Unit 4 4.4 and 4.5 Notes

Psychodynamic Theory (Sigmund Freud) - The belief that personality is made up of and encounters both conscious and unconscious human beliefs and thoughts. 

There are 8 Different Defense Mechanisms: projection, repression, reaction formation, denial, displacement, regression, sublimation, and rationalization.  

Denial - An individual refusing to accept reality, blocking the event and the emotions that come with it. 

Displacement - Redirecting an emotional response from one situation to another.

Projection - An individual attributing their response to a particular situation to someone else.

Rationalization - The process by which an individual makes an extreme action or case seem justifiable and normal in some regard. 

Regression - When an individual changes back towards the behavior they expressed earlier in their life, usually happens with stress. 

Sublimation - Taking unacceptable impulses or behaviors and channeling them into a different atmosphere and event where they are allowed to be expressed to others. 

Repression - When an individual tries to remove all the conscious negative thoughts and feelings from their head. 

Self Actualization - When an individual is motivated to strive to their full potential. 

Ego - Crucial for regulating the emotional impulses of a person, interacting with external stimuli, and mediating between the id and the superego. 

Superego-  In the precociousness, responsible for representing a person's ideals, values, and judgments. 

ID - In the person's unconsciousness, is responsible for the basic needs and drives of the person. Relying on pleasure and immediate gratification. 

Projective Tests - Tests that have open responses, do not limit or rely on a presented selected group answers. Personality tests rely on this. 

Objective Personality Tests - Tests that have a limited set of responses relying on specific information/responses from test takers. 

Humanistic Theory - The belief about the goodness of the people and its desire in their lives to reach their full potential and continue growing. Relies on unconditional positive regard and self - self-actualization. 

Positive Regard - The support and positive treatment (love, acceptance) an individual receives from others. 

Unconditional Positive Regard - Accepting and valuing another individual without a set of requirements or conditions. 

Conditional Positive Regard - Acceptance, approval, and valuable treatment are given only when certain conditions and expectations are met in society. 

Self Concept - How a person sees and describes themselves, including their personality, skills, roles, and physical traits. 

Self-esteem - How positively a person sees themself. 

Self-Actualizing Tendency - A person's innate desire to grow, improve, and reach their full potential. 

Self Transcendence - Individuals going beyond their self-interests to reach something larger than originally set for themselves, overachieving basically. Spiritual beliefs or the greater good of society can be some causes. 

Q - Sort Technique - Technique used to asses individuals' self-concept by having them sort self-descriptive statements into categories that in their opinion best describe them. Comparing how they are to how they want the best version of themselves to be.

Congruence - Alignment between individual ideal self and actual self. 

Incongruence - The imbalance between the individual ideal self and actual self. 

                                                                  4.5 

Social Cognitive Theory - Views personality from human behaviors, personal factors (thoughts and beliefs), and environment. Highlights cognition, focusing on how a person thinks about and interprets situations, and how that has a direct influence on their personality. 

Alberts Banduras Reciprocal Determinism - Cyrcle/relationships that are created by personal, environmental, and behavioral factors all influencing each other. 

Self-Efficacy - An individual's belief in their ability to do a specific task. 

To assess the personality of individuals social cognitive theory usually uses : - behavioral observations, - situation assessments, - questionnaires, - interviews, - case studies. 

Trait Theories - Theories that focus on enduring characteristics of a person, known as traits that form a person's personality. 

Enduring characteristics - Stable, constant traits, that can be measured and lead to predictable behaviors and emotional reactions from individuals. 

• An extraversion person may be more open to social interactions while a consciousness person may be more organized and lean towards planned activities. 

5 Big Parts of the Theory of personality: Openness, extraversion, neuroticism, consciousness, and agreeableness. Acronym - OCEAN

Openness - Part of the theory refers to imagination, creativity, and curiosity. 

Conscientiousness - Part of the theory refers to a person's organization, dependability, discipline, and goal-directed behaviors. 

Extraversion - Part of the theory that refers to a person's sociability, enthusiasm, and assertiveness. 

Agreeableness - Part of the theory that refers to trustworthiness, altruism (self-concern for the well-being of others), kindness, and affection of a person. 

Neuroticism - Part of the theory that refers to a person's tendency to experience emotional stability and remain calm in stressful situations. 

Personality inventory - A specialized questionnaire that measures where a specific person is on each of the big 5 traits. 

Factor analysis - A statistical method for identifying clusters of related questions, helping researchers determine which items on the test measure the same underlying trait. 

Likert scale - Allowing for people/participants to create their agreement level based on a number scale. 

Psychodynamic Theory (Sigmund Freud): Personality comprises conscious and unconscious beliefs and thoughts.

Defense Mechanisms: 1. Denial: Refusal to accept reality. 2. Displacement: Redirecting emotional responses. 3. Projection: Attributing one's feelings to others. 4. Rationalization: Justifying extreme actions. 5. Regression: Reverting to earlier behaviors under stress. 6. Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into acceptable actions. 7. Repression: Blocking negative thoughts from consciousness.

Key Concepts:

• Ego: Regulates impulses, mediates between id and superego.

• Superego: Represents ideals and values in the precociousness.

• ID: Drives basic needs and seeks pleasure.

• Self-Actualization: Motivated to reach full potential.

• Self-Concept: How individuals perceive themselves.

• Self-Esteem: Personal view of self-worth.

• Self-Transcendence: Going beyond self-interests for a greater cause.

• Q-Sort Technique: Assesses self-concept through sorting statements.

Humanistic Theory: Emphasizes the goodness of people and the pursuit of self-actualization.

• Positive Regard: Support and acceptance from others.

• Unconditional Positive Regard: Acceptance without conditions.

Social Cognitive Theory: Examines interactions of behavior, personal factors, and environment, focusing on cognition.

• Reciprocal Determinism: Interaction of personal, environmental, and behavioral factors.

• Self-Efficacy: Belief in one's abilities.

Trait Theories (OCEAN): Describes personality in terms of five main traits:

1. Openness: Imagination and curiosity.

2. Conscientiousness: Organization and goal-directed behaviors.

3. Extraversion: Sociability and assertiveness.

4. Agreeableness: Trustworthiness and kindness.

5. Neuroticism: Emotional stability under stress.

Openness to Experience: Curiosity and willingness to engage with new ideas and experiences.