Id
unconscious primitive drives/urges (ex. hunger, thirst, sex)
pleasure principle/seeking immediate gratification
superego
social rules of right and wrong → inner morality
pride, guilt
ego
rationality, the self, the part seen by others
balances id and superego; reality principle
usually conscious
neurosis
tendency to experience negative emotions
caused by imbalances in the system (according to Freud)
defense mechanisms
unconscious protective behaviors that reduce anxiety
denial
refusing to accept real events because they are unpleasant
displacement
transferring inappropriate urges or behaviors onto a more acceptable or less threatening target
projection
attributing unacceptable desires to others
rationalization
justifying behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less-acceptable real reasons
reaction formation
reducing anxiety by adopting beliefs contrary to your own beliefs
regression
returning to coping strategies for less mature stages of development
repression
suppressing painful memories and thoughts
sublimation
redirecting unacceptable desires through socially acceptable channels
oral
mouth → smoking, overeating
weaning off breast/bottle
anal
anus → neatness, messiness
toilet training
phallic
genitals → vanity, overambitious
Oedipus/Electra complex
Latency
period when sexual feelings are dormant in children aged 6-puberty
Genital
sexual reawakening
those who reach the genital stage with no fixations are well-balanced, healthy adults
Alfred Adler
individual psychology, inferiority complex, social tasks
individual psychology
our drive to compensate for feelings of inferiority
inferiority complex
a person’s feelings that they lack worth, and don’t measure up to the standards of others or of society
social tasks
occupational (careers), societal (friendship), love (finding an intimate partner)
Erik Erikson
psychosocial stages of development (trust v. mistrust, autonomy v. shame/doubt, initiative v. guilt, industry v. inferiority, identity v. confusion, intimacy v. isolation, generatively v. stagnation, integrity v. despair)
Carl Jung
analytical psychology, collective unconscious, archetypes, introversion vs. extroversion
analytical psychology
working to balance opposing forces of conscious and unconscious thought, and experience within one’s personality → continuous learning process, mainly in the 2nd half of life
collective unconscious
universal version of the personal unconscious, holding mental patterns/memory traces, which are common to all of us
archetypes
the ancestral memories (part of the collective unconscious), as expressed through literature, art, and dreams
reflect common experiences of all people
introvert
energized by being alone, avoids attention, speaks slowly and softly, thinks before speaking, stays on one topic, prefers written communication, pays attention easily, cautious
extrovert
energized by being with others, seeks attention, speaks quickly and loudly, thinks out loud, jumps from topic to topic, prefers verbal communication, distractible, acts first thinks later
Karen Horney
womb envy, unconscious anxiety
unconscious anxiety
normal growth can be blocked by basic anxiety stemming from needs not being met, such as childhood loneliness and/or isolation
3 coping styles
moving towards people
affiliation and dependence
moving against people
aggression and assertiveness
moving away from people
detachment and isolation
facts
observable realities
opinions
personal judgements, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate
deductive reasoning
Type of reasoning that starts with general principles and applies them to specific situations to reach a logical conclusion.
ideas are testing in the real world
inductive reasoning
A type of reasoning that uses specific observations to form a general conclusion or hypothesis. It is based on probability and does not provide certainty.
real-world observations lead to new ideas
clinical/case study
scientists focus on one person or a few individuals for a long period of time (not good for generalizing)
naturalistic observation
observing behavior in its natural setting
observer bias
observers/scientists may unconsciously skew their observations to fit their research goals or expectations
inter-rater reliability
a measure of reliability that assesses the consistency of observations by different observers
archival research
when researchers use existing records to answer various questions
longitudinal research
data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time
cross-sectional research
researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time
ex. studying dietary habits over time → 20 year olds, 30 year olds, 40 year olds at the same time
attrition rates
reduction in the number of research participants due to dropouts
(very high in longitudinal studies and increases over the course of the project)
correlational research
researching if a relationship exists between 2+ variables, but does not necessarily imply cause and effect
correlation coefficient
number between -1 and 1, with a value of 1 (+ or -) indicates strong correlation, and a value of 0 indicates no correlation
illusory correlations
false correlations
confirmation bias
looking for evidence to support our guess, and ignoring evidence that would falsify it
operational definition
precise description of our variables
experimenter bias
possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study
single-blind study
participants are unaware of whether they’re in the experiment/control group
double-blind study
both researchers and participants don’t know the group assignments
informed consent
written description of what participants can expect
deception
purposely misleading participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment
participants must receive a debriefing at the end
polygenic
traits are controlled by more than one gene (the case for most traits)
mutation
sudden, permanent change in a gene
range of reaction
our genes set the boundaries within which we can operate, and our environment interacts with the genes to determine where in that range we fall
genetic environmental correlation
our genes influence our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes (epigenetics!)
nervous system
composed of glial cells and neurons
glial cells
provide scaffolding on which the nervous system is built, help neurons line up closely with each other to allow neuronal communication, provide insulation to neurons, transport nutrients and waste products, and mediate immune responses
neurons
interconnected information processors that are essential for all of the tasks of the nervous system
soma
cell body of the neuron, where nucleus is locatedd
dendrites
input sites of neurons where signals are recieved
axon
major extension from the soma, down which signals are transmitted
terminal buttons
ends of the axon
synaptic vesicles
inside the terminal buttons, and hold neurotransmitters
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers of the nervous system
myelin sheath
coats the axon and acts as an insulator, increasing the speed at which the signal travels
not continuous
crucial to normal operation of the neurons
Nodes of Ranvier
the small gaps in the myelin sheath
synaptic cleft
small space between two neurons, important site where communication occurs
receptors
proteins on the cell surface where neurotransmitters attach, vary in shape, with different shapes to match different neurotransmitters
membrane potential
provides energy for the signal
resting potential
the state of readiness in which the membrane potential is held between signals
threshold of excitation
when the charge (created by Na-K pump) reaches a certain level, at which the neuron becomes active and action potential begins
all or none phenomenon
action potential
electrical signal that typically moves from the cell body down the axon to the axon terminals
reuptake
neurotransmitter being pumped back into the neuron that released it in order to clear the synapse
psychotropic medications
drugs that treat psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance
acetylcholine
muscle action, memory
beta-endorphin
pain, pleasure
dopamine
mood, sleep, learning
gamma-aminobutyric acid
brain function, sleep
glutamate
memory, learning
norepinephrine
heart, intestines, alertness
serotonin
mood, sleep
agonists
chemicals that mimic a neurotransmitter at the receptor site
antagonist
blocks/impedes the normal activity of a neurotransmitter at the receptor
central nervous system
brain + spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
connects the CNS to the rest of the body (all nerves)
somatic nervous system
part of the PNS
conscious/voluntary activities
relay of sensory and motor information to and from the CNS
consists of motor and sensory neurons
motor neurons
efferent fibers
info from CNS → muscles
efferent = exit
sensory neurons
body → CNS
afferent fibers
afferent = arrive
autonomic nervous system
part of the PNS
controls our internal organs and glands, outside the realm of voluntary control
sympathetic nervous system
part of the ANS
preparing the body for stress-related activities
parasympathetic nervous system
part of the ANS
returning the body to routine, day-to-day operations
spinal cord
allows the brain to work
relay station
routes messages to and from the brain
has its own system of automatic processes (reflexes)
neuroplasticity
how the nervous system can change and adapt
cerebral cortex
surface of the brain, characterized by gyri (folds) and sulci (grooves)
associated with consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language, and memory
longitudinal fissure
deep groove that separates the brain into two hemispheres