Psychology Chapter 13

According to Alfred Adler, why do we struggle for superiority and power? P. 519

"The individual feels at home in life and feels his existence to be worthwhile just so far as he is useful to others and is overcoming feelings of inferiority."

What is the Big Five Model of personality? What are the characteristics of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism?

A slightly more expanded set of factors than Eysenck's that specifies where you on on the five dimensions. Openness: practical, prefers routine, conforming OR imaginative, prefers variety, independent Conscientiousness: disorganized, careless, impulsive OR organized, careful, disciplined Extraversion: retiring, sober, reserved OR sociable, fun-loving, affectionate Agreeableness: ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative OR soft-hearted, trusting, helpful Neuroticism: calm, secure, self-satisfied OR imaginative, prefers variety, independent

What is the self-serving bias? What is the better-than-average or above-average effect?

Self-serving bias: a readiness to perceive oneself favorably Better-than-average-effect: tendency to see oneself as above average

Who was Sigmund Freud? What major contributions did he make to personality psychology? What were the main focuses of Freud's theory? What was his theory called?

Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939) was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. His theory focused on childhood experiences, sexual and aggressive urges, and the unconscious mind.

What is Rotter's expectancy theory? What is meant by internal and external locus of control? What is learned helplessness and how does it relate to the concept of personal control?

We behave according to what we expect to happen as a result of our behavior. External Locus of Control: the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate Internal Locus of Control: the perception that you control your own fate Learned Helplessness: the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

What is personality?

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

What is the spotlight effect? p. 545

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

What is Bandura's concept of reciprocal determinism?

the interacting influence of behavior, internal cognition, and environment

What is the social-cognitive approach?

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

Can will-power/self-control be depleted? P. 538

yes, willpower is lessened as you continue to exert it

What is the modern version of the psychoanalytic approach?

Psychodynamic approach

Who is associated with the idea of a collective unconscious? P. 519

Carl Jung

What are defense mechanisms (in general)? What is repression?

Defense Mechanisms: Unconscious psychological and behavioral tactics that protect person from unpleasant emotions by hiding or distorting reality Repression: basis of all defense mechanisms, pushing unacceptable thoughts out of conscious awareness

Is optimism always good? Why or why not? P. 540

Excessive optimism can blind us to real risks

What are the dimensions of personality in Eysenck's trait theory? How do introverts and extraverts tend to differ?

Extraversion/introversion and stability/instability

How did Freud attempt to access the unconscious mind?

Free association: saying whatever pops into your head Dream analysis: dreams are highly symbolic of the unconscious

What is Gray's Biopsychological Theory? What is the behavioral approach system and behavioral inhibition system?

Gray hypothesized two systems controlling behavioral activity, the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) and the Behavioural Activation System (BAS).The BIS is thought to be related to sensitivity to punishment as well as avoidance motivation, while the BAS is thought to be related to sensitivity to reward as well as approach motivation.

What is the relationship between control over one's environment, stress, health, and morale? P. 539

Having control over one's environment shows improved levels of stress, health and morale.

What are projective personality tests? What are the problems with them?

Projective Personality Test: a personality test, such as the Rorschach, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics. These tests are subjective and not reliable.

What are the structures of personality according to the psychoanalytic view? What are their characteristics? How do these relate to the iceberg analogy used by Freud?

Id: instincts, unconscious, pleasure principle (guides one to whatever feels good), immediate gratification, no regard for social rules Ego: develops in first few years of life to satisfy id, reality principle (takes reality into account in order to satisfy id), tries to get id to delay gratification, mediator between id and superego Superego: develops around 4 or 5 years of age as kid internalizes values of family and society, conscience, morality principle (sense of right and wrong), demands perfection, responsible for feelings of guilt, shame, and pride Iceberg Analogy: vast majority of personality is beneath the conscious surface of the mind

What are the major problems with Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory?

It is unscientific, offers after-the-fact explanations, and is not supported by research.

What are the four main approaches to the study of psychology?

Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, Humanistic, Trait, Social-cognitive

What is the NEO-PI-R? The MMPI?

Neuroticism Extraversion Openness personality inventory revised (NEO-PI-R)- measures the big 5. Results are predictive and can predict academic and work success, social status and even the continuance of criminal behavior. The MMPI is 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.

Is having lots of choices generally better than having fewer choices? P. 539

No

What are Freud's psychosexual stages of development and what happens during each? What are erogenous zones? What is fixation? What are the supposed characteristics of oral and anal fixation? What are the Oedipus and Electra complexes?

Oral Stage: mouth, weaning is major conflict, sucking and biting Anal Stage: anus, toilet training is major conflict, toddlers get pleasure from pooping Phallic Stage: genitals (3-6 years of age), Oedipus and Electra complexes Latency Period: (6-adolescence), not much happens Genital Stage: (adolescence-rest of life), genitals are erogenous zone, if all went well in previous stages, adolescent will transfer desire for parents to an age appropriate person of the opposite gender, men will seek women who remind them of their mother, women will seek men who remind them of their father Erogenous Zones: pleasure-sensitive areas of the body Fixation: if conflict is not resolved properly, there will be enduring focus on a particular erogenous zone, maladaptive adult behavior, occurs as a result of over or under indulgence Oedipus Complex: desire, jealousy, fear, repression, identification, unconscious sexual desire for his mother but father is in the way, becomes fearful of father cutting off his penis if he tries to take his mom, he decides to become like his dad because his mom likes his dad Electra Complex: penis envy, girl has unconscious sexual desire for dad, but mom is in the way, notices that some people have penises and she does not, she develops penis envy and wonders what happened to hers, she comes up with the idea that her mother must have cut her penis off, she starts to fear her mom, but eventually gives up on the idea of getting her dad all to herself and starts to identify with her mom

How does depression relate to the self-serving bias and realism?

People who suffer from depression lack a self-serving bias and tend to have a more realistic view of the world around them.

What is the relationship between self-esteem and aggressive behavior? What is defensive self-esteem?

People with unrealistically high self-esteem are more likely to be aggressive. Defensive self-esteem is fragile and insecure, and results in violence.

What is the main premise of the humanistic approach? What does Rogers' Person-Centered Perspective entail? What factors promote and inhibit growth according to this perspective?

The humanistic theories view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth. Rogers' Person-Centered Perspective says that people are basically good and endowed with self-actualizing tendencies. This is promoted by genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.

What is the false consensus effect? p. 522

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

What is the trait approach? What is the purpose of factor analysis?

The trait approach view personality as a combination of traits. Factor analysis involves statistically correlated clusters of items grouped on one dimension to reflect a basic trait.

What is the unconscious? How does it relate to psychological disorder in Freud's theory? How did Freud try to cure his patients?

The unconscious refers to thoughts, feelings, wishes, memories, and desires that are below conscious awareness. Freud believed that physiological problems were caused by unconscious psychological conflicts. He believed that once these conflicts were uncovered, the problem would go away.