Theories of Personality (College Board AP® Psychology): Flashcards
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Define psychodynamic theory.
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Define psychodynamic theory.
Psychodynamic theory proposes that unconscious processes drive personality, thoughts, and behavior.
What are the three levels of awareness in Freud's iceberg analogy?
Freud's iceberg analogy describes three levels of awareness: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious.
True or False?
A dream's manifest content is the hidden, underlying unconscious meaning.
False.
The manifest content is the dream's surface content; the latent content is the disguised underlying unconscious meaning.
What is a Freudian slip?
A Freudian slip is a verbal error that appears accidental but actually expresses a true, repressed feeling.
Define the id.
The id is the most primitive part of personality, operating on the pleasure principle to seek immediate gratification of desires.
Which principle guides the ego?
The ego is guided by the reality principle, mediating between the id, the superego, and reality.
What are the two components of the superego?
The superego's two components are the conscience, which punishes the ego with guilt, and the ego ideal, which produces pride when moral standards are met.
Define repression.
Repression is the defense mechanism of blocking threatening thoughts, memories, or desires from entering conscious awareness.
True or False?
Defense mechanisms are always a sign of psychological pathology.
False.
Defense mechanisms are normal and universal and can be adaptive in moderation; they only become problematic when overused.
Which defense mechanism involves expressing the exact opposite of a true, unacceptable feeling?
Reaction formation involves expressing the exact opposite of one's true, unacceptable feeling.
Define sublimation.
Sublimation is channeling unacceptable impulses, particularly sexual or aggressive drives, into socially acceptable and productive activities.
Participants who are shown an ambiguous picture of people and asked to create a story about it are taking the ______________ Apperception Test.
Participants who are shown an ambiguous picture of people and asked to create a story about it are taking the Thematic Apperception Test.
What do projective tests aim to reveal that self-report cannot?
Projective tests use ambiguous stimuli to reveal a person's unconscious thoughts and conflicts, which self-report cannot access directly.
Define humanistic psychology.
Humanistic psychology emphasizes conscious experience, free will, and personal growth, and takes an optimistic view of human nature.
What are the two key motivating forces in humanistic theories of personality?
Humanistic theories identify two key motivating forces: unconditional positive regard and the self-actualizing tendency.
Define self-actualization.
Self-actualization is the lifelong process of becoming the fullest version of oneself by continually realizing one's full potential.
Which characteristic of a self-actualized individual means being open to new experiences, feelings, and perspectives without being defensive?
Openness to experience means being open to new experiences, feelings, and perspectives without being defensive.
A self-actualized individual who trusts their own feelings and judgments to guide their behavior is showing ____________________________________.
A self-actualized individual who trusts their own feelings and judgments to guide their behavior is showing organismic trusting.
Which characteristic of a self-actualized individual means fully experiencing each moment of life rather than filtering it through the past or future?
Existential living means fully experiencing each moment of life rather than filtering it through past experiences or future expectations.
Which characteristic of a self-actualized individual involves engaging with the world in flexible, original ways?
Creativity involves expressing oneself and engaging with the world in flexible, original ways.
Define self-concept.
Self-concept is a person's mental representation of who they are, including their real self and ideal self.
What is the difference between the real self and the ideal self?
The real self is who a person actually is, while the ideal self is who they believe they should be.
True or False?
Incongruence occurs when there is a large gap between the real self and the ideal self.
True.
A large gap between the real self and ideal self causes incongruence, leading to distress, low self-worth, and reduced wellbeing.
Define conditions of worth.
Conditions of worth occur when love and approval are given only conditionally on a person's behavior or achievement.
Define unconditional positive regard.
Unconditional positive regard is accepting and valuing a person without conditions, regardless of their behavior or flaws.
Which assessment method did Rogers use that involves sorting self-descriptive statements to assess self-concept and congruence?
Rogers used the Q-sort, which involves sorting self-descriptive statements to assess self-concept and congruence.
True or False?
Rogers favored standardized personality testing to assess self-concept.
False.
Rogers was skeptical of standardized testing and instead favored qualitative methods such as clinical interviews and the Q-sort.
Define reciprocal determinism.
Reciprocal determinism is Bandura's model of personality in which the person, behavior, and environment continuously interact and influence each other.
What are the three factors in Bandura's reciprocal determinism?
Bandura's reciprocal determinism identifies three interacting factors: the person, behavior, and the environment.
True or False?
Reciprocal determinism views the environment as shaping behavior in one direction only.
False.
Reciprocal determinism involves a continuous feedback loop, unlike behaviorism, which views the environment as shaping behavior one-directionally.
Define self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy is a person's belief in their ability to succeed in a specific task or situation.
Is self-efficacy a general personality trait or specific to a task?
Self-efficacy is task-specific, meaning a person can have high self-efficacy for one task and low self-efficacy for another.
A person with high self-efficacy shows greater effort, persistence, and __________________ when facing difficulty.
A person with high self-efficacy shows greater effort, persistence, and resilience when facing difficulty.
What are the four sources of self-efficacy?
The four sources of self-efficacy are mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological states.
Define self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the evaluative aspect of self-concept, reflecting how positively or negatively a person views themselves overall.
What term describes the extent to which individuals believe they have control over their life outcomes?
Locus of control describes the extent to which individuals believe they have control over their life outcomes.
True or False?
Individuals with an internal locus of control attribute outcomes to luck or external forces.
False.
Individuals with an internal locus of control attribute outcomes to their own actions; an external locus attributes them to luck or external forces.
Which type of locus of control is associated with greater persistence and higher wellbeing?
An internal locus of control is associated with greater persistence and higher wellbeing.
Define explanatory style.
Explanatory style is the habitual way an individual explains the causes of events, especially successes and failures.
How does someone with an optimistic explanatory style interpret bad events?
Someone with an optimistic explanatory style interprets bad events as external, unstable, and specific.
Which explanatory style is linked to depression, helplessness, and lower achievement?
A pessimistic explanatory style is linked to depression, helplessness, and lower achievement.
Define trait.
A trait is a consistent predisposition to behave in a particular way across situations and over time.
What does it mean for trait theories to take a nomothetic approach?
A nomothetic approach means trait theories seek universal dimensions of personality that apply to all people, rather than describing the unique individual.
True or False?
Trait theories propose that personality traits change dramatically from day to day.
False.
Trait theories propose that traits are relatively stable over time and do not change dramatically from day to day or year to year.
Define the Big Five.
The Big Five, also called the Five Factor Model, is the most widely accepted and empirically supported trait theory of personality.
The Big Five acronym OCEAN stands for openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and ____________________.
The Big Five acronym OCEAN stands for openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
A person who is organized, reliable, and hardworking scores high on which Big Five trait?
A person who is organized, reliable, and hardworking scores high on conscientiousness.
A person who is sociable, talkative, and energetic scores high on which Big Five trait?
A person who is sociable, talkative, and energetic scores high on extraversion.
Define agreeableness.
Agreeableness is the Big Five trait reflecting cooperativeness, trust, empathy, and a prosocial orientation.
True or False?
A low score on neuroticism indicates high emotional stability.
True.
Neuroticism reflects emotional instability and anxiety, so a low score indicates greater emotional stability and resilience.
What statistical technique identifies clusters of related personality traits from large datasets?
Factor analysis identifies clusters of related personality traits from large datasets of personality descriptions.
Define personality inventories.
Personality inventories are standardized self-report questionnaires used to measure where a person falls on each Big Five dimension.
Which Big Five trait describes curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try new things?
Openness to experience describes curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try new things.
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