AP Psych. Gender/Personality

Acculturative stress

demands faced by immigrants in adjusting to a host culture

Phallic stage

third stage of psychosexual development, marked by erotic attention on the phallic region and the development of the Oedipus complex

Exhaustion stage

third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, characterized by depletion of bodily resources and a lowered resistance to stress-related disorders or conditions

Conditional positive regard

valuing a person only when the person's behavior meets certain expectations or standards

Lymphocytes

white blood cells that protet the body against disease-causing organisms

Drive for superiority

Adler's term for the motivation to compenste for feelings of inferiority

Individual psychology

Adler's theory of personality, which emphasizes the unique potential of each individual

Inferiority complex

Adler's theory of the feelings of inadequacy or inferiority in young children that influence their developing personalities and create desires to overcome

Creative self

Adler's theory of the self-aware part of personality that organizes goal-seeking efforts

Central traits

Allport's term for personality characteristics that have a widespread influence on the individual's behavior across situations

Secondary traits

Allport's term for specific traits that influence behavior in relatively few situations

Cardinal traits

Allport's term for the more pervasive dimensions that define an individual's general personality

Reciprocal determinism

Bandura's model in which cognitions, behaviors, and environmental factors both influence and are influenced by each other

Outcome expectations

Bandura's term for our personal predictions about the outcomes of our behavior

Efficacy expectations

Bandura's term for the exectancies we have regarding our ability to perform behaviors we set out to accomplish

Surface traits

Cattell's term for personality traits at the surface level that can be gleaned from observations of behavior

Source traits

Cattell's term for traits at a deep level of personality that are not apparent in observed behavior but must be inferred based on underlying relationships among surface traits

Basic hostility

Horney's theory of deep feelings of resentment that children may harbor toward their parents

Basic anxiety

Horney's theory of the deep-seated form of anxiety in children that is associated with feelings of being isolated and helpless in a world perceived as potentially threatening and hostile

Collective unconscious

Jung's term for a part of the mind containing ideas and archetypal images shared among humankind that have been transmitted genetically from ancestral humans

Personal unconscious

Jung's term for an unconscious region of mind comprising a reservoir of the individual's repressed memories and impulses

Archetypes

Jung's term for the primitive images contained in the collective unconscious that reflect ancestral or universal experiences of human beings

Situation variables

Mischel's term for environmental influences on behavior, such as rewards and punishments

Person variables

Mischel's term for internal personal factors that influence behavior, including competencies, expectancies, and subjective values

Self-theory

Rogers's model of personality, which focuses on the importance of the self

Locus of control

Rotter's theory of one's general expectancies about whether one's efforts can bring about desired outcomes or reinforcements

General adaptation syndrome

Selye's term for the three-stage response of the body to persistent or intense stress

Corticosteroids

adrenal hormones that increase the body's resistance to stress by increasing the availability of stored nutrients to meet the increased energy demands of coping with stressful events

Hassles

annoyances of daily life that impose a stressful burden

Type A behavior pattern

behavior pattern characterized by impatience, time urgency, competitiveness, and hostility

Gender-schema theory

belief that children form mental representations or schemas of masculinity and feminity, which they then use as a basis for organizing their behavior and evaluating their self-worth

Fight-or-flight response

body's built-in alarm system that allows it to quickly mobilize its resources toeither fight or flee when faced with a threatening stressor

Immune system

body's system of defense against disease

Psychological hardiness

cluster of traits that may buffer the effects of stress

Fixations

constellations of personality traits characteristic of a particular stage of psychosexual development, resulting from either excessive or inadequate gratification of that stage

Social-cognitive theory

contemporary learning-based model that emphasizes the roles played by both cognitive factors and environmental or situational factors in determining behavior

Chronic stress

continuing or persistent stress

Gender roles

cultural expectations imposed on men and women to behave in ways deemed appropriate for their gender

Regression

defense mechanism in which an individual reverts to a behavior characteristic of an earlier stage of development

Displacement

defense mechanism in which an unnacceptable sexual or aggressive impulse is transferred to an object or person that is safer or less threatening than the original object of the impulse

Reaction formation

defense mechanism involving behavior that stands in opposition to one's true motives and desires so as to prevent conscious awareness of them

Sublimation

defense mechanism involving the channeling of unacceptable impulses into socially sanctioned behaviors or ideas

Denial

defense mechanism involving the failure to recognize a threatening impulse or urge

Projection

defense mechanism involving the projection of one's own unnacceptable impulses, wishes, or urges onto another person

Rationalization

defense mechanism involving the use of self-justification to explain away unacceptable behavior, impulses, or ideas

Five-factor model (FFM)

dominant contemporary trait model of personality, consisting of five broad personality factors: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness

Genital stage

fifth and final stage of psychosexual development, which begins around puberty and corresponds to the devlopment of mature sexuality and emphasis on procreation

