THEORIES PSYCH EXAM 1

the unique, relatively enduring internal aspects of a person’s character that influence behavior in different situations

personality

There are different types of approaches when doing research of personality. What are the two we talked about in class

ideographic and nomothetic

involves looking at a small number of individuals and studying just that small number

ideographic

ideographic approach is more__ while nomothetic approach is__

depth focused; based more on the scientific approach

involves comparing and analyzing large samples of research participants

nomothetic

the difference between formal and personal theories

FORMAL: more objective; based on scientific observations; repeatedly tested

PERSONAL: based on self observations; not tested as much

what is the clinical method

case studies that go in depth about an individual

EX. how someone was before a brain injury and how their personality is now after the brain injury)

what makes freud’s theories problematic

all he looked at were case studies and he used psychoanalysis in his case studies to develop his theory of personality

When using the clinical method, one is only seeing that person at the time when you see them, and you are asking them about their past. WHY COULD THIS BE A PROBLEM?

Digging stuff up from the past could be problematic

Asking about the past can change depending on where you are in your life

How you report your past can vary depending on how it is going in your life/what you are going through

sometimes called the scientific method & the only way we can show cause & effect

the true experiment

collecting data from a group of people so one can make generalizations

population

in order for us to study a sample that can represent a population we do this

random selection

it is better to do random selection because it

increases validity

reduces experimental bias

can’t make a generalization

group of individuals that one studies; the actual ppl one studies

sample

part of the sampling technique in which each sample has an equal probability of being chosen

random sample

in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the experimental treatment

experimental group

in an experiment, the group that does not receive the experimental treatment

control group( placebo)

To truly be an experiment we need to have both

a control and experimental group

the one we manipulate

independent variable

the result of our manipulation

dependent variable

set of principles used to explain some sort of construct

theory

statistical technique that is used to measure and describe a relationship between two variables

correlation

a precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of the study

hypothesis

a detailed history of an individual that contains data from a variety of sources

case study

an online system helping researchers collaborate

virtual research

has to be a way of measuring constructs to have objective observations

objective data

needs to be based on sound clinical judgement and looking at the research out there to back up your claim

subjective judgements

PURPOSE OF A FORMAL THEORY SHOULD BE

to get greater information that is sound and based on true experiments and sound measurable observations

Nature vs Nurture Phenomenon

what happens to us/ what we do in the resent is influenced by hereditary and learning

When we look at human nature, we ask these questions:

1. Role of Free Will: do we as humans have free will or are lives already determined

2. Is this theory more nature, nurture, or a combination of both: nature vs nurture debate

means that the degree to which out past experiences influence who we are today/shape our personality

historical determinism

measures are vital in our attempt to understand personality, by differentiating between normal and abnormal behaviors and feelings

assessment

involves the consistency or uniformity of conditions and procedures for administering a test

standarization

involves the consistency of response to an assessment device

reliability

take the test multiple times and hope for the same results each time; consistent findings

Test retest for reliability

degree to which a test measures what is says it measures

validity

validity where one is looking at whether or not this new test you’ve developed is predicting some future criteria

predictive validity

self-report inventories (paper-and-pencil type tests), involve a subject completing a series of questions about their own behavior and feelings

objective tests

were developed to probe into the unconscious and were inspired by Freud’s work

projective techniques

Four questions asked throughout the semester for the class

Free will vs believing our lives are determined

Nature vs Nurture

Historical determinism

Are we influenced by culture or not

the degree to which a test or assessment instrument evaluates all aspects of the topic, constructm or behavior that it is designed to measure

Content validity

Psychology emerged from two fathers. What were they?

philosophy and physiology

was largely responsible the development of psychology

William Wundt

What did Wundt do to develop psychology

-Established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany

-believed in the importance of controlling and manipulating processes to understand them

considered the father of psychoanalysis

Freud

presents a mechanistic picture of human beings as well-ordered machines that automatically respond to external stimuli

behaviorism

John B. Watson

-American psychologist that opposed Freud’s and Wundt’s focus on mental processes

-His movement was called Behaviorism

-B.F. Skinner followed after Watson

Early life of Freud

-born in Moravia in 1856

-since the age of five, Freud lived most of his life in Vienna, Austria

-many of his childhood experiences influenced his theories later in life

-eight children in the family-> seven siblings

-grew up in a wave of antisemitism (period of dislike of Jews)

-Entered high school a year before others in the same age group

-Fluent in several languages

Freud and his parents

-his father was meek but also very authoritarian

- on the other hand, his mother was very protective and loving

-had childhood hostility towards his father

-had a passionate attachment towards his mother…almost sexual

Freud didn’t start off as a clinical, rather he was a clinical neurologist.

