Unit VII Part II - Personality

• repression in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
• Freud's iceberg theory metaphorically represents the mind's three levels: the conscious (visible tip of the iceberg), the preconscious (just below the surface), and the unconscious (vast submerged portion)

  
• id is a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.
• ego is the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
• superego is the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.
• defense mechanisms in psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.
• Oedipus [ED-uh-puss] complex according to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father.
• Alfred Adler believes that a child struggles with an inferiority complex during growth and strives for superiority and power.
• Carl Jung believed in the collective unconscious, which contained a common reservoir of images derived from our species' past.
• Karen Horney believed in the social aspects of childhood growth and development and that children were trying to overcome a sense of helplessness. Countered Freud's assumption that women have weak superegos and suffer from "penis envy."
• While psychoanalysis is concerned with the unconscious and dreams, psychodynamics is concerned with the human personality and mind as well
• Humanistic Perspective is when people are viewed as seeking personal growth and striving toward becoming their full selves. (Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow)
• Rogers's three conditions believed that by using the core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard, the client would feel safe enough to access their own potential.
• From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. This five-stage model can be divided into deficiency needs and growth needs

  
• Self-Concept is all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"
• self-actualization is one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential
• Unconditional Positive Regard is an attitude of total acceptance toward another person.
• Projective Test is a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger the projection of one's inner dynamics.
• Rorschach Inkblot Test is the most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.
• Trait Perspective believes people exhibit consistent psychological traits such as extraversion or deceitfulness; looks to describe and not explain. (Gordan Allport and Hans Eysenck)
• Factor analysis allows the researcher to reduce many specific traits into a few more general “factors” or groups of traits, each of which includes several of the specific traits. The idea is that the factors can give a simple but reasonably accurate summary of the correlations between the variables.
• Eysenck's theory of personality focused on two dimensions of higher-order traits, extraversion vs. introversion and emotional stability vs. neuroticism, or emotional instability. Extraverts are commonly known as being loud and outgoing while introverts are often thought of as quiet and reserved.
• The Barnum Effect is a person's natural tendency to think that a generic or vague personality description applies specifically to themselves. Examples include statements made by horoscope readings and fortune-tellers.
• Strengths of Social Cognitive Theory

  1.  Accumulated an impressive research record

  2.  Concerned with important human social behaviors

  3.  An evolving theory that is open to change

  4. Focused on important theoretical issues, e.g., role of reward in learning, the stability of

     behavior

  5. Reasonable view of people and concern with the social implications of the theory
• Social Cognitive Theory is not a fully systematized, unified theory
• Controversial issues

  • Is reinforcement necessary for both learning and performance?
  • Is self-efficacy just another outcome expectancy?
  • Why are some self-efficacy expectancies stable and others susceptible to rapid change?
  • If self-efficacy expectancies are situation specific how do they relate to broader personality?
  • Why are some self-efficacy beliefs apparently unrelated to behavior, e.g., stop smoking?
  • Relies on self-reports excessively
• Social Cognitive Theory is loosely organized
• Reciprocal determinism is the theory set forth by psychologist Albert Bandura which states that a person's behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment. Bandura accepts the possibility that an individual's behavior may be conditioned through the use of consequences.
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment.
• • The big five personality traits, often referred to as OCEAN, and sometimes CANOE, are: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

  
• Spotlight Effect is overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders.
• self-serving bias is a readiness to perceive oneself favorably.
• The main difference between these two types of cultures is the value system on which each culture is based: individualistic cultures value the individual, whereas collectivistic cultures value the group.
• Collectivism giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly
• Individualism giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications