Personality

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on personality, including various psychological theories and frameworks.

Personality

The pattern of enduring characteristics that produce consistency and individuality in a person.

Psychodynamic Approach

An approach to personality based on the idea that personality is primarily unconscious and motivated by inner forces and conflicts.

Id

The instinctual and unorganized part of personality that attempts to reduce tension related to primitive drives.

Ego

The rational and logical part of personality that attempts to balance the desires of the id with the realities of the outside world.

Superego

The part of personality that judges the morality of our behavior, representing societal standards taught by parents and significant others.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by distorting reality and concealing the source of anxiety.

Repression

A defense mechanism where unpleasant impulses are pushed out of awareness.

Trait Theory

The theory that seeks to identify the basic facets necessary to describe personality through enduring, habitual patterns.

Cardinal Traits

A few overriding characteristics that motivate most of a person's behavior.

Central Traits

5-10 traits that form the core of an individual's personality and affect but do not determine behavior.

Secondary Traits

Characteristics that are contextual, affect behavior in fewer situations, and are less influential than cardinal or central traits.

Big Five Model of Personality

Proposes five distinct overarching personality traits: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Openness

The degree to which an individual seeks out new experiences and considers alternative perspectives.

Conscientiousness

The degree to which an individual is organized, careful, disciplined, and goal-oriented.

Extraversion

The degree to which an individual seeks out interactions with the environment, especially with other people.

Agreeableness

The degree to which an individual is helpful, kind, trusting, and cooperative.

Neuroticism

The degree to which an individual experiences negative emotions and emotional instability.

Self-Esteem

The component of personality that encompasses overall positive and negative evaluations of oneself.

Self-Efficacy

The belief in one's ability to master a situation and produce positive outcomes.

Antisocial Personality Traits

Traits characterized by antagonism and malevolence, such as Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy.

Narcissism

A personality trait characterized by an extreme sense of self-esteem, often leading to manipulation and a need for dominance.

Psychopathy

A personality trait characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, diminished empathy, and high sensation-seeking.

Sadism

The enjoyment of harming others, characterized by dominating those weaker without ulterior motives.

Temperament

An individual’s behavioral style and characteristic way of responding, often inherited biologically.

Humanistic Approach

An approach to personality emphasizing human goodness and the drive toward higher functioning.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

A clinical personality assessment tool used to identify psychopathologies through standardized questions.