Exam Study Notes on Psychological Theories and Concepts

Chapter One: Theories

• Components of a Useful Theory:
  • Clarity
  • Predictability
  • Falsifiability
  • Simplicity
  • Scope
  • Relevance
• Definitions:
  • Theory: A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world.
  • Hypothesis: A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Chapter Two: Freud’s Theory of the Unconscious

• Key Terms:
  • Id: The primal, instinctual part of the mind.
  • Ego: The realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the superego.
  • Superego: The moral conscience of the psyche.
• Types of Anxiety:
  • Reality anxiety
  • Neurotic anxiety
  • Moral anxiety
• Defense Mechanisms:
  • Repression
  • Denial
  • Projection
  • Displacement
• Psychological Maturity:
  • The development of adaptive coping strategies and emotional regulation.
• Freudian Dream Interpretation: Focused on revealing the unconscious desires and conflicts via latent and manifest content.

Chapter Three: Adler’s Contributions

• Striving for Superiority: The central motivational force behind human behavior.
• Neglected Style of Life: A lifestyle that develops from childhood.
• Safeguarding Tendency: Mechanisms to avoid feelings of inferiority, such as excuses or rationalization.
• Early Recollections: Insights derived from analyzing a person’s early memories.

Chapter Four: Jung’s Concepts

• Collective Unconscious: Shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.
• Animus and Anima: Male and female aspects within every person.
• Archetypes: Universal symbols of human experience, such as The Hero, The Mother, etc.
• Basic Attitudes and Functions:
  • Attitudes: Introversion vs. Extraversion
  • Functions: Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, Intuition
• Jungian Dream Interpretation: A tool to explore personal and collective unconscious and achieve individuation.

Chapter Five: Klein’s Framework

• Kleinian Therapy Focus: Addressing the early internal world and internal objects.
• Unified Ego Emergence: How conflicting parts of the psyche come together for a cohesive self.

Chapter Six: Horney’s Analysis

• Societal Impact on Love: The influence of cultural norms on relational dynamics.
• Child Development Inhibitors: Factors that disrupt healthy psychological growth.
• Neurotic Needs: Identifying unnecessary desires that hurt rather than help individuals.
• Moving Towards, Away, and Against People: Coping styles that reflect interpersonal strategies.
• Tyranny of the Should: The pressures from societal expectations to conform.

Chapter Seven: Erikson’s Stages

• Developmental Stages: Stages of psychosocial development in life.
• Play vs. School Age: Differentiation in cognitive and social learning processes during growth.
• Adolescence and Integrity: The formation of identity and sense of self as integral to psychosocial health.
• Pseudospeciation: Understanding of social divisions, often leading to conflict.

Chapter Eight: Fromm’s Perspectives

• Breaking the Cycle of Conformity: Encouraging individuality and standing against societal norms.
• Valuing Work: How healthy individuals perceive work as self-fulfillment rather than mere survival.
• Malignant Narcissism: A pathological self-centeredness detrimental to relationships.
• Necrophilic Orientation: Attraction to death and decay, reflecting fear of life.
• Incestuous Symbiosis: Over-identification with close relationships at the expense of individuality.

Chapter Nine: Maslow’s Hierarchy

• Physiological Needs: The essential foundation of survival (e.g., food, water, shelter).
• Instinctoid vs. Noninstinctoid Needs: Innate drives compared to acquired desires.
• B-Values: The values that drive self-actualization (e.g., beauty, truth, justice).
• Jonah Complex: The fear of success based on the overbearing expectations and responsibilities it brings.