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AP Psychology - Personality

Terms in this set (34)

personality
an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
dynamic unconscious
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.
id
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. It operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.
ego
the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. It operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.
Oedipus complex
according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father.
fixation
(1) the inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set. (2) according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.
repression
basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
regression
allows us to retreat to an earlier, more infantile stage of development
reaction formation
the ego unconsciously makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites
projection
disguises threatening impulses by attributing them to others
rationalization
occurs when we unconsciously generate self-justifying explanations to hide from ourselves the real reasons for our actions
displacement
diverts sexual or aggressive impulses toward an object or person that is psychologically more acceptable than the one that aroused the feelings
sublimation
the transformation of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motivations
denial
protects the person from real events that are painful to accept, either by rejecting a fact or its seriousness
projective technique
a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach inkblot test
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.
self-actualization
according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential.
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"
trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.
personality inventory
a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.
external locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.
internal locus of control
the perception that you control your own fate.
humanistic approach
Aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive - belief in the positive potential of humans to develop personality
self
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
self-esteem
one's feelings of high or low self-worth.
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably.
Self Report
A way of measuring personality that asks individuals to respond to a series of questions about themselves and say how much they agree/disagree to statements.
Big 5 Personality Traits
Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Extraversion
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