ap psych unit 4.5-4.8

Psychodynamic Theory

Focuses on human personality as a dynamic interaction between the conscious mind and unconscious mind

Unconscious according to Freud

A place for unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories

the id

fully submerged unconscious thoughts, satisfy sexual/aggressive tendencies.

the superego

the moral part (Angel on your shoulder) ethics and guilt

ego

Conscious

mediates among the demands of id and superego and reality

rational, decision making

Oedipus complex

during phallic stage (3-6 yrs old), boys develop unconscious sexual desires for the mother and jealousy for the father (a rival)

Electra Complex

young girls in the phallic stage would seek to identify with their mom in hopes of diffusing unconscious tension

Fixation

refers to a persistent focus on an earlier stage of development due to unresolved conflicts during childhood.

How does the ego protect itself

ego protects itself with defense mechanisms to reduce anxiety by distorting reality

unconscious and functions indirectly (similar to how our body protects us from disease)

repression

occurs when the mind unconsciously pushes distressing thoughts, memories, or desires out of awareness to protect a person from anxiety or emotional pain

Freudian Slip

unintentional error in speech, writing, or action that is believed to reveal unconscious thoughts, desires, or feelings.

Reaction Formation

a defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously replaces an unwanted or anxiety-provoking impulse with its opposite, often expressed in an exaggerated or showy way. 

projection

disguising one’s threatening impulses by attributing it to other individuals

rationalization

a person justifies or explains away unacceptable thoughts, behaviors, or feelings in a seemingly logical or socially acceptable way, even if the true reason is different.

displacement

transfer aggression to something that is okay (less threatening object/person) to take your anger out on

sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Alfred Adler

Find career, friends and partners

our behaviour is driven by efforts to conquer childhood inferiority feelings that trigger our strive for superiority/power

inferiority complex, birth order

Karen Horney

Neo-Freudian

childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security. believes that everyone has the potential for self-realization and that we should move towards a healthy self rather than explore early childhood patterns of dysfunction

women have weak superegos and want a pp and men want a womb?

coping styles and balance Freud’s masculine bias

Carl Jung

Neo-Freudian

He believes we have a collective unconscious — a part of the unconscious mind that is shared among all humans, containing memories, instincts, and archetypes inherited from our ancestors

collective unconsciousness, archetypes, introversion/extroversion

projective test

a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projections of our inner self

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings (implicit motives) and interest through the stories they make up about ambiguous(open to interpretation) scenes

Rorschach Inkblot Test

identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretation of the blots

humanistic theories

the ways people strive for self-determination and self-realization (self-reported experiences)

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and personality

self-actualizing (becoming the best version of themselves) individuals exhibit traits like

self acceptance, self-awareness, creativity, autonomy, authenticity, strong values, peak experiences, ability to have meaningful relationships

Teachers need to be the bare minimum to focus on their students

Self-Transcendence

striving for identity, meaning and purpose beyond one’s self

Growth Promoting Social Climate — Unconditional Positive Regard

acceptance offers unconditional positive regard (a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude which helps develop self-awareness and self-acceptance), an attitude of grace that values us even knowing our failures

genuineness allows for openness with their own feelings and drop the facades; transparent

empathy shares and mirrors others’ feelings and reflect their meanings

Factor Analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of correlating behaviours in order to identify basic traits

introvert

gains energy from being alone - quiet and reserved or could be social

extrovert

energized by being outgoing and socially oriented

Personality Inventory

an objective questionnaire where people respond to items that contain a lot of feelings/behaviours; to assess certain personality traits (MMPI)

The Big Five Personality Factors

Openness (creative and adventurous)

Conscientiousness (organized, careful, disciplined, goal oriented or the opposite)

Extraversion (sociable, fun-loving, gain energy from being with others)

Agreeableness (cooperative, empathetic, enjoys being part of a group, caring)

Neuroticism (emotional stability vs instability) high levels = mood swings, easily anxious

social-cognitive perspective

explains personality, learning, and behavior as the result of interactions between thoughts, behaviors, and the environment.

behavioral approach

all behavior is learned through experiences, rewards, and punishments

reciprocal determinism

the interacting influences on behavior, internal cognition, and environment - will shape our personality

🏀 A teenager who loves basketball (personal factor) joins a team (behavior), meets motivated teammates (environment), and becomes even more passionate about sports.

self located where in the brain?

central frontal lobe region - ventromedial prefrontal cortex

spotlight effect

Overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating of our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).

self-efficacy

our belief about the ability to do something - pass a hard math test

instinct theory

instincts = source of motivation. the motivation to survive is the most important motivation

drive-reduction theory

physiological need creates an aroused state that motivates an organism to satisfy the need and restore the body to HOMEOSTASIS

incentive theory

people are primarily driven by external reward or avoidance of negative outcomes

self determination theory

we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

competence: mastering skills and tasks

autonomy: feel in control of your own behavior and goals

relatedness: sense of belonging and attachment to other people

intrinsic motivation

enhance feelings of self-determination (personal feelings — to enjoy)

extrinsic motivation

driven by external rewards (money, fame)

arousal theory and Yerkes-Dodson law

moderate arousal leads to optimal performance.

left side of the graph- not enough stress, lazy, carefree

right side of the graph- stress, anxiety, impaired performance

sensation seeking theory

The tendency to search out and engage in thrilling activities as a method of increasing stimulation and arousal.

grehlin

tells the brain i’m hungry

leptin

protein hormone secreted by fat cells; when abundant, causes brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger

set point

The point (weight) at which your “weight thermostat” may be set (fixed).