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177 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Personality Psychology
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The scientific study of the psychological forces that make people uniquely themselves
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Scientific Inference
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The use of systematically gathered evidence to test theories
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Correlation coefficient
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A mathematical index of the degree of agreement or association between two measures
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Deductive Approach
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An approach to psychology in which the conclusions follow logically from the premises or assumptions
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Inductive Approach
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An approach to psychology in which observations are systematically collected and concepts are developed based on what the data reveal
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Relative Self
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The philosophical idea that there is no underlying self but that the true self is composed merely of masks
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Evolution
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The theory in which individual characteristics that enable an organism to pass on genes to offspring become more prevalent in the population over generations
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Nomotheic
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Seeking to formulate laws
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Idiographic
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Involved in the study of individual cases
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Authoritarian Personality
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A person with anti-democratic tendencies; such a person tends to be narrow-minded, rigid, defensive, and tends to show prejudice against minority groups
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Barnum effect
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The tendency to believe in the accuracy of vague generalities about one's personality
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Objective Assessment
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Measurement that is not dependent on the individual making the assessment
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Subjective Assessment
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Measurement that relies on interpretation by the individual makign the assessment
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Reliability
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The consistency of scores that are expected to be the same
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Error Variance
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Variations of a measurement that are the result of irrelevant, chance fluctuations
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Internal Consistency Reliability
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Degree of consistency between subparts or equivalent parts of a test
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Test-Retest Reliability
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The degree of consistency between the results of the same test taken on different occasions
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Patterns
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The basic underlying mechanisms of personality that dynamically direct activity and remain relatively stable
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Validity
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The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to be measuring
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Construct Validity
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The extent to which a test truly measures a theoretical construct
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Convergent Validation
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The extent to which an assessment is related to what it should be related to
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Discriminant Validation
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The extent to which an assessment is not related to what it should not be related to
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Criterion-Related Validation
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The extent to which an assessment predicts outcome criteria that were produceed by different assessment methods
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Multitrait-Multimethod Perspective
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The use of multiple assessment methods and various traits in order to determine test validity
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Content Validity
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The extent to which a test is measuring the domain it is supposed to be measuring
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Item Intercorrelation
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The extent to which test items are related to one another
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Item Response Theory (IRT)
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A mathematical approach to choosing test items in which the probability of a positive response to an item is determined by the person's estimated position on the underlying trait being measured, as well as by characteristics of the item
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Acquiescence Response Set
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A bias in which people are more likely to agree than disagree with anything that is asked of them
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Response Set
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A bias responding to test items that is unrelated to the personality characteristic being measured
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Social Desirability Response Set
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A bias in which people are likely to want to present themselves in a favorable light or to try to please the experimenter or test administrator
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Ethnic Bias
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A type of bias in which a test fails to take into account the relevant culture or subculture of the person being tested
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Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
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A comprehensive, self-report personality test that is focused on assess psychopathology
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Factor Analysis
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A statistical technique in which correlations among a number of simple scales are reduced to a few basic dimensions
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Personality Research Form (PRF)
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A self-report test that assesses needs by forced responses to short, standardized items
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Q-sort
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A method of personality assessment in which a person is given a stack of cards naming various characteristics and is asked to sort them into piles
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Electroencephalogram (EEG)
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A measurement of electrical brainwave activity using electrodes attached to the outside of the skull
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Experience Sampling Method of Assessment
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A method in which participants record their current activity or thought processes when they are paged by the experimenter at various intervals during the day
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Psychotherapeutic Interview
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An interview in which a client talks about the important or troubling parts of his or her life
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Structured Interview
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A systematica interview in which the interviewer follows a definite plan so that similar types of information are elicited from each interviewee
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Typology
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A categorical scheme in which a person is a member of only one of a small set of groups
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Expressive Style
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A term used to describe nonverbal social skills such as vocal characteristics, facial expressions, body gestures, and movements
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Document Analysis
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A method of assessing personality by applying personality theories to the study of diaries, letters, and other personal records
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Projective Test
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An assessment technique that attempts to study personality through use of a relatively unstructured stimulus, task, or situation
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Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
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A projective test in which a participant is asked to make up a story (including what will happen in the future) about a picture that is presented
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Demographic Information
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Information relevant to population statistics such as age, cultural group, place of birth, religion, and the like
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Case Study Design
