Psych Chapter 12

libido

1) in psychodynamic theory, the energy of Eros; the sexual instinct 2) generally, sexual interest or drive

drive for superiority

Adler's term for the desire to compensate for feelings of inferiority.

psychosocial development

Erickson's theory of personality and development, which emphasizes social relationships and eight stages of growth.

neuroticism

Eysenck's term for emotional instability.

collective unconscious

Jung's hypothesized store of vague racial memories.

analytical psychology

Jung's psychodynamic theory, which emphasizes the collective unconscious and archetypes.

resistance

a blocking of thoughts whose awareness could cause anxiety

social-cognitive theory

a cognitively oriented learning theory in which observational learning and person variables such as values and expectacies play major roles in individual differences.

Oedipus complex

a conflict of the phallic stage in which the boy wishes to possess his mother sexually and perceives his father as a rival in love.

Electra complex

a conflict of the phallic stage in which the girl longs for her father and resents her mother.

repression

a defense mechanism that protects the person from anxiety by ejecting anxiety-evoking ideas and impulses from awareness.

ego identity

a firm sense of who one is and what one stands for

self-ideal

a mental image of what we believe we ought to be.

forced-choice format

a method of presenting test questions that requires a respondent to select one of a number of possible answers.

aptitude

a natural ability or talent

unconditional positive regard

a persistent expression of esteem for the value of a person, but not necessarily and unqualified acceptance of all of the person's behaviors.

individualist

a person who defines herself or himself in terms of personal traits and gives priority to her or his own goals.

collectivist

a person who defines herself or himself in terms of relationships to other people and groups and gives priority to group goals

latency

a phase of psychosexual development characterized by repression of sexual impulses.

projective test

a psychological test that presents ambiguous stimuli onto which the test-taker projects his or her own personality in making a response.

trait

a relatively stable aspect of personality that is inferred from behavior and assumed to give rise to consistent behavior.

behavior-rating scale

a systematic means for recording the frequency with which target behaviors occur.

response set

a tendency to answer test items according to a bias-for instance, to make oneself seem perfect or bizarre.

standardized test

a test that is given to a large number of respondents so that data concerning the typical responses can be accumulated and analyzed.

introversion

a trait characterized by intense imaginations and the tendency to inhibit impulses.

extraversion

a trait characterized by tendencies to be socially outgoing and to express feelings and impulses freely.

creative self

according to Adler, the self-aware aspect of personality that strives to achieve its full potential

individual psychology

alder's psychodynamic theory, which emphasized feelings of inferiority and the creative self.

erogenous zone

an area of the body that is sensitive to sexual sensations

reciprocal determinism

bandura's term for the social-cognitive view that people influence their environment just as their environment influences them.

archetypes

basic, primitive images or concepts hypothesized by Jung to reside in the collective unconscious

self-efficacy expectations

beliefs to the effect that one can handle a task

preconscious

capable of being brought into awareness by the focusing of attention

reality principle

consideration of what is practical and possible in gratifying needs; the governing principle of the ego.

circular

descriptive of an explanation that restates its own concepts instead of offering additional information.

person variables

factors within the person, such as expectancies and competencies, that influence behavior.

inferiority complex

feelings of inferiority hypothesized bu Adler to serve as a central motivating force

validity scales

groups of test items that indicate whether a person's responses accurately reflect that individual's traits.

clinical scales

groups of test items that measure the presence of various abnormal behavior patterns

self-actualization

in humanistic theory, the innate tendency to strive to realize one's potential.

psychic structure

in psychodynamic theory, a hypothesized mental structure that helps explain different aspects of behavior.

defense mechanism

in psychodynamic theory, an unconscious function of the ego that protects it from anxiety-evoking material by preventing accurate recognition of this material

fixation

in psychodynamic theory, arrested development. attachment to objects of an earlier stage.

unconscious

in psychodynamic theory, not available to awareness by simple focusing of attention.

Eros

in psychodynamic theory, the basic instinct to preserve and perpetuate life.

psychosexual development

in psychodynamic theory, the process bu which libidinal energy is expressed through different erogenous zones during different stages of development.

identification

in psychodynamic theory, the unconscious assumption of the behavior of another person.

model

in social-cognitive theory, an organism that exhibits behaviors that others will imitate or acquire through observational learning.

psychoanalysis

in this usage, Freud's method of exploring human personality.

encode

interpret; transform

conditional positive regard

judgement of another person's value on the basis of the acceptability of that person's behaviors.

competencies

knowledge and skills

frame of reference

one's unique patterning of perceptions and attitudes according to which one evaluates events.

expectancies

personal predictions about the outcomes of of potential behaviors

conscious

self-aware

psychodynamic theory

sigmund freud's perspective, which emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as forces that determine behavior. Dynamic refers to the concept of (psychological) forces being in motion.

conditions of worth

standards by which the value of a person is judged.

objective tests

tests whose items must be answered in a specified, limited manner. tests whose items have concrete answers that are considered correct.

reality testing

the capacity to perceive one's environment and oneself according to accurate sensory impressions

incest taboo

the cultural prohibition against marrying or having sexual relations with a close blood relative.

subjective value

the desirability of an object or event

personality

the distinct patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings that characterize a person's adaptation to life.

oral stage

the first stage of psychosexual development, during which gratification is hypothesized to be attained primarily through oral activities.

pleasure principle

the governing principle of the id - the seeking of immediate gratification of instinctive needs.

moral principle

the governing principle of the superego, which sets moral standards and enforces adherence to them.

genital stage

the mature stage of psychosexual development, characterized by preferred expression of libido through intercourse with an adult of the other gender.

acculturation

the process of adaptation in which immigrants and native groups identify with a new, dominant culture by learning about that culture and making behavioral and attitudinal changes.

Id

the psychic structure, present at birth, that represents physiological drives and is fully unconscious.

Ego

the second psychic structure to develop, characterized by self-awareness, planning, and delay of gratification.

anal stage

the second stage of psychosexual development,. when gratification is attained through anal activities.

superego

the third psychic structure, which functions as a moral guardian and sets forth high standards for behavior.

phallic stage

the third stage of psychosexual development, characterized by a shift of libido to the phallic region.

sociocultural perspective

the view that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in personality formation, behavior, and mental processes.

humanism

the view that people are capable of free choice, self-fulfillment, and ethical behavior

existentialism

the view that people are completely free and responsible for their own behavior

displaced

transferred