AP Psych - Personality Notes

personality

an individual’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and acting

Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

unconscious processes drive personality

Conscious

thoughts, wishes, feelings, memories we are aware of

Preconscious

thoughts, wishes, feelings, memories we can retrieve if we think about them

Unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to cotemporary psychologists, information process of which we are unaware of

Id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification

Superego

the partly conscious part of our personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standard for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations

Ego

the partly conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, the 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

Ego defense mechanisms

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Defense Mechanism - Denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Defense Mechanism - Displacement

redirecting unacceptable impulses toward a less threatening person or object

Defense Mechanism - Projection

disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Defense Mechanism - Rationalization

offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions

Defense Mechanism - Reaction Formation

expressing the opposite of how one truly feels

Defense Mechanism - Regression

returning to an earlier, comforting form of behavior

Defense Mechanism - Repression

banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings and memories

Defense Mechanism - Sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

Projective Tests

a personality test, such as the TAT or Rorschach, that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind

Personality Test - TAT

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Rorschach Test

a projective test designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by how they interpret 10 ink blots

Humanistic Theory of Personality

theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

people are basically good, and are primed to seek growth and fulfillment

Unconditional Positive Regard

a caring, accepting, non-judgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

Self-Actualizing Tendency

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arise after basic physical and psychological needs are met, and self esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential

Social Cognitive Theory of Personality

a view of behaviors as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits and their social context

- proposed by Albert Bandura
-social cognitive theorists consider the behavioral perspective, believe that we learn many of our behaviors through conditioning or by observation and imitation
-emphasizes the importance of mental processes

Reciprocal Determinism

a theory that describes how a person’s behavior, thoughts, and environment influence each other
Ex: a child doesn’t like school and acts out, they get in trouble which makes them dislike school more.

Self-Concept

all out thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “who am I?”

Self-esteem

how we feel about who we are
- High: less sleepless nights, less conformity, more persistent with difficult tasks, less anxious
- Low: more judgmental, higher levels of racial prejudice, more critical

Self-Efficacy

the belief that you can accomplish a specific task or goal. It’s a form of self-confidence that affects how much effort you put in and how long you persist when faced with challenges

Trait theory of personality

suggests that individuals can be understood by identifying their stable, enduring personality traits, which are relatively consistent across situations and influence behavior

Factor Analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score

Big Five Theory of Personality

proposes that traits of agreeableness, openness to experiences, extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability make up one’s personlity

Openness to Experiences

High: curious, imaginative, creative
Low: predictable, not very imaginative

Conscientious

High: competent, organized, self-disciplined
Low: incompetent, disorganized

Extraverted

High: sociable, energized by social situations, excitement seeking
Low: happy in solitude, fatigued by social interaction

Agreeableness

High: trustworthy, straightforward, altruistic, compliant
Low: skeptical, demanding, stubborn, insulting, show off

Neuroticism

High: anxious, hostile, self-conscious, stressed
Low: laid back, calm, emotionally stable