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A research method that involves an in-depth analysis of a single individual
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Correlational Studies
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Studies in which the degree of relationship between two variables (or among multiple variables) is assessed
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Control Group
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A comparison group that provides a standard by which hto evaluate a theory or technique
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Psychoanalytic
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Sigmund Freud's basic approach to understanding personality
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Hysteria
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A term used for various forms of mental illness for which no organic cause could be found and which could sometimes be cured by psychological and social influences
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Hypnosis
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A process by which a person is induced into a trance state where action is partially under the control of another person
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Free Association
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A method used in psychoanalysis in which an individual reports everything that comes into awareness
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Unconscious
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The portion of the mind that is not accessible to conscious thought
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Manifest Content
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The part of dreams or other aspects of psychological experience that is remembered and consiously considered
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Latent Content
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The part of dreams or other aspects of psychological experience that underlies that conscious portion and reveals hidden meaning
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Id
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In psychoanalytic theory, the undifferentiated, unsocialized core of personality that contains the basic psychic energy and motivations
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Pleasure Principle
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The operating principle of the id to satisfy pleasure and reduce inner tension
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Ego
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In psychoanalytic theory, the personality structure that develops to deal with the real world
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Reality Principle
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In Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the operating force of the ego to solve real problems
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Superego
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In Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the personality structure that develops to internalize societal rules and guide goal-seeking behavior toward socially acceptable pursuits
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Freudian Slip
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A psychological error in speaking or writing that reveals something about the person's unconscious
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Libido
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In Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the sexual energy that underlies psychological tension
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Oral Stage
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Freudian stage of development before age on, when infants are driven to satisfy their drives of hunger and thirst
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Anal Stage
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Freud's stage of psychosexual development around age two during which children are toilet trained
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Phallic Stage
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Freudian stage of psychosexual development around age four in which a child's sexual energy is focused on the genitals
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Phobia
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An excessive or incapacitating fear
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Castration Anxiety
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According to Sigmund Freud, an unconscious fear of castration that results from a boy's struggle to deal with his love for his mother while knowing that he cannot overcome his father
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Oedipus Complex
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A term used by Sigmund Freud to describe a boy's sexual feelings for his mother and rivalries with his father
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Penis Envy
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A term used by Sigmund Freud to describe the phenomenon in which a girl develops feelings of inferiority and jealousy over her lack of a penis
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Latency Period
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According to Sigmund Freud, the period between age five and eleven in which no important psychosexual developments take place and during which sexual urges are not directly expressed but instead are channeled into other activities
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Genital Stage
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Freudian stage of psychosexual development beginning at adolescence in which attention is turned toward heterosexual relations
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Anxiety
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A state of intense apprehension or uncertainty, resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or challenge, either external or internal; the ego's job is to protect against anxiety but its failures lead to psychological problems
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Defense mechanisms
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In psychoanalytic theory, the processes that distort reality to protect the ego
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Repression
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A defense mechanism that pushes threatening thoughts into the unconscious
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Posttraumatic Stress
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Anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks that result when the conscious mind cannot deal with overwhelmingly disturbing memories
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Reaction formation
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A defense mechanism that pushes away threatening impulses by overemphasizing the opposite in one's thoughts and actions
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Denial
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A defense mechanism in which one refuses to acknowledge anxiety-provoking stimuli
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Projection
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A defense mechanism in which anxiety-arousing impulses are externalized by placing them onto others
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Displacement
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A defense mechanism in which the target of one's unconscious fears or desires is shifted away from the true cause
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Hydraulic Displacement Model
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Sigmund Freud's concept that suggests that unacceptable impulses build up like steam in a boiler and must be released
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Sublimination
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A defense mechanism in which dangerous urges are transformed into positive, socially acceptable motivations
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Regression
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A defense mechanism in which one returns to earlier, safer stages of one's life in order to escape present threats
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Rationalization
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A defense mechanism in which post-hoc logical explanations are given for behaviors that were actually driven by internal unconscious motives
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Psychoanalysis
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Sigmund Freud's approach to understanding human behavior; also, Freud's psychotherapeutic techniques
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Psychosurgery
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Operating on the brain in an attempt to repair personality problems
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Behaviorism
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The learning approach to psychology introduced by John Watson that emphasizes the study of observable behavior
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Hypermnesia
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A situation in which a later attempt to remember something yields information that was not reportable on an earlier attempt to remember
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Free Recall
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A procedure in which a person studies a word list and then reports as many words as he or she can remember from the list
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Forced-choice recognition
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A procedure in which a person studies a word list and then chooses which word appeared on the list from a pair of words
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Signal Detection Theory
