AP Psychology Unit 4 Personality: 4.4 - 4.5

Personality

A person's consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Trait

A stable, lasting personality characteristic that influences how someone behaves.

Psychodynamic theory of personality

A theory (based on Freud) that personality is shaped by unconscious conflicts and childhood experiences.

Humanistic perspective theory of personality

A theory that focuses on personal growth, free will, and the drive to reach one's full potential.

Social-cognitive theory of personality

A theory that personality is shaped by the interaction between thoughts, behavior, and environment.

Trait theory of personality

A theory that studies personality by identifying and measuring stable traits.

Unconscious processes

Mental processes outside awareness that still influence behavior.

Consciousness

Our awareness of thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.

Preconscious

Memories and information not currently in awareness but that can easily be brought to mind.

Unconsciousness

Mental processes and memories that are hidden from conscious awareness.

Id

The unconscious part of personality that seeks immediate pleasure and follows the pleasure principle.

Ego

The rational part of personality that deals with reality and balances the id and superego.

Superego

The moral part of personality that represents internalized values and ideals.

Internal locus of control

The belief that you control your own success or failure.

External locus of control

The belief that outside forces (luck, fate, other people) control your life.

Ego defense mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used by the ego to reduce anxiety and protect itself.

Denial

Refusing to accept reality because it is too upsetting.

Displacement

Redirecting emotions from the real source to a safer target.

Projection

Attributing your own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Rationalization

Creating logical excuses to justify unacceptable behavior.

Reaction formation

Behaving in a way opposite to your true feelings.

Regression

Reverting to childish behaviors when stressed.

Repression

Pushing painful memories or thoughts out of conscious awareness.

Sublimation

Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Projective tests

Personality tests that use ambiguous images to uncover unconscious feelings.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people create stories about pictures to reveal motives and feelings.

Rorschach ink blot test

A projective test where people describe what they see in inkblots to reveal unconscious thoughts.

Unconditional positive regard

Accepting and supporting someone without judgment.

Self-actualization

The process of reaching one's full potential and becoming the best version of oneself.

Reciprocal determinism

The idea that behavior, personal factors, and environment influence each other.

Self-actualizing tendency

The natural drive to grow, improve, and reach one's potential.

Self-concept

The way a person views and understands themselves.

Self-esteem

A person's overall sense of self-worth.

Self-efficacy

A person's belief in their ability to accomplish tasks.

Self

The center of personality that includes awareness of one's identity.

Big 5

A model of personality consisting of five main traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Agreeableness

A Big Five trait related to kindness and cooperation. High: friendly, trusting, helpful. Low: competitive, rude, less cooperative.

Openness to experience

A Big Five trait related to curiosity and imagination. High: creative, curious, open to new ideas. Low: practical, prefers routine, less imaginative.

Extraversion

A Big Five trait related to sociability and energy. High: outgoing, talkative, energetic. Low: quiet, reserved, introverted.

Conscientiousness

A Big Five trait related to organization and responsibility. High: organized, dependable, disciplined. Low: careless, disorganized, less reliable.

Neuroticism

A Big Five trait related to emotional stability. High: anxious, moody, easily stressed. Low: calm, emotionally stable.

Personality inventories

Questionnaires used to measure personality traits by asking people about themselves.

Factor analysis

A statistical method used to identify clusters of related traits.