Untitled Flashcards Set

Personality

A pattern of emotions, distinctive thoughts, and behaviors that define how an individual interacts with the world.

Psychodynamic Approach

A perspective suggesting much of our personality is primarily developed from our unconscious mind.

Id

The part of personality that contains unconscious desires, often seeking pleasure and sometimes conflicting with societal norms.

Ego

The part of personality that deals with the demands of reality, attempting to satisfy the id's desires in socially acceptable ways.

Superego

The component of personality involved in conscience and morality.

Defense Mechanisms

Strategies used by the ego to cope with conflicts between the id and superego.

Denial

A defense mechanism where one ignores unpleasant realities, like acknowledging a failing grade.

Displacement

A defense mechanism that involves redirecting emotions from a true source to a more acceptable target.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable actions.

Repression

A defense mechanism where painful memories or thoughts are unconsciously blocked from consciousness.

Oedipal Complex

A child's desire to possess the opposite-sex parent and eliminate the same-sex parent, as theorized by Freud.

Penis Envy

A term used by Freud to describe a girl's sense of inferiority related to not having a penis, leading to a less developed superego.

Latency Stage

Freud's stage of psychosexual development from age 6 to puberty where no focused psychosexual development occurs.

Genital Stage

The stage of psychosexual development from puberty onwards, where one seeks sexual experiences outside the family.

Self-Actualization

The process of realizing one's full potential and seeking personal growth as proposed by Maslow.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Acceptance of a person regardless of their actions, which is crucial for psychological development according to Carl Rogers.

Behavioral Activation System (BAS)

A system that seeks positive outcomes and is associated with extroversion.

Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)

A system that seeks to avoid negative outcomes, associated with neuroticism.

OCEAN Model

An acronym representing the five major dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Conscious vs. Unconscious

A distinction in psychodynamic theory where consciousness involves awareness of thoughts and feelings, and the unconscious involves hidden memories and desires.

Inferiority Complex

A psychological condition where a person feels inadequate, often leading to overcompensation in strengths.

Neurotransmitters and Personality

Chemical substances in the brain that influence personality traits, with dopamine linked to extroversion and serotonin linked to neuroticism.