PSY Ch 14

Which defense mechanism is at work when we unconsciously replace threatening inner wishes with exaggerated versions of their opposite?

reaction formation

Example of displacement

after a fight, she kicks her cat

How do social-cognitive theorists view personality development, and how do they explore behavior?

Albert Bandura first proposed the social-cognitive perspective, which emphasizes the interaction of our traits with our situations. Social-cognitive researchers apply principles of learning, cognition, and social behavior to personality. Reciprocal determinism is a term describing the interaction and mutual influence of behavior, internal personal factors, and environmental factors.

Collective unconscious:

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history.

How has modern research developed our understanding of the unconscious?

Current research confirms that we do not have full access to all that goes on in our mind, but the current view of the unconscious is that it is a separate and parallel track of information processing that occurs outside our awareness. This processing includes schemas that control our perceptions; priming; implicit memories of learned skills; instantly activated emotions; and stereotypes that filter our information processing of others' traits and characteristics.

______________ (Secure/Defensive) self-esteem correlates with aggressive and antisocial behavior. ______________ (Secure/Defensive) self-esteem is a healthier self-image that allows us to focus beyond ourselves and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Defensive; Secure

What is the best way to predict a person's future behavior?

Examine the person's past behavior patterns in similar situations.

How do excessive optimism, blindness to one's own incompetence, and self-serving bias reveal the costs of self-esteem, and how do defensive and secure self-esteem differ?

Excessive optimism can lead to complacency and prevent us from seeing real risks, while blindness to one's own incompetence may lead us to make the same mistakes repeatedly. Self-serving bias is our tendency to perceive ourselves favorably, as when viewing ourselves as better than average or when accepting credit for our successes but not blame for our failures. Narcissism is excessive self-love and self-absorption. Defensive self-esteem is fragile, focuses on sustaining itself, and views failure or criticism as a threat. Secure self-esteem enables us to feel accepted for who we are.

How did Freud think people defended themselves against anxiety?

For Freud, anxiety was the product of tensions between the demands of the id and superego. The ego copes by using unconscious defense mechanisms, such as repression, which he viewed as the basic mechanism underlying and enabling all the others.

What was Freud's view of personality?

Freud believed that personality results from conflict arising from the interaction among the mind's three systems: the id (pleasure-seeking impulses), ego (reality-oriented executive), and superego (internalized set of ideals, or conscience).

What are three big ideas that have survived from Freud's work in psychoanalytic theory? What are three ways in which Freud's work has been criticized?

Freud first drew attention to (1) the importance of childhood experiences, (2) the existence of the unconscious mind, and (3) our self-protective defense mechanisms. Freud's work has been criticized as (1) not scientifically testable and offering after-the-fact explanations, (2) focusing too much on sexual conflicts in childhood, and (3) based on the idea of repression, which has not been supported by modern research.

Which of Freud's ideas did his followers accept or reject?

Freud's early followers, the neo-Freudians, accepted many of his ideas. They differed in placing more emphasis on the conscious mind and in stressing social motives more than sex or aggression. Most contemporary psychodynamic theorists and therapists reject Freud's emphasis on sexual motivation. They stress, with support from modern research findings, the view that much of our mental life is unconscious, and they believe that our childhood experiences influence our adult personality and attachment patterns. Many also believe that our species' shared evolutionary history shaped some universal predispositions.

According to Freud, the part of the mind that is an impulsive mechanism is the:

Id

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.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Describe Freud's Psychosexual stages:

Oral (0-18 mo) Pleasure centers on the mouth-- sucking, biting, chewing Anal (18-36 mo) Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder elimination; coping with demands for control Phallic (3-6 years) Pleasure zone is the genitals; coping with incestuous sexual feelings Latency (6 to puberty) A phase of dormant sexual feelings Genital (puberty on) Maturation of sexual interests

What are the positive and negative effects of high self-esteem?

People who feel confident in their abilities are often happier, have greater motivation, and are less susceptible to depression. Excessive optimism and very high self-esteem can lead to blindness to one's own incompetence, self-serving bias, and narcissism.

What are personality inventories, and what are their strengths and weaknesses as trait-assessment tools?

Personality inventories (such as the MMPI) are questionnaires on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors. Test items are empirically derived, and the tests are objectively scored. But people can fake their answers to create a good impression, and the ease of computerized testing may lead to misuse of the tests.

What historically significant and current theories inform our understanding of personality?

