CH. 10 - Personality

A set of flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from personality theories and assessments.

Personality

A pattern of enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that characterize the way an individual adapts to the world.

Psychodynamic perspectives

Theoretical views emphasizing that personality is primarily unconscious.

Id

The part of personality that houses unconscious drives.

Ego

The part of personality that deals with the demands of reality.

Superego

The part of personality that serves as judge of behavior, known as conscience.

Defense mechanisms

Tactics the ego uses to reduce anxiety by distorting reality unconsciously.

Denial

The most primitive defense mechanism where a person refuses to accept reality.

Oedipus complex

In the phallic stage, a boy's intense desire to replace his father and gain his mother's affection.

Fixation

A condition wherein an individual becomes stuck in a psychosexual stage, affecting their adult personality.

Self-actualization

The motivation to develop one's full potential as a human being, as described by Maslow.

Unconditional positive regard

The need to be accepted and valued regardless of one's behavior, as proposed by Carl Rogers.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, essential for reconnection with true feelings.

Trait perspectives

Approaches that focus on stable personality characteristics known as traits.

Big Five factors of personality

The five broad traits thought to describe the main dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism.

Reciprocal determinism

Bandura’s concept that behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors interact to create personality.

Self-efficacy

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

Situationism

The concept that behavior changes considerably depending on the context.

Delay of gratification

The act of postponing immediate pleasure for a larger reward later.

Reinforcement sensitivity theory

Gray's theory proposing two biological systems that regulate responses to rewards and punishments.

Behavioral genetics

The study of the inherited basis of behavioral characteristics.

Heritability

The proportion of variation in a trait that can be attributed to genetic factors.

Self-report test

A method of measuring personality traits by directly asking individuals about their traits.

Empirically keyed test

A self-report test that presents items to two groups with known differences to determine meaningful patterns.

Projective test

A personality assessment method where ambiguous stimuli are presented to uncover hidden emotions and desires.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test using inkblots to analyze an individual’s personality characteristics.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test designed to reveal a person's hidden motives through story-telling.