Oral stage

first of psychosexual development, during which the infant seeks sexual gratification through oral stimulation

Alarm reaction

first stage of the general adaptation syndrome, involving mobilization of the body's resurces to cope with an immediate stressor

Latency stage

fourth stage of psychosexual development, during which sexual impulses remain latent or dormant

Reality principle

governing principle of the ego that takes into account what is practical and acceptable in satisfying basic needs

Pleasure principle

governing principle of the id that is based on demand for instant gratification without regard to social rules or customs

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone

hormone released by the hypothalamus that induces the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotrophic hormone

Subjective value

importance that individuals place on desired outcomes

Adrenal medulla

inner part of the adrenal glands that secretes the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine

Penis envy

jealousy of boys for having a penis

Dyslexia

learning disorder characterized by impaired ability to read

Vaccination

method of acquiring immunity by means of injecting a weakened or partial form of an infectious agent that can induce production of antibodies but does not produce a full-blown infection

Transsexualism

mismatch in which one's gender identity is inconsistent with one's chromosomal and anatomic sex

Frustration

negative emotional state experienced when one's efforts to pursue one's goals are thwarted

Phrenology

now-discredited view that one can judge a person's character and mental abilities by measuring the bumps on his or her head

Psychoticism

one of the three underlying dimensions of personality in Eysenck's model, referring to tendencies to be perceived as cold and antisocial

Introversion-extroversion

one of the three underlying dimensions of personality in Eysenck's model, referring to tendencies toward being solitary and reserved on the one end or outgoing and sociable on the other end

Neuroticism

one of the three underlying dimensions of personality in Eysenck's model, referring to tendencies toward emotional instability, anxiety, and worry

Adrenal cortex

outer layer of the adrenal glands that secrets corticosteroids

Adrenal glands

pair of endocrine glands located just above the kidneys that produces various stress-related hormones

Conscious

part of the mind corresponding to the state of present awareness

Unconscious

part of the mind that lies outside the range of ordinary awareness and that contains primitive drives or instincts and unacceptable urges, wishes, or ideas

Preconscious

part of the mind whose contents can be brought into awareness through focused attention

Erogenous zones

parts of the body that are especially sensitive to stimulation

Psychoanalytic theory

peronality and behavior are shaped by unconscious forces and conflicts

Expectancies

personal predictions about the outcomes of behavior

Anal-expulsive personality

personality type characterized by messiness, lack of self-discipline, and carelessness

Anal-retentive personality

personality type characterized by perfectionism and excessive needs for self-control as expressed through extreme neatness and punctuality

Adrenocorticotrophic hormone

pituitary hormone that activates the adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids

Stress

pressure or demand placed on an organism to adust or adapt

Antibodies

protein molecules produced by the immune system that serve to mark antigens for destruction by specialized lymphocytes

Id

psychic structure existing in the unconscious that contains our basic animal drives and instinctual impulses

Ego

psychic structure that attempts to balance the instinctual demands of the id with social realities and expectations

Superego

psychic structure that corresponds to an internal moral guardian or conscience

Oedipus complex

psychological complex in which the young boy or girl develops incestuous feelings toward the parent of the oppositve gender and perceives the parent of the same gender as a rival

Post traumatic stress disorder

psychological disorder involving a maladaptive reaction to traumatic stress

Gender identity

psychological sense of maleness and femaleness

Defense mechanisms

reality-distorting strategies of the ego to prevent awareness of anxiety-evoking or troubling ideas or impulses

Personality

relatively stable constellation of psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns that account for our individuality and consistency over time

Anal stage

second stage of psychosexual development, during which sexual gratification is centered on processes of elimination

Resistance stage

second stage of the general adaptation syndrome, characterized by the body's attempt to adjust or adapt to persistent stress

Stressors

sources of stress

Health psychology

specialty in psychology that focuses on the interrelationships between psychological factors and physical health

Distress

state of emotional or physical suffering, discomfort, or pain

Gender

state of maleness or femaleness

Burnout

state of physical and mental fatigue caused by excessive stress relating to work or other commitments

Conflict

state of tension brought about by opposing motives operating simultaneously

Personality tests

structured psychological tests that use formal methods of assessing personality

Antigens

substances that are recognized by the immune system as foreign to the body and that induce it to produce antibodies to defend against them

Electra complex

term given by some psychodynamic theorists to the form of the Oedipus complex in young girls

Repression

type of defense mechanism involving motivated forgetting of anxiety-evoking material

Androgyny

type of gender-role identification that characterizes people who possess high levels of both masculine and feminine traits

Castration anxiety

unconscious fear of removal of the penis as punishment for having unnacceptable sexual impulses

Unconditional positive regard

valuing another person as having intrinsic worth, regardless of the person's behavior at the particular time