Personality is an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. Psychodynamic theories view personality from the perspective that behavior is a dynamic interaction between the conscious and unconscious mind. These theories trace their origin to Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis. The humanistic approach focused on our inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment. Trait theories examine characteristic patterns of behavior (traits). Social-cognitive theories explore the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.

___________ tests ask test-takers to respond to an ambiguous stimulus, for example, by describing it or telling a story about it.

Projective

What are projective tests, how are they used, and what are some criticisms of them?

Projective tests attempt to assess personality by showing people ambiguous stimuli (open to many possible interpretations) and treating their answers as revelations of unconscious motives. One such test, the Rorschach inkblot test, has low reliability and validity except in a few areas, such as hostility and anxiety.

Major Personality Theories

Psychoanalytic (Freud) Psychodynamic (Adler, Horney, Jung) Humanistic (Rogers, Maslow) Trait (Allport, Eysenck, McCrae, Costa) Social-Cognitive (Bandora)

Freud's idea of the mind's structure

Psychologists have used an iceberg image to illustrate Freud's idea that the mind is mostly hidden beneath the conscious surface. Note that the id is totally unconscious, but ego and superego operate both consciously and unconsciously. Unlike the parts of a frozen iceberg, however, the id, ego, and superego interact.

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.

Rorschach inkblot test

What criticisms have social-cognitive theorists faced?

Social-cognitive theorists build on well-established concepts of learning and cognition. They tend to believe that the best way to predict someone's behavior in a given situation is to observe that person's behavior in similar situations. They have been faulted for underemphasizing the importance of unconscious motives, emotions, and biologically influenced traits.

What are the Big Five personality factors, and why are they scientifically useful?

The Big Five personality factors are conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism (emotional stability vs. instability), openness, and extraversion (CANOE). These factors may be objectively measured, and research suggests that these factors are relatively stable over the life span and apply to all cultures in which they have been studied. Personality continues to develop through adolescence

Which traits seem to provide the most useful information about personality variation?

The Big Five personality factors—conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion (CANOE)—currently offer the clearest picture of personality. These factors are quite stable and appear to be found in all cultures.

How did humanistic psychologists view personality, and what was their goal in studying personality?

The humanistic psychologists' view of personality focused on the potential for healthy personal growth and people's striving for self-determination and self-realization. Abraham Maslow proposed that human motivations form a hierarchy of needs; if basic needs are fulfilled, people will strive toward self-actualization and self-transcendence. Carl Rogers believed that the ingredients of a growth-promoting environment are genuineness, acceptance (including unconditional positive regard), and empathy. Self-concept was a central feature of personality for both Maslow and Rogers.

How do contemporary psychologists view Freud's psychoanalysis?

They give Freud credit for drawing attention to the vast unconscious, to the struggle to cope with our sexuality, to the conflict between biological impulses and social restraints, and for some forms of defense mechanisms (false consensus effect/projection; reaction formation) and unconscious terror-management defenses. But his concept of repression, and his view of the unconscious as a collection of repressed and unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories, cannot survive scientific scrutiny. Freud offered after-the-fact explanations, which are hard to test scientifically. Research does not support many of Freud's specific ideas, such as the view that development is fixed in childhood. (We now know it is lifelong.)

Which elements of traditional psychoanalysis have modern-day psychodynamic theorists and therapists retained, and which elements have they mostly left behind?

Today's psychodynamic theorists and therapists still rely on the interviewing techniques that Freud used, and they still tend to focus on childhood experiences and attachments, unresolved conflicts, and unconscious influences. However, they are not likely to dwell on fixation at any psychosexual stage, or the idea that resolution of sexual issues is the basis of our personality.

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. or a test in which people view ambiguous pictures and then make up stories about them. One use of such storytelling has been to assess achievement motivation

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.

Id:

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

Oedipus [ED-uh-puss] complex:

according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father. During Phallic stage

Fixation:

according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.

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.

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.

Personality:

an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

. According to the psychoanalytic view of development, we all pass through a series of psychosexual stages, including the oral, anal, and phallic stages. Conflicts unresolved at any of these stages may lead to a. dormant sexual feelings. b. fixation at that stage. c. preconscious blocking of impulses. d. a distorted gender identity.

b. fixation at that stage.

Some call the superego the:

conscious

According to Freud's ideas about the three-part personality structure, the ____________ operates on the reality principle and tries to balance demands in a way that produces long-term pleasure rather than pain; the ______________ operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification; and the ______________ represents the voice of our internalized ideals (our conscience).

ego; id; superego

In the psychoanalytic view, conflicts unresolved during one of the psychosexual stages may lead to ______________ at that stage.

fixation

Maslow based his ideas on

his study of healthy, creative people.

