Unit 8: Heath & Personality

Eustress: A positive form of stress that can motivate and enhance performance and well-being.

Distress: A negative form of stress that can cause anxiety, decrease performance, and lead to health problems.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Traumatic events occurring before the age of 18, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, which can lead to long-term health consequences.

General Adaptation Syndrome: A three-stage response to stress (alarm, resistance, exhaustion) that describes how the body reacts to stressors.

Fight-flight-or-freeze response: An automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats, preparing individuals to either confront or escape the danger, or to freeze in place.

Tend and befriend theory: A behavioral response to stress characterized by seeking social support and nurturing others, often seen in females.

Problem-focused coping: Strategies aimed at tackling the stressor directly, such as problem-solving or time management.

Emotion-focused coping: Strategies that involve regulating emotional responses to stress, such as deep breathing, meditation, or using medication.

Internal locus of control: The belief that one has control over their life and outcomes, attributing successes and failures to their own actions.

External locus of control: The belief that external factors, such as fate or other people, influence life events, with little personal influence.

Positive Psychology: A branch of psychology focusing on strengths, well-being, and the factors that contribute to a fulfilling life.

Wisdom: Cognitive strengths that involve acquiring and using knowledge to navigate life.

Courage: Emotional strengths involving the will to accomplish goals despite opposition or fear.

Humanity: Interpersonal strengths related to kindness and empathy towards others.

Justice: Civic strengths that promote fair treatment, inclusivity, and healthy community connections.

Temperance: Strengths that encompass self-restraint and moderation in behaviors and desires.

Transcendence: Strengths that connect individuals to the larger universe and provide meaning to life.

Psychodynamic view of personality: A perspective that emphasizes the role of unconscious processes and childhood experiences in shaping personality.

Role of the unconscious: The part of the mind that contains thoughts, memories, and desires not directly accessible to awareness.

Id: The primitive and instinctive component of personality that operates according to the pleasure principle.

Ego: The rational part of the personality that mediates between the desires of the id and the realities of the external world.

Superego: The ethical component of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment.

Ego defense mechanisms: Psychological strategies used by the ego to protect against anxiety and maintain self-image, including denial, displacement, and repression.

Denial: Refusal to accept reality or facts to avoid painful emotions.

Displacement: Redirecting emotions from the original source to a substitute target.

Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others.

Rationalization: Justifying actions or feelings with logical reasons, avoiding the true explanation.

Reaction formation: Converting unwanted thoughts or feelings into their opposite.

Regression: Reverting to previous behaviors that were effective in dealing with stress during earlier stages of development.

Repression: Unconsciously blocking unpleasant thoughts or memories from awareness.

Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Projective tests: Psychological assessments that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that reveal aspects of personality.

Humanistic psychology: A psychological perspective that emphasizes personal growth and the concept of self-actualization.

Unconditional (positive) regard (UPR): Acceptance and support of a person regardless of what they say or do, essential for healthy self-esteem and personal growth.

Self-actualizing tendency: The innate drive to realize and fulfill one's own potential and abilities.

Social-Cognitive view of personality: A theory emphasizing the role of social interactions and cognitive processes in shaping personality.

Reciprocal determinism: The concept that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors interact to shape behavior and personality.

Self-efficacy: Belief in one’s ability to succeed or achieve goals in specific situations.

Self-concept: The perception and understanding of oneself, including beliefs about one's abilities and personality.

Self-esteem: The overall value one places on oneself, affecting confidence and emotional well-being.

Self-serving bias: The tendency to attribute positive events to one's own character, but attribute negative events to external factors.

Trait view on personality: A perspective that focuses on identifying and measuring individual personality characteristics that remain stable over time.

Big Five Theory: A personality model identifying five major dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional stability (neuroticism).

Personality inventories: Standardized questionnaires used to assess and measure various aspects of personality traits.

Factor analysis: A statistical method used to identify clusters of related variables, helping to reduce data complexity in personality assessment.