Exam 3 Term List

What are the components of Freud's psychodynamic personality structure?

Id, Ego, and Superego.

What principle is associated with the Id?

Pleasure principle.

What principle is associated with the Ego?

Reality principle.

What is the primary function of the Superego?

To act as a moral conscience.

What are Freud's psychosexual stages?

Stages of personality development involving fixation at certain stages.

What is a fixation in Freud's theory?

A persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage.

Name a defense mechanism that involves pushing undesirable thoughts out of conscious awareness.

Repression.

What defense mechanism involves refusing to accept reality?

Denial.

What is projection in the context of defense mechanisms?

Attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts to others.

What is displacement as a defense mechanism?

Redirecting emotions from a source to a safer target.

What is reaction formation?

Expressing the opposite of one’s true feelings.

What is Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious?

A part of the unconscious mind shared by all humans, containing archetypes.

What are archetypes according to Jung?

Universal symbols found in the collective unconscious.

What is Adler's concept of striving for superiority?

The drive to overcome feelings of inferiority.

What is an inferiority complex?

A chronic feeling of inadequacy.

What is the difference between trait and type theories?

Trait theories focus on specific characteristics, while type theories categorize personality types.

What are the three types of traits in Allport's trait theory?

Cardinal, central, and secondary traits.

What are the Five Factor (Big 5) personality traits?

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

What is self-efficacy?

Belief in one’s own ability to succeed.

What is self-esteem?

One’s overall sense of self-worth.

What does unconditional positive regard refer to?

Accepting and valuing a person without conditions.

What does reliability in psychological testing refer to?

The consistency of a test’s results over time.

What does validity in psychological testing refer to?

The extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure.

What are projective tests?

Psychological tests that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses.

What is the Rorschach Inkblot test?

A projective test using inkblots to assess personality.

What is psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?

The study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems.

What are cataclysmic stressors?

Massive stressors that occur suddenly and affect many people.

What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

What is the HPA-axis?

The system that involves the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands in stress response.

What are the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome?

Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion.

What is the 'alarm' stage in General Adaptation Syndrome?

The initial reaction to stress characterized by a fight-or-flight response.

What is the 'resistance' stage in General Adaptation Syndrome?

The body's adaptation to prolonged stress.

What is the 'exhaustion' stage in General Adaptation Syndrome?

The depletion of resources after prolonged stress.

What is problem-focused coping?

Coping that aims to solve or minimize the stressor.

What is emotion-focused coping?

Coping aimed at reducing emotional distress rather than the stressor.

What is avoidant coping?

Coping that involves avoiding confronting the stressor.

What is emotional insulation?

Avoiding emotional exposure to minimize distress.

What is learned helplessness?

A condition in which a person feels unable to control their situation.

What are the three components of hardiness?

Commitment, control, and challenge.

What does resiliency refer to in psychology?

The ability to adapt and recover from stress.

What is Type A personality characterized by?

High competitiveness, urgency, and hostility.

What is Type B personality characterized by?

Relaxed, easy-going, and less competitive.

What is Type D personality?

A combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition.

What is noncompliance in a health context?

Failure to adhere to treatment recommendations.

What is creative non-adherence?

Modifying or supplementing prescribed treatment.

What does an internal locus of control imply?

Belief that one can control their own life events.

What does an external locus of control imply?

Belief that outside forces influence life events.

What is persuasion in social psychology?

The process of changing someone’s belief or behavior.

What is the central route to persuasion?

Persuasion based on the strength of arguments.

What is the peripheral route to persuasion?

Persuasion based on superficial cues.

What is an attitude?

A learned predisposition to respond positively or negatively towards something.

What is cognitive dissonance?

A psychological conflict resulting from incongruent beliefs and behaviors.

What is attribution theory?

The theory of how people explain their own and others' behavior.

What are situational causes in attribution?

Attributing behavior to external factors.

What are dispositional causes in attribution?

Attributing behavior to internal characteristics.

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)?

Overemphasizing personality traits over situational factors in understanding others.

What is the halo effect?

The tendency to let an overall impression influence specific evaluations.

What was Solomon Asch’s line study designed to assess?

Conformity to group pressure.

What is entrapment in the context of psychology?

A situation where an individual becomes more committed to a failing course of action.

What did Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Study investigate?

The influence of situational factors on behavior.

What are social roles?

The expected behaviors associated with a particular social position.

What is compliance in social psychology?

Changing behavior in response to a direct request.

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

A compliance strategy where a small request is followed by a larger one.

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

A compliance strategy where a large request is followed by a smaller one.

What was Stanley Milgram’s Shock Experiment designed to assess?

Obedience to authority figures.

What is a stereotype?

An oversimplified belief about a group of people.

What is prejudice?

An unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based solely on their group membership.

What is discrimination?

Unjust treatment of different categories of people.

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

What is in-group bias?

Preference for members of one's own group over those of others.

What is out-group bias?

Negative attitudes towards those not in one's group.

What was the Robbers Cave Experiment designed to study?

Intergroup conflict and its resolution.

What is Sternberg’s theory of love comprised of?

Commitment, Intimacy, and Passion.

What is the cognitive component of commitment in love?

The decision to maintain a relationship.

What is the emotional component of intimacy in love?

The feelings of closeness and connectedness.

What is the motivational component of passion in love?

The drives that lead to romantic feelings.

What do frustration-aggression approaches suggest?

Frustration leads to aggression.

What is catharsis?

The release of emotional tension.

Who was Kitty Genovese?

A woman whose murder led to discussion of the bystander effect.

What is the bystander effect?

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency when others are present.

What is diffusion of responsibility?

The tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility when others are present.

What is altruism?

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

What defines psychological disorders?

Patterns of behavior or thinking that are atypical and maladaptive.

What is the difference between abnormal and normal behavior?

Abnormal behavior is atypical, while normal behavior conforms to social norms.

What criteria are used to define abnormality?

Statistical rarity, violation of social norms, personal distress, and dysfunction.

What is the DSM-5?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

What is the role of a psychologist?

A professional trained to diagnose and treat mental health issues.

What is the role of a psychiatrist?

A medical doctor who can prescribe medication for psychological disorders.

What are anxiety disorders?

A group of mental disorders characterized by excessive fear or anxiety.

What is a phobic disorder?

An irrational fear of a specific object or situation.

What is a panic disorder?

Recurrent and unexpected panic attacks.

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Excessive and uncontrollable worry about various aspects of life.

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts and/or actions.

What is illness anxiety disorder?

Preoccupation with having a serious illness despite little or no symptoms.

What is conversion disorder?

Neurological symptoms without a medical explanation.

What is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?

A condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states.

What is Dissociative Amnesia?

Inability to recall important personal information, typically due to trauma.

What is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)?

A mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest.

What distinguishes Bipolar I from Bipolar II disorder?

Bipolar I involves more severe manic episodes; Bipolar II involves hypomanic episodes.

What is schizophrenia?

A severe mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception, and behavior.