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Ch 15

Terms

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learned helplessness
the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events
ego
the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediatesamong the demands of the id, superego, and reality; operates the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
self-esteem
one's feelings of high or low self-worth
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
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
projection
defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"
personality
an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting
external locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond one's personal control determine one's fate
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
terror-management theory
proposes that faith in one's worldview and the pursuit of self-esteem provide protection against a deeply rooted fear of death
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement and for future aspirations
psychosexual stages
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
empirically derived test
a test developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups
psychoanalysis
Freud's theory of peronality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
displacement
defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person, as when redirecting anger toward a safer outlet
social-cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between persons and their social context
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests; originally developed to identify emotional disorders, this test is now used for many other screening purposes
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
self-actualization
according to Maslow, the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential
projective test
a personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics
identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos
positive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
repression
a defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
unconditional positive regard
according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
regression
defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
rationalization
defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions
trait
a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
fixation
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
internal locus of control
the perception that one controls one's fate
personal control
our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless
collective unconscious
Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history
inkblot test
the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, design by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences between personality and environmental factors
Oedipus complex
according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
spotlight effect
overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance and blunders
reaction formation
defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites; people may express feelings that are opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings
personality inventory
a questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits
id
contains a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives; works on pleasure principle
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

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