4.4 and 4.5 Intro to Personality and the Psychoanalytic Perspective

Personality

An individual’s characteristic pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Psychodynamic theories

Theories that explain personality based on unconscious drives and conflicts.

Psychoanalysis

A therapy and theory (by Freud) that seeks to uncover unconscious conflicts.

Unconscious

Mental processes and memories outside conscious awareness.

Free association

A technique where a person says whatever comes to mind to reveal unconscious thoughts.

Id

The primitive, pleasure-seeking part of personality.

Ego

The rational part that mediates between the id and reality.

Superego

The moral conscience representing societal standards.

Psychosexual stages

Freud’s developmental stages where pleasure centers on different body areas.

Oedipus complex

A boy’s unconscious attraction to his mother and rivalry with his father.

Electra complex

A girl’s unconscious attraction to her father and rivalry with her mother.

Fixation

Being stuck at a psychosexual stage due to unresolved conflict.

Defense mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety (e.g., repression, denial).

Collective unconscious

Carl Jung’s idea of shared, universal memories and archetypes.

Terror-management theory

The idea that awareness of death motivates people to find meaning and value.

Projective test

A personality test that uses ambiguous stimuli to reveal inner feelings.

Thematic apperception test (TAT)

A projective test where people create stories about images.

Rorschach inkblot test

A projective test where people describe what they see in inkblots.

Humanistic theories

Emphasize personal growth, free will, and self-fulfillment.

Hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of human needs from basic to advanced.

Self-actualization

Reaching one’s full potential.

Self-transcendence

Finding meaning beyond oneself (helping others, spirituality).

Unconditional positive regard

Acceptance and support regardless of behavior.

Self-concept

How a person views themselves.

Trait

A stable characteristic influencing behavior.

Personality inventory

A questionnaire assessing personality traits.

MMPI

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; widely used clinical personality test.

Empirically derived test

A test developed by selecting items that differentiate groups.

Big Five Factors

Five major traits

Social-cognitive perspective / behavioral approach

Emphasizes learning and thinking in personality.

Reciprocal determinism

Interaction of behavior, personal factors, and environment.

Self

The center of personality, including thoughts and identity.

Spotlight effect (often written incorrectly as “spotlight affect”)

Overestimating how much others notice us.

Self-esteem

One’s sense of self-worth.

Self-efficacy

Belief in one’s ability to succeed.

Self-serving bias

Attributing success to oneself and failures to external factors.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and focus on oneself.

Individualism vs. collectivism

Cultures prioritizing personal goals vs. group goals.

Motivation

A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.

Instinct

An innate pattern of behavior.

Psychological need

A drive for belonging, achievement, or control.

Drive-reduction theory

Motivation to reduce physical discomfort and maintain balance.

Homeostasis

Maintaining internal physical stability.

Incentives

External rewards or punishments that motivate behavior.

Yerkes-Dodson law

Moderate arousal leads to optimal performance.

Hierarchy of needs

(Repeated) Maslow’s motivational model.

Affiliation need

Desire for relationships and belonging.

Self-determination theory

Motivation arises from needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Intrinsic motivation

Doing something for internal satisfaction.

Extrinsic motivation

Doing something for external rewards.

Ostracism

Being excluded or ignored by others.

Achievement motivation

Desire to accomplish goals and succeed.

Grit

Passion and perseverance for long-term goals.

Glucose

Blood sugar that provides energy and influences hunger.

Set point

Body’s natural weight range it tries to maintain.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Energy the body uses at rest.

Obesity

Excessive body fat that increases health risks.