Repression:

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Self-efficacy:

one's sense of competence and effectiveness.

Spotlight effect:

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).

Superego:

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.

Freud believed that our defense mechanisms operate ______________ (consciously/unconsciously) and defend us against ______________.

unconsciously; anxiety

Humanistic theories:

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth.

Psychodynamic theories:

view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences.

Social-cognitive perspective:

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.

Important factor about Id:

wants immediate gratification

How did humanistic psychologists assess a person's sense of self?

Some rejected any standardized assessments and relied on interviews and conversations. Rogers sometimes used questionnaires in which people described their ideal and actual selves, which he later used to judge progress during therapy.

How did humanistic psychology provide a fresh perspective?

This movement sought to turn psychology's attention away from drives and conflicts and toward our growth potential, with a focus on the way healthy people strive for self-determination and self-realization, which was in contrast to Freudian theory and strict behaviorism.

Humanistic psychology has been most closely associated with an emphasis on the importance of

a postitive self concept

Free association:

in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.

Defense mechanisms:

in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Which two primary dimensions did Hans Eysenck and Sybil Eysenck propose for describing personality variation?

introversion-extraversion and emotional stability-instability

Juan loves horseback riding. What would be a behavioral factor associated with horseback riding for Juan? selecting where he is going to ride horses learning how to ride horses having friends that also ride horses his thoughts and feelings about riding horses

learning how to ride horses

According to Freud, the id is governed by the

pleasure principle

-Maslow's Self-Actualization:

potential for healthy personal growth and striving for self-determination and self-realization, motivated by hierarchy of needs.

Freud proposed that the development of the "voice of conscience" is related to the _________ , which internalizes ideals and provides standards for judgments.

superego

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

terror-management theory

The total acceptance Rogers advocated as part of a growth-promoting environment is called ___ ___ ____

unconditional positive regard

Freud was the first to focus clinical attention on our

unconscious mind.

The term personality refers to

unique and enduring behavior patterns

The "Big Five" personality factors

-Reasearchers use self-report inventories and peer reports to assess and score the Big Five personality factors _CANOE -Conscientiousness: high levels: how careful are you, how organized, how able are you to finish a task. Low levels: careless, not organized -Agreeable: go with the flow, get along, trusting, helpful. LOW end: uncooportive, no all the time, suspicious -Neuroticism (emotional stability vs not): HIGH: very emotional. more insecure, anxious, react strongly and negatively. LOW: Calm, secure, steady -Openness: -Extraversion:

Which part of life does Freud believe to have the most influence on us?

Childhood

What developmental stages did Freud propose?

He believed children pass through five psychosexual stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital). Unresolved conflicts at any stage can leave a person's pleasure-seeking impulses fixated (stalled) at that stage.

How have humanistic theories influenced psychology? What criticisms have they faced?

Humanistic psychology helped renew interest in the concept of self. Critics have said that humanistic psychology's concepts were vague and subjective, its values self-centered, and its assumptions naively optimistic.

How do we assess traits?

Objective test: they only have certain responses; closed ended options Projective: open ended responses

What is humanistic theory?

View personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Self-concept:

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

In general, neo-Freudians such as Adler and Horney accepted many of Freud's views but placed more emphasis than he did on a. development throughout the life span. b. the collective unconscious. c. the role of the id. d. social interactions.

d. social interactions.

What technique would psychologists use to assess whether a cluster of characteristics that include ambition, determination, persistence, and self-reliance reflects a single personality trait?

factor analysis

Humanistic Approach:

focus on inner capacities for growth and self-fulfillment. Everyone thinks they can be the best at everything, but thats not true with traits. Some are good at things, some aren't.

Self-esteem:

one's feelings of high or low self-worth.

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.

personality inventory

Ego is governed by the

reality principle

Fill in the Maslow's self actualization Pyrimid

self actualization self esteem belonging safety physical needs

altruism

selfless concern for others

Critics say that ___ ____personality theory is very sensitive to an individual's interactions with particular situations, but that it gives too little attention to the person's enduring traits.

social - cognitive

The _____ perspective views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits and their social context.

social-cognitive

______________ is a psychoanalytic method for exploring the unconscious. With this method, patients are told to relax and say whatever comes to mind.

