psych (u7/ch.10)

three levels of the mind, conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels, said anxiety is the price we pay for civilization. freud proposed the defence mechanisms to protect the ego, stated they occur completely unconsciously.

id, ego (median), superego, emphasized the unconscious in personality determination.

parental influence, conscience and gender identity form as the child resolves the oedipus complex at age 5 or 6.

an individual copes with stressful or anxiety-provoking relationships or situations by retreating to an earlier developmental stage.

substituting behaviors, thoughts, or feelings that are the direct opposite of unnacceptable ones (smacking someone you have a crush on)

falsely and unconsciously attributes your own unacceptable feelings, traits, or thoughts onto individuals or objects.

covering up the true reasons for actions, thoughts, or feelings by making up excuses and incorrect explanations.

when you transfer your feelings about someone or something that is less threatening (taking it out on someone else)

channeling one’s frustration toward a different goal. sometimes a healthy defense mechanism. (working out)

refusing to recognize some anxiety provoking event or piece of information that is clear to others.

unconsciously neutralizing an anxiety causing action by doing a second action that undoes the first.

high stress and associated stress hormones enhance memory, ie. flashbulb memories. also, no studies have shown loss of memory except in relation to extreme trauma damaging the hippocampus.

“the individual feels at home in life and feels his existence to be worthwhile just so far as he is useful to others and is overcoming feelings of inferiority” importance of childhood social tension

“the view that women are infantile and emotional creatures, and as such, incapable of responsibility and independence is the work of the masculine tendency to lower women’s self-respect”, childhood anxiety triggers our desire for love and security, sought to balance freud’s masculine biases

“from the living fountain of instinct flows everything that is creative; hence the unconscious is the very source of the creative impulse”, collective unconscious

shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history.

many have not demonstrated validity, and are not reliable. lack of standardization, scoring and interpretation seem subjective, it lacks objectivity. projective tests without standardized scoring rely on the psychologist's interpretation of the data.

the 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.

a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes.

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and our behaviors

a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death.

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth, focused on the ways people strive for self-determination and self-realization

hierarchy of needs

person-centered perspective (genuineness, acceptance, empathy), people are basically good and are endowed with self-actualizing tendencies

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “who am i?”

reliable and valid, predictive and easy to administer

but, absence of proved scientific worth, there is sometimes an effect after a personality is declared rather than testing for initial personality. social desirability bias, situation dependent behavior

a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports.

statistical procedure used to identify clusters of test items that tap basic components of intelligence

a 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.

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.

a test (such as the mmpi) developed by testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminate between groups.

conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

O: disorganized, careless, impulsive

X: organized, careful, disciplined

O: ruthless, suspicious, uncooperative

X: soft-hearted, trusting, helpful

emotional stability vs. instability

O: calm, secure, self-satisfied

X: anxious, insecure, self-pitying

O: practical, prefers routine, conforming

X: imaginative, prefers variety, independent

O: retiring, sober, reserved

X: sociable, fun-loving, affectionate

the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

optimism: engaging constructively, positive thinking, they then tend to feel more supported and satisfied with the resolution

pessimism: attribute poor performance to their lack of ability (“i cant do this”) or to situations enduringly beyond their control

* difference of personal control

overestimating others noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us).

one’s feelings of high or low self-worth

one’s sense of competence and effectiveness

the tendency to make dispositional attributions about your successes and situational attributions about your failures

excessive self-love and self-absorption

giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications.

giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly.

according 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.