week 4 Flashcards
Personality
the pattern of psychological and behavioral characteristics by which each person can be compared and contrasted with other people
Psychoanalytic theory
Freud’s view that human behavior and personality are determined largely by psychological factors, many of which are unconscious
Psychodynamic approach
a view developed by Freud that emphasizes unconscious mental processes in explaining human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
ID
according to Freud, a personality component containing basic instincts, desires, and impulses with which all people are born
Pleasure principle
the operating principle of the id which guides people toward whatever feels good
ego
according to Freud, the part of the personality that makes compromises and mediates conflicts between and among the demands of the id, the superego, and the real world
Reality principle
the operating principle of the ego, which takes into account the constraints of the real world
Superego
according to Freud, the component of personality that tells people what they should and should not do
Defense mechanisms
unconscious tactics that either prevent threatening material from surfacing or disguise it when it does
Psychosexual development
periods of personality development in which, according to Freud, internal and external conflicts focus on particular issues
Oral stage
the first of Freud’s psychosexual stages in which the mouth is the center of pleasure
Anal stage
the second of Freud’s psychosexual stages in which the focus of pleasure shifts from the mouth to the anus
Phallic stage
the third of Freud’s psychosexual stages in which the focus of pleasure shifts to the genital area
Oedipal complex
the notion that young boys’ impulses involve sexual feelings for the mother and the desire to eliminate the father
Electra complex
the notion that young girls develop and attachment to the father and compete with the mother for the father’s attention
Latency period
the fourth of Freud’s psychosexual stages in which sexual impulses become dormant and the child focuses on education and other matters
Genital stage
the fifth and last of Freud’s psychosexual stages when sexual impulses reappear at the conscious level during adolescence
Personality traits
a set of stable characteristics that people display over time and across situations
Trait approach
a perspective on personality that views it as the combination of stable characteristics that people display over time and across situations
Five factor personality model (Big Five model)
a view based on studies using factor analyses that suggests the existence of five basic components of human personality, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
Social-cognitive approach
the view that personality reflects learned patterns of thinking and behavior
Humanistic psychology approach
the view that personality develops in accordance with each person’s unique perceptions of the world
Self-actualization
the reaching of one’s fullest potential; the complete realization of a person’s talents, faculties, and abilities
Actualizing tendency
an innate inclination toward growth and fulfillment that motivates all human behavior
