Psych: Social Psychology & Personality

Personality

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

Psychodynamic Perspective

A view of personality that emphasizes unconscious processes and childhood experiences.

Preconscious

Thoughts and memories not in current awareness but easily accessible.

Unconscious

Part of the mind that houses desires, memories, and feelings beyond conscious awareness.

Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality (Freud)

A theory suggesting personality is shaped by unconscious conflicts, often rooted in childhood.

Id

The primitive part of personality driven by basic sexual and aggressive urges and immediate gratification (pleasure principle).

Ego

The rational part of personality that mediates between the id and superego, operating on the reality principle.

Superego

The moral component of personality, representing internalized ideals and conscience.

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious tactics used by the ego to reduce anxiety by distorting reality.

Denial

Refusing to accept reality or facts.

Displacement

Shifting emotional impulses from a threatening target to a safer one.

Projection

Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others.

Rationalization

Creating false but plausible excuses to justify behavior.

Reaction-Formation

Behaving in a way opposite to one's actual feelings.

Regression

Reverting to an earlier developmental stage in response to stress.

Repression

Burying distressing thoughts and feelings in the unconscious.

Sublimation

Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Projective Tests

Psychological assessments that use ambiguous stimuli to uncover unconscious desires and conflicts.

Free Association

A psychoanalytic technique where the patient says whatever comes to mind to explore the unconscious.

Rorschach Inkblot

A projective test using inkblots to assess personality and emotional functioning.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test in which people express inner feelings through stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.

Humanistic Perspective

A view of personality that emphasizes human potential and self-growth.

Self-concept

An individual's overall perception of their abilities, behavior, and personality.

Self-actualizing Tendency

The innate drive to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest level of human functioning.

Unconditional (Positive) Regard

Accepting and valuing a person without conditions or judgment, essential for healthy self-concept.

Social-Cognitive Perspective

A theory that personality is shaped by the interaction of behavior, environment, and cognitive processes.

Self

The center of personality

the organizer of thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Reciprocal Determinism

The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment on personality.

Self-efficacy

One's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations.

Self-esteem

One's overall sense of personal worth or value.

Spotlight Effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others notice and evaluate us.

Self-serving Bias

The tendency to perceive oneself favorably, attributing successes to oneself and failures to external factors.

Trait Perspective

A theory focusing on identifying and measuring individual personality characteristics.

Traits

Enduring patterns of behavior and thought that are consistent across situations.

Big Five Theory (OCEAN/CANOE)

A model of personality based on five traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to identify clusters of related traits.

Personality Inventory

A questionnaire used to assess personality traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

A widely used personality test designed to identify psychological disorders and personality structure.