Understanding Psychology Chapter 14
Mizunaka's Understanding Psychology Chapter 14: Theories of Personality
Terms
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- extraversion
- associated with warmth, talkativeness, and being energetic
- defense mechanisms
- certain specific means by which the ego unconsciously protects itself against unpleasant impulses or circumstances
- reciprocal determinism
- the interaction that occurs among the observing individual, the behavior of the individual, and the environment in which the behavior occurs
- Alfred Adler
- he believed that the driving force in people's lives is a desire to overcome feelings of inferiority
- external locus of control
- the belief that your fate is determined by forces beyond your control
- projection
- when a person avoids anxiety by believing that impulses coming from within are really coming from other people
- reaction formation
- when a person replaces an unacceptable feeling or urge with an opposite one
- locus of control
- our beliefs about how much control we have over situations
- Erich Fromm
- his theory centered around the need to belong and the loneliness that freedom can bring
- self-efficacy
- our view of our ability to succeed
- trait theories
- these theories focus on identifying, measuring, and classifying similarities and differences in personality characteristics
- introvert
- a reserved, withdrawn person who is preoccupied with his/her inner thoughts and feelings
- Hans Eysenck
- he proposed the dimensions of personality (first identifying two dimensions, then a third)
- denial
- when a person refuses to accept the reality of something that makes them anxious
- agreeableness
- involves being sympathetic to others, kind, and trusting
- secondary trait
- a characteristic or feature that have a less consistent influence on people (our preferences in things like food and music)
- behaviorist theories
- these theories focus on the way rewards and punishment shape our actions
- psychoanalytic theories
- these theories emphasize the importance of early childhood experiences, repressed thoughts, and conflict between conscious and unconscious forces
- factor analysis
- a sophisticated mathematical technique that describes the extent to which different personality variables are related
- displacement
- when a person cannot take out their anger on the source of their frustration, so they take it out on a less powerful person
- source trait
- a stable characteristic that can be considered to be at the core of personality
- Carl Jung
- he took a positive view of human nature, believing that people try to develop their potential
- personality
- the consistent, enduring and unique characteristics of a person
- inferiority complex
- a pattern of avoiding feelings of inadequacy rather than trying to overcome their source
- collective unconscious
- the part of the mind that contains inherited instincts, urges, and memories common to us all
- self-actualization
- the humanist term for realizing one's unique potential
- emotional stability
- identifies individuals who experience things relatively easily and withouth getting upset
- social learning theories
- these theories cognitive-personal factors, our behaviors, and environmental factors interact to shape our personalities
- behaviorism
- the belief that the proper subject matter of psychology is objectively observable behavior
- regression
- when a person goes back to an earlier and less mature pattern of behavior
- cardinal trait
- a characteristic or feature that is so pervasive the person is almost identified with it
- Karen Horney
- she believed that if a child is raised in an atmosphere of love and security, that child could avoid psychosexual parent-chold conflict
- cognitive theory
- this theory is based on analysis of our own perceptions, thoughts, and feelings
- Abraham Maslow
- he set out to create a "third force in psychology", based on studies of healthy, creative, self-actualizing people
- contingencies of reinforcement
- the occurence of rewards or punishments following particular behaviors
- rationalization
- when a person makes up acceptable excuses for behaviors that cause them to feel anxious
- unconscious
- the part of the mind that contains material of which we are unaware but that strongly influences conscious processes and behaviors
- superego
- the part of the personality that is the source of conscience and counteracts socially undesirable impulses
- Erik Erikson
- he outlined eight psychosocial stages that every person goes through and that describe the importance of interacting with other people
- Sigmund Freud
- he developed the psychosexual development theory
- Carl Rogers
- he believed that many people suffer from a conflict between what they value in themselves and what the believe other people value in them; concerned with the path to becoming "full functioning"
- humanistic theories
- these theories emphasize our capacity for personal growth, development of our full potential, and freedom to make choices
- positive regard
- viewing oneself in a favorable light due to supportive feedback received from interaction with others
- trait
- a tendency to react to a situation in a way that remains stable over time
- Gordon Allport
- he believed a person's traits will be consistent in different situations
- unconditional positive regard
- the perception that individuals' significant others value them for what they are, which leads to the individual granting themself the same favorable view
- self
- one's experience or image of oneself, developed through interaction with others
- reinforcement
- according to Skinner, this is what behavior is motivated by
- ego
- the part of the personality that is in touch with reality and strives to meet demands in socially acceptable ways
- sublimation
- when a person redirects a forbidden desire into a socially acceptable desire
- fully functioning
- an individual whose person and self coincide
- conscientiousness
- identifies individuals who are dutiful, dedicated to completing tasks, organized, and responsible
- surface trait
- a stable characteristic that can be observed in certain situations
- internal locus of control
- the belief that you do have control over situations
- extravert
- an outgoing, active person who directs his/her energies and interests toward other people and things
- repression
- when a person pushes disturbing thoughts out of consciousness into the unconscious
- id
- the part of the unconscious personality that contains our needs, drives, instincts, and repressed material
- B.F.Skinner
- he focused on precisely what causes a person to act in a specific way
- openness to experience
- describes people who are open-minded and willing to try intellectual experiences, new ideas, or creative experiences
- George Kelly
- he believed (personal construct theory) our personality consists of our thoughts about ourselves, including our biases, errors, mistakes, and false conclusions
- central trait
- a characteristic or feature that makes the person predictable in most situations
- humanistic psychology
- a school of psychology that emphasizes personal growth and the achievement of maximum potential by each unique individual
- Albert Bandura
- he theorized that (social cognitive theory) personality is acquired not only by direct reinforcement of behavior but also by observational learning, or imitation
- archetype
- an inherited idea, based on the experiences of one's ancestors, which shapes one's perception of the world
- Raymond Cattell
- he proposed that characteristics that can be observed in certain situations make up 46 traits of observable behavior
- conditions of worth
- the conditions a person must meet in order to regard him/herself positively