personality

Unconscious

Represents the thoughts, desires, and urges that are actively repressed from consciousness and that affect mental activity outside of active awareness

Libido

Biological energy associated with life, driving the urge for discharge or alleviating anxiety and stress

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts

Free Association

A method in which patients are encouraged to share thoughts, words, and images that come into their mind without any form of censorship

Id

The part of personality that contains our primitive impulses such as needs for food, water, sex, and basic impulses

It operates based on the pleasure principle

Superego

Incorporates values and morals from society which are learned from one's parents or others significant influences; it functions as an internal moral compass.

Ego-Reality

The part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and unconscious, and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity

Oral Stage

The first phase in Freud's psychosexual stages where infants seek pleasure through activities involving their mouths such as sucking or eating

If occurs too early, then infant is likely to grow up and reject others and participate in overeating

If occurs too late, then infant is likely to grow up and have an heightened chance for an eating disorder

Oral Fixation

A fixation in adulthood caused by lack of adequate satisfaction during the oral stage or being overly satisfied leading to habits centered around the mouth like smoking, overeating, nail-biting etc.

Anal Stage

The second stage of psychosexual development, during which sexual gratification is centered on processes of elimination (retention and release of bowel contents).

Anal-Expulsive Personality

: A personality type characterized by messiness, lack of self-discipline, and carelessness

Anal-Retentive Personality

A personality type characterized by perfectionism and excessive needs for self-control as expressed through extreme neatness and punctuality

Phallic Stage

The third stage in Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development, occurring from age 3 to 6, and during this stage, a child becomes aware of their sexual identity and develops a deep affection for the parent of the opposite sex

Oedipus Complex

A concept in Freudian psychology where a male child experiences subconscious sexual desires for his mother and sees his father as a rival, wanting to replace him

Fear of Punishment

The constant fear that our bigger/stronger parents will punish us for being bad so we fear our parents unconsciously

Identity Formation

Acting as same sexed parent and taking on the traits of that parent so you can get closer to the opposite sexed parent and won't get punished because acting like they wish to be like the same-sexed parent

Latency Stage

The fourth stage of psychosexual development, during which sexual impulses remain latent or dominant

Genital Stage

Freud's last stage of personality development, from the onset of puberty through adulthood, during which the sexual conflicts of childhood resurface (at puberty) and are often resolved during adolescence

Repression

A psychological defense mechanism to keep thoughts and impulses out of consciousness awareness

Projection

When someone attributes his or her own guilty/threatening feelings to another person or group

Denial

When someone acts as if the negative feelings or events that cause negative emotions do not exist

Rationalization

When someone decides or comes up with a seemingly logical explanation to justify an event and avoid the true explanation

Reaction Formation

Expressing the opposite of how one truly feels; act contrary to true feelings in order to keep feelings hidden

Displacement

When someone takes their negative emotions and focuses them on a different, safer target

Sublimation

When someone channels his or her unacceptable feelings toward a different, socially acceptable activity/goal

Ego

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among 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.

Personal Unconscious

A component of the mind that holds forgotten and repressed personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings

It's unique to each individual

Collective Unconscious

Refers to structures of the unconscious mind shared among beings of the same species

In humans, this includes universal archetypes and instincts

Archetypes

Universally recognized symbols or patterns of behavior that are found in the collective unconscious

They appear across cultures and times, such as the "mother" archetype.

Mana

individual's "Inner Power" spirituality, inner strength

Persona

The personality that an individual projects to others, as differentiated from the authentic self

Karen Horney

A German psychoanalyst who postulated that social and cultural conditions, particularly childhood experiences, have a powerful effect on later personality

Karen Horney View on Personality

Suggests that individuals construct their identities based on a constant pursuit of acceptance from others and a fear of rejection, leading to the development of defensive barriers that hinder authentic self-expression and foster anxiety

Alfred Adler

1870-1937; Field: neo-Freudian, psychodynamic; Contributions: basic mistakes, style of life, inferiority/superiority complexes, childhood influences personality formation; Studies: Birth Order

Strive For Perfection

Refers to the inherent human drive to feel valued, liked, and competent in various aspects of life, leading to a pursuit of excellence and the fulfillment of one's potential.

Aggressiveness

A defensive mechanism wherein individuals assert dominance over others to compensate for perceived inadequacies, aiming to bolster their self-esteem and fulfill the desire for perfection

Inferiority Complex

Inferiority Complex

Unconditional Positive Regard

Refers to basic acceptance and support of a person regardless of what they say or do

Self-Concept

An understanding you have of yourself that includes elements such as intelligence level, gender identity roles, racial identity roles etc., which influence how we perceive ourselves both in the present and what we want to become in the future

Real vs. Ideal Self

The ideal self is the person you would like to be in a perfect world; the real self is the person you are in this one

Self-Actualization

The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities, and represents growth of an individual toward fulfillment of the highest needs; those for meaning in life.

Hierarchy of Needs

A motivational theory in psychology comprising five-tier model levels - physiological needs (food & shelter), safety needs (security & protection), love/belongingness (relationships), esteem (respect & self-esteem), and self-actualization (achieving one's full potential)

Reciprocal Influences

Refers to the interacting influences between personality, environmental factors, and behavior

Determinism

Idea that behavior is determined by the individual through cognitive processes and by the environment, and that behavior can influence how those in your environment cognitively process your behaviors

Personal Control

The extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless

Learned Helpness

A state in which an organism has learned to resign itself to repeated aversive events as they believe that they have no control over their lives

Optimism

Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something

Pessimism

A tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future

Self-Esteem

Refers to an individual's subjective evaluation of their own worth, characterized by higher levels of personal development, optimism, and internal locus of control, while lower self-esteem correlates with reduced personal growth, pessimism, and reliance on external factors for validation and control

Spotlighting

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

Individualism

Giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivenism

Giving priority to goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

Traits

The unique qualities and characteristics that make up a person's personality. When combined, these traits form an individual's personality.

Gordon Allport Theory

trait theory

Cardinal Traits

Influence a person's behavior in most situations

Central Traits

Basic building blocks of personality that influence behavior in many situations

More common

Secondary Traits

Affect behavior in fewer situations are more general and superficial in nature

Extraversion

Refers to our sociability and ability to pay attention to outside world and environment

Emotional Stability

An individual's tendency to become upset or emotional, while stability refers to the tendency to remain emotionally constant

Five Factor Model

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Consciousness

Tendency to be organized and dependable, show self-discipline, act dutifully, aim for achievement, and prefer planned rather than spontaneous behavior

Agreeableness

Tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.

Neuroticism

Tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, and vulnerability.

Openness

Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience.

Extraversion

Energy, positive emotions, surgency, assertiveness, sociability and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others, and talkativeness.