-studied with others, such as John Charcot-> Charcot was the one who introduced Freud to the idea of sexual neurosis

-Because Freud was a neurologist, he trained to be a physician, but his goal was to be a university researcher studying the nervous system

-wasn’t really a researcher, rather he was a clinician helping patients

Freud had a negative attitude towards sex

-perhaps because during the time period where he was born, sex was looked down upon by a society as a whole

-Freud thought that sex was degrading because he said that it contaminated the mind and the body

-he thought it was abnormal

-he felt resentful towards his sex life with his wife although he had children with his wife

Freud diagnosed himself with having anxiety neurosis

did this by recalling his dreams and interpreting them by what he thought they meant

Freud searched for effective ways to help people with nervous disorders by studying with John Charcot in Paris

-with Charcot, Freud learned how to do hypnotism

-Freud wanted to learn hypnotism to treat his patients who had neurosis and the treatment of nervous disorders

Freud became convinced that sexual conflict was the primary cause of all neurosis.

-this might be connected to the time period he grew up in because sex, at the time, was looked down upon

-‘the elephant in the room is the cause of all of our problems’

-he claimed that childhood fantasies of sexual events were common for all children

-controversial today if these were actual sexual fantasies or if the actually occurred

-unfortunately, when this later led to society blaming the child when a child would come forward and say they were sexually abused

How did Freud psychoanalyze himself

he looked at his dreams and worked on interpreting the meaning of them which led to the publication of his book called The Interpretation of Dreams

Freud’s disciples included numerous people, but those worth noted are

Carl Jung and Alfred Adler

Why do we think that Freud’s theories about sex were warmly welcomed in the US

the world was ready to hear about sex because it was something that was suppressed

What did Freud die of

not particularly of cancer, rather he died of an overdose of morphine

What do you think influenced Freud’s theories?

His feelings towards his mother

his sex life

the time period & cultural environment he grew up in

the dreams he was experiencing

his cocaine addiction

his work with Charcot & his introduction with hypnosis

the oppression towards Jews

the wartime he was growing up in

psychic energy that gives us life; manifested by the life instinct

libido

Life vs death instinct according to Freud

LIFE: move us towards survival, growth, human development; most important life instinct for ppl is sex(it is our primary motivation and our underlying erotic wish)

DEATH: our aggressive drive; drives us to destroy, conquer and kill

-believed that all humans possess this

-if we don’t show it, it is still there just in the unconscious

what were the two levels of personality according to Freud

conscious and unconscious

the ordinary everyday meaning to things; everything has two meaning

conscious

the invisible portion of the personality below the surface

unconscious

Freud said that the unconscious was

driving power behind all behaviors and that we can’t control it

words that you can’t control they just automatically come out

Freudian Slips

ID, ego, and Superego

ID: increase pleasure and avoid pain; pleasure principle; Life/death instincts & Libido

-EX. infants (the have a large ID; usually when kids are hungry or want attention they demand it)

EGO: reality principle; purpose is to reduce tension in the personality

-the one that says “No don’t suck on that pen, that’s not something you suck on”

-THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS TRUE CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD

SUPEREGO: morality principle; has a powerful force in its quest for moral perfection

-might say “you SHOULDN’T suck on that pencil, shame on you”

anxiety according to Freud

-threat to one’s ego

-related to the ID, ego, or superego

-we can have fear of specific objects even when they’re not present

-when we can’t cope with anxiety we are in danger of being overwhelmed by it

the different kinds of anxiety

reality, neurotic, moral

reality anxiety

→fear of actual dangers

-having to do with the ego

-tangible dangers

-EX. you see the news and see about threats of going to war, which is something that could actually happen

neurotic anxiety

→ conflict between the ID and the ego

-ID wants something while your ego is saying it’s not good for you

-normally we let the ID win to fulfill our desire and seek pleasure

-EX. Drug use: if you’re addicted to drugs your ID has a strong desire for that drug even though your ego knows realistically that the drug is not helpful for you & it’s gonna make your addiction worse

moral anxiety

-conflicts between ID and superego

-EX. Drug example: you’re addicted to a drug and have a strong desire for it(ID) while your superego might say “shame on you, drugs aren’t good for you & should not be used”

natural defense we have that is part of our ego that allows us to reduce our anxiety

defense mechanisms

defense mechanisms & Freud

-originated with Ana Freud

-still commonly used today

-must to some extent always be in operation

-deny or distort reality and occur unconsciously

Freud’s five psychosexual stages of personality

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

occurs due to excessive frustration because gratification is not being met

fixation

Oral stage

-1st stage

-roughly from the day one’s born till 1 yr. old

-necrogenous zone is the mouth

-where the infant’s principal source of pleasure is the mouth( only thing it can control)

-mother is viewed as a source of pleasure for the infant

Anal Stage

-2nd stage

-zone is the anus

-infant’s principal source of pleasure is defecation

-new demands/tensions because of potty training

-Freud believed that defecation produced the erotic pleasure for children but potty training delayed this pleasurable act

phallic stage

-3rd stage

-focus shifts to the genitals

-child has to control the impulse to manipulate their genitals

-we start to see the Electra and Oedipus Complex

Oedipus Complex

-unconscious desire for the mother and wanting to destroy the father (but not actually)

