Key Concepts in Personality Psychology

Key Concepts in Psychology

  1. Five-Factor Model of Personality (Big Five): Includes openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism—traits that explain an individual's personality.

  2. Displacement: Redirecting emotions or impulses from the original target to a less threatening one (e.g., a student yelling at a sibling instead of a teacher).

  3. Self-Efficacy: Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations (e.g., confidence in solving math problems).

  4. Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable feelings to someone else (e.g., someone angry accusing others of being angry).

  5. The Big Five Personality Factors: Based on trait psychology, describing personality via broad dimensions.

  6. Agreeableness: Involves being cooperative, compassionate, and empathetic toward others (e.g., being softhearted and forgiving).

  7. Projective Tests: Use ambiguous stimuli to reveal hidden thoughts and feelings (e.g., Rorschach inkblots).

  8. Case Study: An in-depth analysis of a single person used to study rare situations (e.g., analyzing a political figure's childhood).

  9. Personality Inventory: A self-report questionnaire assessing various personality traits (e.g., true/false statements about oneself).

  10. Neuroticism: Characterized by emotional instability and frequent anxiety (e.g., heightened stress during exams).

  11. Reciprocal Determinism: Proposed by Bandura, suggesting that behavior, cognition, and environmental factors influence each other (e.g., anxiety affecting social interactions).

  12. Humanistic Perspective: Emphasizes self-actualization and personal growth (e.g., dissatisfaction due to unfulfilled basic needs).

  13. Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance and support of a person regardless of their actions (e.g., parental support despite shortcomings).

  14. Denial: A defense mechanism refusing to acknowledge reality (e.g., a parent keeping a child’s room intact post-moving out).

  15. Locus of Control: Belief in control over life events—internal (personal influence) vs. external (outside forces).

  16. Collectivism: Emphasizes group goals over individual desires (e.g., prioritizing family/community needs).

  17. Repression: A defense mechanism where distressing memories are unconsciously blocked (e.g., forgetting traumatic events).

  18. Real vs. Ideal Self: Unhappiness arises from the mismatch between a person's ideal self and real self (e.g., a student's motivation).

  19. Correlations: Examine relationships between variables; a positive correlation indicates an increase in one correlates with an increase in another, but does not imply causation.

  20. Research Methods: Longitudinal design tests the same participants over time, while cross-sectional studies examine different groups at one point.

  21. Brain Functions: Different brain regions handle specific functions; injury can have severe consequences (e.g., damage to Broca’s area impacts speech).

  22. Psychoactive Drugs: Substances affecting the nervous system; stimulants heighten alertness; depressants slow function.

  23. Cognitive Processing: Top-down processing uses existing knowledge for understanding, contrasting with bottom-up processing driven by sensory data.

  24. Vestibular Sense: The cerebellum maintains balance through the vestibular system.

  25. Attention and Distractions: Selective attention allows focus on specific stimuli, crucial for tasks but can lead to dangerous distractions.

  26. Learning and Behavior: Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior by removing unpleasant stimuli (e.g., taking painkillers).

  27. Test Development and Validity: Ensuring psychological tests measure intended constructs (e.g., personality tests aligning with supervisor ratings).

  28. Psychological Theories: Reciprocal determinism explains the dynamic interaction between behavior, cognition, and environment.

  29. Cognitive Dissonance: Individuals strive to resolve discomfort from conflicting beliefs (e.g., unhealthy behavior conflicting with health values).

  30. Aptitude Tests: Designed to predict performance in specific areas, assessing inherent potential (e.g., logical reasoning).

  31. Humanistic vs. Behaviorist Perspectives: Humanists focus on personal growth and agency; behaviorists emphasize external stimuli shaping behavior.

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