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personality
-how we react to situations, thinking and feeling and speaking -internal moods/feelings that determine behavior -culmination of experience -character traits -traits that influence thoughts/behaviors/feelings
PT barnum effect
people are inclined to believe feedback, particularly if it's general feedback that could be true of everyone
nomothetic approach to studying personality
focuses on identifying general laws that govern the behavior of all individuals
idiographic approach to studying personality
focuses on identifying unique configuration of characteristics and the life history experiences within a person
6 ways to study personality
behavior-genetic psychoanalytic trait behavioral social humanistic
behavior-genetic approach
genetics has a moderate influence on personality, environment has a small effect on personality -twin studies
psychoanalytic approach
developed by sigmund freud, three primary principles 1.psychic determinism 2. symbolic meaning 3. unconscious motivation
freudian theory
levels of consciousness -conscious -preconscious -unconscious
conscious
what we're aware of
preconscious
memories etc. that can be recalled
unconscious
wishes, feelings, impulses that lies beyond our awareness
3 freudian theory structures of personality
id ego superego
id
basic instinct, operates according to pleasure principle
ego
decision maker, operates according to the reality principle
superego
contains values and ideals, sense of morality
defense mechanisms
determined by freud -unconscious mental processes aimed at protecting the person from unpleasant emotions
denial
refusal to accept external realities because theyre too threatening to enter awareness
repression
internal impulses and memories too threatening so barred from entering awareness
projection
attribute unacceptable thoughts or impulses onto others
displacement
shifting attention from one target that is no longer available to a more acceptable or safer substitute
regression
reverting to behavior that is characteristic to an earlier stage of development when confronted with stress or anxiety
rationalization
explaining an unacceptable behavior in a way that overlooks present shortcomings or failures
reaction formation
converting unacceptable and dangerous impulses onto the exact opposite
sublimation
healthy defense mechanism, takes socially unacceptable impulses and turns them into something positive and acceptable
freud's 5 psychosexual stages
oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
psychoanalytic perspective
the progression or fixation of child's libido at each stage determines adult personality development
oral stage
first 18 months -experience the world through their mouth -develop wishes and expectations about dependence
fixations
conflicts or concerns that persist beyond the developmental period in which they arise
anal stage
1-3 years -conflicts with parents about compliance vs defiance -basis of attitudes toward order and disorder -excretion/withholding = power
anal triad
orderliness and cleanliness, parsimony and stinginess, stubborness
phallic stage
4-6 years -children enjoy the pleasure they can obtain from touching their genitals -identifies with significant others, especially the same sex parent
identification
making another person part of ones self
hypermasculinity
competitive and agressive qualities are expressive of castration anxiety -part of phallic personality
hyperfemininity
over identifies with mother, may attract men via flirtatious behavior but deny sexual intent -part of phallic personality
oedipus complex
refers to freud's hypothesis that little boys want an exclusive relationship with their mothers
electra complex
little girls want an exclusive relationship with their fathers
latency stage
7-11 years -children repress their sexual impulses and continue to identify with their same sex parent
genital stage
12+ years -conscious sexuality resurfaces after years of repression, and sex becomes a primary goal
rorschach (inkblot) test
random inkblot is pressed inside a folded piece of paper, respondents report what they see -helps express unconscious
thematic aperception test
respondent weaves a story around an image; analyst interprets meaning behind the story
5 postulates of contemporary psychoanalytic theory
1. unconscious plays a large role in life 2. behavior often reflects compromises in conflicts between mental processes 3. childhood is important in personality development 4. mental representations of the self and relationships guide our interactions with others 5. personality develop…
the big five trais (OCEAN)
openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism
structured personality tests
answer questions about personality in one of a few fixed ways, easy to administer, objectively graded
projective tests
examinees interpret ambiguous stimuli, people project their personality onto stimuli, answers must be interpetated, are they reliable?

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