-because of this desire to destroy the father the child experiences castration anxiety (fear of being castrated by the father)

- in order to result this conflict and move on, they identify with the father and start to do things with the father

Electra Complex

-unconscious desire for the father; posses penis envy(envy males because they possess a penis)

-girls have this

-have a desire to replace the mother

latency stage

-4th stage

-period of sublimation of the sex instruct

-age from 5 to puberty

-children are focused on academics, sports, etc. so sex has been put aside

genital stage

-during adolescence

-start to develop their sex role identity

-adult like formal relationships: start dating

asking the patient to express spontaneously every idea that come to their mind (no filtering; just say what comes to mind)

free association

memories that are too painful to recall

resistances

Freud viewed case studies like case notes

-he used case studies but not in the way one would think style

-did not keep verbatim notes, so we don’t really know how accurate his notes are (they might have been incomplete)

what was another issue with Freud’s method aside from using case studies informally

most of his clients were young, unmarried, upper-class women→ kind of biased

Freud’s Legacy today

-Research supports Freud’s complex of the Freudian Slip (slips of the tongue) to signify something unconscious

-research has looked at dreams, not confirmed a lot of the interpretations of Freud’s dream, but has found that there is some reflection of emotional concerns

-the defense mechanism was confirmed (Ana Freud)

-research has shown that the unconscious does influence us, but Freud did not study these things, they were studied after his death

the best known of the Orthodox Freudians (the new Freudians of the next generation)

Ana freud

focused more on the internal relationships than on one’s instinctual desires

object relations theorists

What did the ‘object relations’ psychologists believe in

-the ego seeks objects

-centered around one’s internal relationships with others

-our lifelong relationship skills are strongly rooted in our early attachments with our parents, especially the mom

What did the ‘ego’ psychologists believe in

-if the development of a person is well, superego would be more flexible in responding to the needs of the ID

-less pressure on the ego to please both the ID and superego

Basic facts about Ana Freud

-daughter of Sigmund Freud

-followed her dad’s footsteps -> Neo Freudian

-her theory didn’t really break away from Freud very much, but she did have some contributions

-she developed the defense mechanisms while Freud came up with the term

Ana Freud Early Life

-born on December 3rd, 1895

-mother had a very difficult pregnancy with her

-thought her younger brothers and sisters were boring and was never close to any of them

-Her dad never stated she was his favorite child until she was an adult

Ana Freud made an effort to mold her personality to fit the feminine roles of the time period

Didn’t have a knack for it-> it was very hard for her to do this

Freud became proud of her intellectual pursuits & dissatisfaction of feminine activities(what one would call a tomboy nowadays)

Sigmund Freud was initially disappointed when Ana was born

-he wished he would have had a son

-he wrote to a friend ‘If it were a son, I would’ve sent you the news by telegram by as it’s a little girl you get the news later.”

-regardless of his attitude Freud become close with Ana and vice versa

-she didn’t form a close bond with her mom though→ Ana was primarily raised by her nanny who by some accounts spoiled her

Ana Freud and her education years

-started her formal education in 1901(she was six)

-she was very bored at school & whined a lot->didn’t really like school but liked learning

-regardless of this she liked to learn

-the whining gave her the nickname the ‘Black Devil’

-during later years of school, she learned to cope with her boredom by reading & writing a lot (became an independent learner)

-she secretly attended her father’s meetings & learned a lot & gained a lot of knowledge about the different European cultures that her father met

-she picked up multiple languages→ 5 to be exact

Ana in her early teen years (1909-1912 maybe longer) her family went through a lot of changes

-the older siblings got married, jobs, moving out, which left Ana by herself

-during this time period she put her interest in psychoanalysis

-Soon after her interest, Freud and Ana went for a walk, passed several homes, and at the time Freud told his daughter, “You see those lovely houses with their lovely facades? Things are not so lovely behind the facades. And so, it is with human beings too”.

-Soon Ana was allowed to sit in the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society Meetings (she sat in a little corner in the library where she could hear rather than participate)

Ana Freud as a teacher

-after she did her own education, she was interested in education, but more specifically in teaching children

-after she graduated in 1912(17 years of age), she didn’t immediately go into education but spent a year traveling Europe visiting family (not uncommon in her time period & in her upper class)

-letters from this period indicate that she was suffering an illness that might have been mild depression brought on by changes in her family, particularly with the marriage of her sister Sofi→ they didn’t get along well, it was so bad that they didn’t even invite Ana to Sofi’s wedding

At the time that Ana Freud went to teach in England and being only 18/19, she was heavily pursued by a 35-year-old acquaintance of her parents

FBI OPEN UP

-her parents sent her several letters to avoid him-> they disapproved of him( yeah no i woULD TOO)

-Ana didn’t really need those letters because while he was pursuing her it was a time in her life where she wasn’t interested in dating rather, she wanted to translate her dad’s work into English→ she spent a lot of time talking with her dad