Clinical Psych: Personality

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

• a pattern of enduring thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that characterize an individual
• socially relevant, stable over time, macro-level observation/description

Question 2

Implicit Lay Taxonomy

Answer 2

• categories developed by people over generations

- psychology has tried to study personality systemically as a phenomenon

Question 3

Sigmund Freud

Answer 3

• trained a s medical doctor of neurology
• became interested in hypnosis and neurotic disorders
• talk as treatment
• developed a theory of personality
• structure: id, ego, superego
• development: psychological stages
• interactions among unconscious structures drive development

Question 4

The Id

Answer 4

• fully unconscious
• contains basic instincts
• eros: life
• libido: sexual energy
• pleasure principle: immediate satisfaction

Question 5

The Ego

Answer 5

• develops the id
• both conscious and unconscious
• reality principle: negotiates between id, reality, and superego

Question 6

The Superego

Answer 6

• internalized rules and values of society
• both conscious and unconscious
• uncompromising moral guide

Question 7

Psychodynamic Conflicts of Id/Ego/Superego

Answer 7

• they all have different agendas
• constant give and take
• sometimes reasonable outcomes
• sometimes neurotic ones

Question 8

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Answer 8

1. Repression: unconsciously pushing away impulses and memories from awareness
2. Rationalization: inventing explanations for behavior that sound reasonable
3. Projection: attributing ones won feelings to another
4. Compensation: making up for fears/perceived inadequacies by doing other things
5. Reaction Formation: defending against unacceptable urges by doing the opposite
6. Displacement: refocusing impulses to a less threatening target

Question 9

Developmental Stages

Answer 9

1. Oral Stage: 0-1 year; mouth as source of gratification
2. Anal Stage: 1-2 year; any as source of gratification; toilet training
3. Phallic Stage: 3-5 year; males have penis as source of gratification; females have penis envy
4. Latency Period: 5-12 year; resolution of phallic stage; relatively peaceful period; sexual stage where urges are suppressed
5. Genital Stage: 12 year; genitals become source of gratification; others genitalia and not just your own

Question 10

Developmental Stage Fixations

Answer 10

• failure to resolve stage

- express stage issue in a different manner

Question 11

Carl Jung

Answer 11

• Neo-Freudian
• Libido as a more general positive impact
• Introversion: focus on inner world/life
• Extroversion: focus on external social world
• Collective Unconscious: memories from evolutionary history; influences our reactions to certain events and ideas
• Archetypes: lattice upon which experience builds

Question 12

Karen Horney

Answer 12

• Neo-Freudian
• trained as a psychoanalyst
• developed alternative conception of the phallic stage: men have womb envy and women occasional have feelings of inferiority from political and cultural bias
• part of a larger feminist critique of Freudian Psych

Question 13

Postive Evaluation of Psychodynamic Approach

Answer 13

• hugely influential in many domains
• useful description of many aspects of ego-defense
• emphasis on unconscious mind

Question 14

Negative Evaluation of Psychodynamic Approach

Answer 14

• lack of scientific rigor: case studies, no developmental data, biased interpretations
• overemphasis on sexuality
• failure to consider females

Question 15

Trait Theory Approach

Answer 15

• traits: dimensions in personality space

- relatively stable in time, over situations, continuous, unique

Question 16

Trait Theory: Gordon Allport

Answer 16

1. Central Trait: organize and control behavior; dimensional

2. Secondary Traits: describe specific individual behaviors; unique behaviors for situations; idiosyncratic

Question 17

Trait Theory: Paul Costa and Robert McCrae

Answer 17

• The Big Five Model
• statistical reduction of many related traits to 5 factors, each of which is a personality dimension
• dominant trait approach
• valid across many cultures

Question 18

The Big Five Model

Answer 18

1. Openness to Experience: curious, artistic, creative vs. cautious, reserved
2. Conscientiousness: efficient, self-disciplined vs. careless, easy-going
3. Extroversion: active, outgoing vs. solitary, isolation
4. Agreeable: friendly, compassionate vs. antagonistic, cold
5. Neuroticism: unpleasant vs. pleasant emotionally

Question 19

Biological Trait Theories: Hanes Eysenck

Answer 19

• Two Main Traits: introversion-extroversion and emotionality-stability
• proposed differences deu to physiology of nervous systems
  1. deviations from optimal level of arousal
• introverts: over-aroused
• extroverts: under-aroused
  2. sensitivity to stress
• oversensitive: emotional stability
• insensitive: stable

Question 20

Biological Trait Theories: Jeffrey Gray

Answer 20

• approach-inhibition theory

- Behavioral Approach System (BAS) or Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)

Question 21

Behavioral Approach System (BAS)

Answer 21

• brain regions that affect sensitivity to rewards
• go system governs impulses
• associated with positive emotions

Question 22

Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)

Answer 22

• brain regions that affect sensitivity to punishment
• stop systems governs tears
• associated with negative emotions

Question 23

Positive Evaluations of Trait Theories

Answer 23

• dimensions of personality hold across cultures
• traits produce behavior
• agnostic with regards to sources of personality differences

Question 24

Negative Evaluations of Trait Theories

Answer 24

• trait theories only describe
• no explanation of how traits emerge
• no explanation of how trait fits into theory of individual

Question 25

Social Cognitive Theory: Julian Rotter

Answer 25

- Expectancy Theory: personality as an interaction; person x environment; learning creates expectancies - Expectancy (E): what will happen when you do x - Reinforcement Value (RV): valence of x - Behavior Potential (BP): =f(E,RV) - want to maximize BP

Question 26

Locus of Control

Answer 26

- generalized expectancy - Internals: attribute events to own actions - Externals: attribute event to situation

Question 27

Social Cognitive Theory: Albert Bandura

Answer 27

- Reciprocal Determinism: triangle of behavior impacting personal, environmental, social factors and vice versa - constant interaction - self-reinforcing - vicious cycles

Question 28

Perceived Self-Efficacy

Answer 28

-learned expectations of success

Question 29

Humanistic Approach

Answer 29

- emphasizes cognitions, feelings, and positive development - natural tendency towards growth: goodness, creativity, love, joy - influenced by: clinical psychology, philosophy

Question 30

Humanistic Theories: Carl Rogers

Answer 30

1. Actualizing Tendency: inclination toward personal growth 2. Self-Actualizing: experience ones own self; being you best, most fulfilled self; positive regard causes you to need the approval of others 3. Conditions of Worth: own self-worth depend on behavior; evaluation of self rather than behavior; should be the other way around

Question 31

Humanistic Theories: Abraham Maslow

Answer 31

1. Hierarchy of Needs - Basic Needs: at bottom; physiological and safety needs - Psychological Need: middle; belongingness, love, esteem needs - Self-Fulfillness Needs: at the top; self-actualization is the goal - lower needs must be satisfied first in order to move up - estimated that less than 2% of the population had reached self-actualization

Question 32

Deficiency Motivation

Answer 32

- when you are motivated to get or do thing because others have or do them - jealousy, competition, want for more

Question 33

Growth Motivation

Answer 33

-when you are motivated for your own personal growth and knowledge