Free association

Freud called an unresolved conflict caused by over-indulgence or frustration

fixation (focusing on ONE stage)

Which of the following is FALSE pertaining to trait theories? Trait theorists see personalities as stable over time Focus on describing differences of traits rather than explain traits Use factor analysis to identity clusters of behavior tendencies that occur together All are true

All are true

Our scores on personality tests best predict a. our behavior on a specific occasion. b. our average behavior across many situations. c. behavior involving a single trait, such as conscientiousness. d. behavior that depends on the situation or context.

B

Electra complex Oedipus complex

Girl/boy want to conquer opposite gender parent

High self esteem correlates with:

Less pressure to conform Longer you persist in a hard task= longer your self esteem Happiness

What is self actualization? Who studied this?

Maslow. One of the ultimate psychological needs. "the full realization of one's potential", and of one's 'true self'. Dont fulfill this stage until you fulfill the ones under it. Role in society.

_____ theories of personality focus on describing characteristic behavior patterns, such as agreeableness or extraversion.

Trait

How well do personality test scores predict our behavior? Explain.

Our scores on personality tests predict our average behavior across many situations much better than they predict our specific behavior in any given situation.

The Oedipus conflict is associated with which stage of psychosexual development, according to Freud?

Phallic

16. T or F. Trait theorists believe that characteristsics are influenced by genetic predispositions

True

a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics.

projective test

Unconditional positive regard:

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Trait:

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.

Freud believed that we may block painful or unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, or memories from consciousness through an unconscious process called

repression

Compare self esteem to self efficacy?

Self-seteem: how we feel about ourselves. ones feelings of high or low self worth. Self-efficacy: our sense of competence on a task. ones sense of competence and effectiveness

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions.

psychoanalysis

MMPI:

10 traits simultaneously; Ask lots of questions,

13. What is self-concept? How to positive / negative self-concepts affect us?

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question "who am i?" + self concept= we tend to act and perceive the world positively - self concept= (fall short of ideal self). tend to feel dissatisfied and unhappy

One famous personality inventory is the a. Extraversion-Introversion Scale. b. Person-Situation Inventory. c. MMPI. d. Rorschach.

C

Bruce often acts daring and overly confident that few people realize he is actually riddled with unconscious insecurity and selfdoubt. Bruce best illistrates the use of a defense mechanism known as a. regression b. projection c. displacement d. reaction formation

D (opposite of how he feels)

T or F. Trait theorists are more concerned about explaining individual traits

False

Is this unconditional positive regard or not? "Win or lose, it doesn't matter...unless you want daddy's love"

NOT unconditional positive regard

PROJECTIVE TEST:

Personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics and reveal unconscious motives

______ theory maximized and _______ theory minimized the role of the unconscious

Psychoanalytic; behaviorist (self-concept)

Psychoanalysis:

Sigmund Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. (2) Freud's therapeutic technique used in treating psychological disorders. Freud believed that the patient's free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the therapist's interpretations of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.

What is free association?

The patient says whatever comes to mind

Why has psychology generated so much research on the self? How important is self-esteem to psychology and to human well-being?

The self is the center of personality, organizing our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Considering possible selves helps motivate us toward positive development, but focusing too intensely on ourselves can lead to the spotlight effect. Self-esteem is our feeling of self-worth; self-efficacy is our sense of competence on a task. High self-esteem correlates with less pressure to conform, with persistence at difficult tasks, and with happiness. But the direction of the correlation is not clear. Psychologists caution against unrealistically promoting children's feelings of self-worth. It's better to reward their achievements, which leads to feelings of competence.

What does it mean to be empathic? How about self-actualized? Which humanistic psychologists used these terms?

To be empathic is to share and mirror another person's feelings. Carl Rogers believed that people nurture growth in others by being empathic. Abraham Maslow proposed that self-actualization is the motivation to fulfill one's potential, and one of the ultimate psychological needs (the other is self-transcendence).

Projective test:

a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics.

Self-serving bias:

a readiness to perceive oneself favorably.

James attributes his failing grade in chemistry to an unfair final exam. His attitude illustrates:

a self serving bias (tendency to perceive oneself in an overly favorable manner.)

-Carl Roger's Person-Centered Perspective:

growth promoting environmental characteristics are genuineness, acceptance, and empathy. Unconditional positive regard and self concept are key components.

Agreeableness refers to a scale ranging from

ruthless to soft-hearted.

The tendency to overestimate others' attention to and evaluation of our appearance, performance, and blunders is called the _______ ________

spotlight effect

The most widely accepted trait theory today is called:

the five-factor model of personality.

