Personality

Front 1

What is 'personality'?

Back 1

A socially & culturally constructed concept. can be defined as a pattern of distinctive thoughts, motions & behaviours that characterise the way an individual adapts to the world

Front 2

name the 3 types of theories of personality:

Back 2

- psychodynamic

- humanistic

- trait theory

Front 3

describe PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY:

Back 3

sees personality as a struggle between drives like aggression, sex and the need for superiority and laws, morals and social rules.
- views personality as primarily unconscious.
- develops in stages.
- emphasises early experiences and role of parents.

Front 4

what are Freud's 3 levels of consciousness. explain them.

Back 4

CONSCIOUS (small): part of the mind that holds what you're aware of
PRE-CONSCIOUS (small-med): holds ordinary memory. not in the mind at the moment but can be called to mind.
UNCONSCIOUS (enormous): not directly accessible to one's awareness. a 'dump-box' for urges feelings & ideas that are tied to negative emotions.

Front 5

what are the three components to freud's structure of the mind?

Back 5

id, ego + super-ego.

Front 6

describe the id:

Back 6

unconscious, irrational + emotional. source of libido. only one rule: wants pleasure. if too strong one can be selfishly consumed with their own desires, completely ignoring the needs of others.

Front 7

describe the ego:

Back 7

'rational' part of mind. develops out of awareness that you can't always get what you want. negotiates between the id and the superego. if too strong then one can be cold, boring & distant.

Front 8

describe the superego:

Back 8

'moral' part of mind. embodies parental and societal values. provides rules for 'good' and 'bad' behaviour. enforces rules by creating anxiety. if the superego is too strong, then one can feel guilty all the time and be annoyingly goody-two-shoes.

Front 9

'defence mechanisms'????

Back 9

the ego negotiates between the id, superego and reality through defence mechanisms. these are unconscious methods to reduce anxiety. for example repression, which is forcing 'unacceptable' urges back into the unconscious part of mind.

Front 10

list freud's psychosexual stages of development:

Back 10

ORAL
ANAL
PHALLIC
LATENCY
GENITAL

Front 11

describe the 'oral' stage:

Back 11

age: between birth and 18 months.
physical focus: mouth, lips + tongue. psychological theme: dependency, babies must learn to rely on others.
adult character: if not fulfilled then babies can become 'highly independent' as adults and if overfulfilled babies can become 'highly dependent' as adults. 'oral character??'

Front 12

describe the 'anal' stage:

Back 12

age: between 18 months and 3.5 years.
physical focus: anus (bowel control). psychological theme: self-control/obedience. adult character: as adults can become anally retentive or anally expulsive.

Front 13

describe the 'phallic' stage:

Back 13

age: from 3.5 - 6 years old.

physical focus: penis.

psychological theme: sexual + moral identification/exploration.

adult character: can become 'promiscuous and immoral' or 'sexual and puritanical'.

Front 14

describe the 'latency' stage:

Back 14

6 - puberty. a relatively calm stage with low psychosexual activity and within-gender play.

Front 15

describe the 'genital' stage:

Back 15

from puberty to adulthood.

physical focus: genitals

psychological theme: maturity. focuses on the creation & enhancement of life. learning to add something constructive to life + society.

Front 16

what are some major criticisms of the 'psychodynamic' theory of personality:

Back 16

- main concepts are difficult to test
- too negative + pessimictic
- contributed too much to early stages of life
- overemphasis of sexuality + aggression as behavioural drivers
- western male bias

Front 17

describe the 'humanistic' theories of personality:

Back 17

- highly positive outlook.
- emphasis on seeing people in relation to their environment.
- believes individuals are changing and tend to work towards achieving their potential.
- stresses one's capacity for personal growth and freedom to choose their own destiny.

Front 18

describe Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs' + 'Psychology of Health'

Back 18

- Believed that personality is based on one's needs. basic needs must be satisfied before a person can move onto psychological, then elf-fulfillment.
- mentall ill-health is the result of the frustration of needs .
- self-actualisation can be achieved through trying times.

Front 19

List Maslow's heirarchy of needs:

Back 19

physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualisation.

Front 20

describe trait theory of personality:

Back 20

believes personality is determined by one's traits: an enduring psychological characteristic of the person that influences their behaviour in a particular domain.

Front 21

describes the 'Big 5' theory:

Back 21

- derived from a large number of self/peer reports.
- believes there are 5 predictable dimensions of personality
- these are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.

NEO-PI5 ???????!!

Front 22

what are the major criticisms of the Humanistic theories?

Back 22

- tendency to avoid empirical research
- too optimistic
- inclination to encourage excessive self-love

Front 23

what are the major criticisms of 'trait' theories:

Back 23

- difficult to maintain the notion of a trait if people's behaviour varies over time/ the situation

Front 24

what are the 4 main forms of personality assessment:

Back 24

- self-report
- projective tests
- behavioural observation
- clinical interviews

Front 25

describe the self-report form of personality assessment:

Back 25

a questionnaire is completed and scored in order to determine the degree to which a person is described by various traits/factors measured in the test. e.g. Myers-Brigg (Jung) and NEO-PI (5 factor).

Front 26

describe the projective test form of personality assessment:

Back 26

fantasy material is written or questions are answered about an ambiguous picture, this material is then interpreted in order t construct a personality profile. rarely used. for example the rorschach inkblot test.

Front 27

describe the 'behavioural observation' form of personality assessment:

Back 27

actions & behaviours are recorded & frequency counts made. e.g. speech, interactions, sleeping patterns.

Front 28

describe the 'clinical interview' form of personality assessment:

Back 28

psychologist asks specific questions in order to arrive at a typology.

Front 29

what are some major criticisms of personality tests?

Back 29

- they follow the assumption that personality is consistent and enduring over time & situation
- assumes personality measures are reliable & valid
- the possibility of discrimination
- participants may give socially desirable answers

Front 30

define: psychotherapy

Back 30

an interaction between a psychotherapist and a client that leads to changes, from a less to more adaptive state, in the client's feelings, thoughts and behaviours. depends on the use of the client''s own mental experiences rather than any medication to bring about desired changes. some different types include: cognitive therapy, behavioural therapy, maritial/family therapy, psychoanalytic therapy.

Front 31

describe psychoanalysis

Back 31

- frequent visits
- client lies on couch w/ analyst out of sight
- client says whatever comes to mind, free association.
- analyst says very little except to make an interpretation
- demanding & expensive

Front 32

describe psychodynamic psychotherapy

Back 32

- once a week
- sit face-to-face
- psychotherapist talks a lot, interactive
- transference of feelings onto therapist

Front 33

describe the humanistic approach to therapy

Back 33

- focuses on acceptance of self
- helps patient realise they can help themselves
- stresses present, not past
- empathy w/ client's emotions & perspective

Front 34

describe assertiveness training:

Back 34

- believes ppl deal w conflicts in one of 4 ways; passively, aggressively, manipulatively or assertively.
- assertive communication includes: state feelings needs & wants appropriately, speak clearly and use appropriate gestures, maintain eye contact.
- an assertive statement has 3 parts; FACTS, FEELINGS, REQUIREMENTS + BENEFITS.

- avoids judgements + exaggeration
- expresses own thoughts, feelings + opinions
- uses "i" not "you" statements