Untitled Flashcards Set

Personality

An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Psychodynamic theories

Theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; techniques used in treating psychological disorders.

Unconscious

According to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories; information processing of which we are unaware.

Free association

A method of exploring the unconscious in psychoanalysis in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind.

Id

A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives, operating on the pleasure principle.

Ego

The partly conscious, 'executive' part of personality that mediates among the id, superego, and reality, operating on the reality principle.

Superego

The partly conscious part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience).

Defense mechanisms

The ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Repression

The basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Collective unconscious

Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.

Terror-management theory

A theory of death-related anxiety; explores emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of impending death.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through stories made up about ambiguous scenes.

Projective test

A personality test designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test designed to identify inner feelings by analyzing how people interpret inkblots.

Humanistic theories

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

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s levels of human needs, often visualized as a pyramid.

Self-actualization

The motivation to fulfill one’s potential after basic physical and psychological needs are met.

Self-transcendence

The striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond the self.

Unconditional positive regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude believed to help develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Self-concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to 'Who am I?'.