Reciprocal determinism:

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

Jaydon doesnt realize that his alcohol abuse and neglect of his family is leading to the destruction of noth his family and career. A psychoanalyst would suggest that Jaydon shows sigs of a STRONG/WEAK ego

weak ego

Which of the following is NOT one of the Big Five personality factors? a. Conscientiousness b. Anxiety c. Extraversion d. Agreeableness

B

According to Freud's view of personality structure, the "executive" system, the _________, seeks to gratify the impulses of the __________ in more acceptable ways. a. id; ego b. ego; superego c. ego; id d. id; superego

C

18. What is the difference between face validity and content validity?

Face validity: first judgement of a test, face value Content validity: statistics of the results of the test

Psychodynamic was from:

Freud. First scientist to talk about personality.

Id, ego, superego roles

Id: COMPLETELY unconscious. Least aware of how its influencing us. Spoiled little child. Strives to satisfy basic drives to survive, reproduce, and aggress (create conflict) Ego: "cant do that, you'll get arrested or kicked out of the house or punished." Mostly conscious. Kind of helps id understand reality: you cant just go beat people up or have sex with everyone. Ego brings a sense of self to the id. Follow law, be nice to people. Superego: "cant do that because its IMMORAL." IDEAL self. Stops id by saying "do this, you wont be perfect, you'll be immoral"...Morality: "cant do that cuz i'll get arrested or punched in my face"... According to this model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego.

What is factor analysis?

Identifies different factors of a test. Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors.

How did Sigmund Freud's treatment of psychological disorders lead to his view of the unconscious mind?

In treating patients whose disorders had no clear physical explanation, Freud concluded that these problems reflected unacceptable thoughts and feelings, hidden away in the unconscious mind. To explore this hidden part of a patient's mind, Freud used free association and dream analysis.

What are some common misunderstandings about introversion? Does extraversion lead to greater success than introversion?

Introversion is often misunderstood as shyness, but introverted people often simply seek low levels of stimulation from their environment. Introversion is also sometimes thought to be a barrier to success, but in fact introverts often experience great achievement, even in sales, through characteristics such as their superior listening skills.

Order of Freud's psychosexual stages?

Oral, anal, phallic, genital

What did Rogers believe in regard to self actualization?

Ppl are basically good and endowed with self-actualizing tendencies and will thrive unless they are thwarted by their environment.

THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST: TAT

Projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

6 well known defense mechanisms (that Freud believed came from repression) and give examples.

Regression (going back to earlier stage) Reaction formation (if angry, person displays exaggerated friendliness) Projection ( disguising ones own threatening impulses by attributing them to others: "Mr B doesn't like butterflies...who doesn't like butterflies?!?!") Rationalization: (offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for ones actions Ex: someone who always drinks says she drinks with her friends "to be sociable") Displacement: (take out your feelings on someone or something else. Ex: you yell at your roommate after getting a bad grade. Wasn't the roommates fault!) Denial: (refuse to believe or accept painful realities. Ex: a partner denies evidence of his loved ones affair.)

How might Rogers explain how environment influences the development of a criminal?

Rogers might assert that the criminal was raised in an environment lacking genuineness, acceptance (unconditional positive regard), and empathy, which inhibited psychological growth and led to a negative self-concept.

What is the Rorschach test? What is the Thematic Apperception Test?

Rorchachach people describe what they see in a series of inkblots TAT people view ambiguous pictures and then make up stories about them

14. Trait theorists believe that personality is (STABLE / UNSTABLE) through the lifespan

STABLE

THE RORSCHACH TEST

Seeks to identify peoples inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blot; attempts to address low reliability and validity in most areas addressed with research-based, computer—aided tool

How do psychologists use traits to describe personality?

Trait theorists see personality as a stable and enduring pattern of behavior. They describe our differences rather than trying to explain them. Using factor analysis, they identify clusters of behavior tendencies that occur together. Genetic predispositions influence many traits.

6 defense mechanisms: Freud believed that repression, the basic mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing impulses, enables other defense mechanisms, six of which are listed here.

Unconscious process employed to avoid anxiety-arousing thoughts or feelings: regression -retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated -ex: a little boy reverts to the oral comfort of thumb sucking in the car on the way to his first day of school reaction formation -switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites -ex: repressing angry feelings, a person displays exaggerated friendliness projection -disguising one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to others -ex: "the thief thinks everyone else is a thief" rationalization -offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one's actions -ex: a habitual drinker says she drinks with her friends "just to be sociable" displacement -shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person -ex: a little girl kicks the family dog after her mother sends her to her room denial -refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities -ex: a partner denies evidence of his loved one's affair

A fortune cookie advises, "Love yourself and happiness will follow." Is this good advice?

