4.4
Personality | An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting |
Psychodynamic theories (of personality) | 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 onto unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions |
Free association | In psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing |
Id | A reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. It operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification. |
Ego | The partly conscious “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, the superego, and reality. It operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desire in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain. |
Superego | The partly conscious part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations |
Preconscious | The part of the mind of which we are typically unaware but of which we can become aware through focused thought |
Unconscious | According to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware |
Defense mechanisms | In psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality |
Denial | Refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities |
Displacement | Shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person |
Projection | Disguising one’s own threatening impulsive by attributing them to others |
Rationalization | Offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions |
Reaction formation | Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites |
Regression | Retreating to an earlier psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated |
Repression | In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories |
Sublimation | Transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives |
Projective tests | A personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics and explore the preconscious and unconscious mind |
Thematic apperception tests | A projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes |
Rorschach test | A projective test that seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing how they interpret 10 inkblots |
Humanistic psychology | A psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person and the uniqueness of each individual. It focuses on human potential, self-fulfillment, and personal growth |
Unconditional positive regard | A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude toward others (and ourselves), which humanistic theory believes helps people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance. |
Self-actualizing tendency | The process of fulfilling one’s true potential. The humanistic perspective views this as a naturally occurring process that occurs once other basic physical and psychological needs are met. |