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AP Psychology Vocab - Personality Flashcards

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5949815173personalityan individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.0
5949815174free associationin psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.1
5949815175psychoanalysisFreud's theory of personality and therapeutic technique that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. Freud believed the patient's free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the therapist's interpretations of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.2
5949815176unconsciousaccording to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.3
5949815177ida reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. It operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.4
5949815178egothe largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. It operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.5
5949815179superegothe part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.6
5949815180psychosexual stagesthe childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones.7
5949815181Oedipus complexaccording to Freud, a boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father.8
5949815182identificationthe process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos.9
5949815183fixation(1) the inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set. (2) according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved.10
5949815184defense mechanismsin psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.11
5949815185repressionbasic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness12
5949815186regressionallows us to retreat to an earlier, more infantile stage of development13
5949815187reaction formationthe ego unconsciously makes unacceptable impulses look like their opposites14
5949815188projectiondisguises threatening impulses by attributing them to others15
5949815189rationalizationoccurs when we unconsciously generate self-justifying explanations to hide from ourselves the real reasons for our actions16
5949815190displacementdiverts sexual or aggressive impulses toward an object or person that is psychologically more acceptable than the one that aroused the feelings17
5949815191sublimationthe transformation of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motivations18
5949815192denialprotects the person from real events that are painful to accept, either by rejecting a fact or its seriousness19
5949815193collective unconsciousa common reservoir of images derived from our species' universal experiences20
5949815194projective testa personality test, such as the Rorschach or TAT, that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics21
5949815195Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes22
5949815196Rorschach inkblot testthe most widely used projective test, a set of 10 inkblots, designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots.23
5949815197self-actualizationaccording to Maslow, 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.24
5949815198unconditional positive regarda caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.25
5949815199self-conceptall our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"26
5949815200traita characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.27
5949815201personality inventorya questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits.28
5949815202Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. Originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes.29
5949815203empirically derived testa test (such as the MMPI) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups.30
5949815204social-cognitive perspectiveviews behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.31
5949815205reciprocal determinismthe interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.32
5949815206personal controlthe extent to which people perceive control over their environment rather than feeling helpless.33
5949815207external locus of controlthe perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.34
5949815208internal locus of controlthe perception that you control your own fate.35
5949815209positive psychologythe scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.36
5949815210selfin contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.37
5949815211spotlight effectoverestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).38
5949815212self-esteemone's feelings of high or low self-worth.39
5949815213self-serving biasa readiness to perceive oneself favorably.40
5949815214individualismgiving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications.41
5949815215collectivismgiving priority to goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly.42
5949845078learned helplessnessA condition that occurs after a period of negative consequences where the person begins to believe they have no control.43
5949847242Terror-management theorya theory of death-related anxiety; explores people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death44

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