a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
* ex - MMPI

who were Hans and Sybil Eysenck

* they used primary personality factors as axes for describing personality variation

unstable, introverted

moody, anxious, quiet, sober, rigid

unstable, extroverted

active, touchy, impulsive, restless

stable, introverted

calm, controlled, thoughtful, peaceful

stable, extroverted

sociable, lively, carefree, outgoing

what are the big 5 personality traits

* Openness
* Conscientiousness
* Extroversion
* Agreeable
* Neuroticism

Openness

open to new ideas and trying new things

conscientiousness

being organized, disciplined, ambitious

extroversion

sociable, fun-loving, affectionate

agreeable

trust worthy, soft - hearted, helpful

Neuroticism

calm vs anxious, secure vs insecure, self satisfied vs self pitying

type A

intense, easily angered, structure

type b

easy going, relaxed

what is a criticism of the trait perspective

it underestimates the situation

humanistic theory of personality

* do not believe in determinism (your actions are dictated by your past)
* they believe that humans have free will (our ability to choose your own destiny)
* we are innately good as long as our self - esteem and self - concept are positive we will be happy
* focused on healthy fulfilled people

Humanistic perspective

* people strive for self determination and realization

Abraham Maslow

* studied self - actualization processes of productive and healthy people
* ex - lincoln
* 1908 - 1970

Self - actualization

* the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self - esteem is achieved
* the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Carl Rogers

* focused on growth and fulfillment of individuals
* requires three conditions: geniuness, acceptance (unconditional positive regard), empathy (understanding someone else’s feelings)

Unconditional Positive Regard

* an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

self - concept

* all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in an answer to the question, “who am I”

self esteem

* one’s feelings of high or low self - worth

individualism

* focus and priority in oneself (you)

collectivism

* giving priority to the goals of one’s group