Yes, if that self-love is of the secure type. Secure self-esteem promotes a focus beyond the self and a higher quality of life. Excessive self-love may promote artificially high or defensive self-esteem, which may lead to unhappiness if negative external feedback triggers anger or aggression.

Empirically derived test:

a test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups.

Terror-management theory:

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

Which of the following is NOT part of the contemporary view of the unconscious? a. Repressed memories of anxiety-provoking events b. Schemas that influence our perceptions and interpretations c. Parallel processing that occurs without our conscious knowledge d. Instantly activated emotions and implicit memories of learned skills

a. Repressed memories of anxiety-provoking events

Modern-day psychodynamic theorists and therapists agree with Freud about a. the existence of unconscious mental processes. b. the Oedipus complex. c. the predictive value of Freudian theory. d. the superego's role as the executive part of personality.

a. the existence of unconscious mental processes.

Compare the following theories: a. Psychodynamic Theory b. Humanistic Approach c Trait theories d. Social-cognitive theories

a. view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences b. view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth c. behavior patterns, how they change. defines personalities in terms of stable and enduring behavior patterns, describes fundamental personality traits (peoples characteristic behaviors and conscious motives) d. view behavior as influenced by the interaction between peoples traits (including their thinking) and social context

Freud believed that defense mechanisms are unconscious attempts to distort or disguise reality, all in an effort to reduce our ________

anxiety

Professor Halasa perceives shy, inhibited styles of behavior to be the interactive outcome of cultural expectations, autonomic nervous system reactivity, and unconscious thought processes. The professor's views best illustrate a(n) ________ approach. trait evolutionary humanistic biopsychosocial

biopsychosocial

According to Freud, this part of the personality is largely conscious and is the mediator that operates on the reality principle.

ego

Narcissism:

excessive self-love and self-absorption.

According to Hans Eysenck and Sybil Eysenck, the individual variation that is apparent across people can be reduced to several dimensions, including:

extraversion-introversion.

Jacob picks up a hammer and begins pounding on a board just as his father is hammering nails into the wall. Jacob's actions are best explained by:

identification

People's behavior can be described in terms of the spotlight effect. This means that they:

overestimate the extent to which other people are noticing them.

According to Maslow, a person will not be able to focus on Love and Belonging if they do not have:

physiological needs met

The role of repressed childhood conflicts in personality disorders is most clearly emphasized by the ____ perspective

psychoanalytic

Rhonda feels confident in her ability to dance the part of Clara in The Nutcracker ballet. Albert Bandura would say that Rhonda is showing a high level of:

self-efficacy.

The tendency to accept responsibility for success and blame circumstances or bad luck for failures is called ______________ - ______________ ______________.

self-serving bias

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.

Ego:

the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.

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.

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.

The humanistic perspective focuses on

the potential for healthy personal growth.

Identification:

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos.

The psychoanalytical perspective began with Sigmund Freud's theory of personality that attributes

thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.

Social-cognitive perspective (Bandura)

-Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between peoples traits (omcluding their thinking) and their social context -Emphasizes interaction of our traits with our situations -Applies principles of learning, cognition, and social behavior to personality

Describe the 3 components of personality according to Freud

1. id- only operates for pleasure, no restraints (wants/wishes) 2. ego- conscious mind, gratifies id (reality) 3. superego-considers real AND ideal (we want this the most. chips arent good for me)

Around what age does Freud theorize a child emerges into superego?

4 or 5

Albert Bandura proposed the _____ perspective on personality, which emphasizes the interaction of people with their environment. To describe the interacting influences of behavior, thoughts, and environment, he used the term _____. social-cognitive; reciprocal determinism social-cognitive; self-actualization psychodynamic; reciprocal determinism reciprocal determinism; social-cognitive

A

Does research support the consistency of personality traits over time and across situations?

A person's average traits persist over time and are predictable over many different situations. But traits cannot predict behavior in any one particular situation.

Albert Bandura proposed the ______________ - ______________ perspective on personality, which emphasizes the interaction of people with their environment. To describe the interacting influences of behavior, thoughts, and environment, he used the term ______________ ______________.

social-cognitive; reciprocal determinism