Psych 4b
Psychodynamic theory of personality- Idea that unconscious processes shape personality. Childhood and social conflict play a large role.
Ego - part of one's personality that compromises between unconscious and conscious desires to shape personal identity and behavior
Defense mechanisms - ways in which the ego protects the conscious mind from threatening thoughts from the unconscious
Repression - pushing thoughts out of conscious awareness
Denial - not accepting the truth
Displacement - redirecting feeling toward another person/object that is less threatening
Projection - believing your opinions and tendencies are held by other people rather than by you
Reaction formation - expressing the opposite of how one truly feels
Regression - return to a more childish, comforting form of behavior
Rationalization - justifying or making excuses for an undesirable event or behavior
Sublimation - channeling frustration toward a different, more socially acceptable goal
Projective Tests - personality tests given to reveal a person's unconscious desires. Problem: they are very subjective
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) - people are given a picture of an ambiguous scene and asked to say what is happening in the picture
Rorschach inkblot test- people are given a picture of a blob of ink (abstract shape) and asked to say everything they see in it
Humanistic theory of personality - our personalities are shaped by our innate goodness and desire to grow and thrive
Self-actualization - People are motivated to grow and reach their full potential
Unconditional positive regard - When we are around people we trust to love us unconditionally, we can be our true selves
Social-Cognitive theory of personality- personality is determined by the environment and your patterns of thought
Reciprocal determinism - interaction between thoughts/feelings (cognitions), environment, and behavior
Self-concept - your ideas about who you are as a person
Self-efficacy - your belief about your own ability to achieve in a specific situation
Self-esteem - your feelings of self-worth; how you feel about yourself
Trait theory of personality - Personality is made up of characteristics that are consistent throughout life and in all different situations. Criticism: Underestimate the influence of situation/environment on behavior
Personality inventory - a test designed to measure an individual's level of a specific personality trait or set of traits, prone to self-reporting bias and influence by social desirability
factor analysis - a statistical technique used in personality inventories, some intelligence tests, and some diagnostic tests to combine information from all questions on a particular topic or trait
Big 5 Personality Traits (OCEAN)
Openness: imaginative, creative, open-minded
Conscientiousness: organized, reliable, dependable
Extraversion: out-going, sociable, assertive (strong/confident personality)
Agreeableness: kind, cooperative, compassionate (they can understand others)
Neuroticism (emotional stability): low score indicates more calm, high score is more reactive