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An approach to analyzing a person's memory for an event (or their comprehension of a message) that is sensitive to the fact that responses are biased by the rewards and penalities for correct and incorrect yes and no answers
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Infantile Amnesia
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The phenomenon of adults being unable to remember what happened to them before age three or four
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Subliminal Perception
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The perception and processing of weak stimuli without conscious awareness that any stimulus has occurred
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Explicit Memory
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A memory that can be consciously recalled or recognized
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Implicit Memory
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A memory that is not consciously recalled but that nevertheless influences behavior or thoughts
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Anterograde Amnesia
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The inability to form new conscious memories
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Neo-Analytic Approach
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The approach to personality psychology that is concerned with the individual's sense of self (ego) as the core of personality
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Psyche
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The essence of the human mind or spirit or soul; in Carl Jung's theory, personality as the dynamic sum of its parts
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Ego
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In neo-analytic theory, this term refers to the individuality of a person that is the central core of personality; and specifically for Carl Jung, it is the aspect of personality that is conscious and embodies the sense of self
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Personal Unconscious
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According to Carl Jung, the component of the mind that contains thoughts and feelings that are not currently a part of conscious awareness
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Collective Unconscious
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According to Carl Jung, the component of the mind that contains a deeper level of unconsciousness made up of archetypes that are common across all people
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Archetypes
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In Carl Jung's neo-analytic theory, emotional symbols that are common to all people and have been formed since the beginning of time
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Animus
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype representing the male element of a woman
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Anima
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype representing the female element of a man
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Persona Archetype
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype representing the socially acceptable front that is presented to others
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Shadow Archetype
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype representing the dark and unacceptable side of personality
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Mother Archetype
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype that embodies generativity and fertility
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Hero Archetype
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype that represents a strong and good force that does battle with the enemy in order to rescue another from harm
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Demon Archetype
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According to Carl Jung, the archetype that embodies cruelty and evil
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Complex
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A group of emotionally charged thoughts, feelings, and ideas that are related to a particular theme
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Extroversion (Jung)
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A term used by Carl Jung to describe the directing of the libido, or psychic energy, toward things in the external world
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Introversion (Jung)
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A term used by Carl Jung to describe the directing of the libido, or psychic energy, toward things in the internal world
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Individual Psychology
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Alfred Adler's theory of personality that stresses the unique motivations of individuals and the importance of each person's perceived niche in society
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Inferiority Complex
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According to Alfred Adler, an individual's exaggerated feelings of personal incompetence that result from an overwhelming sense of helplessness or some experience that leaves him or her powerless
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Superiority Complex
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According to Alfred Adler, an exaggerated arrogance that an individual develops in order to overcome an inferiority complex
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Organ Inferiority
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Alfred Adler's concept that everyone born with some physical weakness at which point incapacity and disease are most likely to take place, but the body attempts to make up for the deficiency in another area
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Aggression Drive
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Alfred Adler's concept that an individual is driven to lash out against the inability to achieve or master something, as a reaction to perceived helplessness
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Masculine Protest
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According to Alfred Adler, an individual's attempt to be competent and independent rather than merely an outgrowth of his or her parents
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Perfection Striving
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According to Alfred Adler, an individual's attempt to reach fictional goals by eliminating his or her perceived flaws
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Fictional Goals
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According to Aflred Adler, strivings for self-improvement that vary from person to person but that reflect an individual's view of perfection
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Occupational Tasks
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According to Alfred Adler, a fundamental social issue in which one must choose and pursue a career that makes one feel worthwhile
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Societal Tasks
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According to Alfred Adler, a fundamental social issue in which one must create friendships and social networks
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Love Tasks
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According to Alfred Adler, the fundamental social issue of finding a suitable life partner
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Choleric
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A personality type based on the ancient Greek humors discussed by Hippocrates and Galen in which one is angry against the arbitrary controls of one's life and has generally poor interpersonal relations
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Sanguine
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A personality type based on the ancient Greek humors discussed by Hippocrates and Galen in which one is hopeful and cheerful
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Melancholic
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A personality type based on the ancient Greek humors discussed by Hippocrates and Galen in which one is brooding, sad, and depressive
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Phlegmatic
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A personality type based on the ancient Greek humors discussed by Hippocrates and Galen in which one is apathetic and conforming on the outside but tense and distraught on the inside
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Gemeinschaftsgefuhl
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Community feeling: Adler's term for a person's level of social interest
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Basic Anxiety
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According to Karen Horney, a child's fear of being alone, helpless, and insecure that arises from problems with one's parents
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Passive Style
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According to karen Horney, a mode of adapting to the world used by those who believe that they can get along best by being compliant
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Aggressive Style
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According to Karen Horney, a mode of adapting to the world used by those who believe in fighting to get by
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Withdrawn Style
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According to Karen Horney, a mode of adapting to the world used by those who believe that it is best not to engage emotionally at all
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Real Self
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Karen Horney's concept of the inner core of personality that we perceive about ourselves, including our potential for self-realization
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Despised Self
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Karen Horney's concept of the part of personality consisting of perceptions of our inferiority and shortcomings, often based on others' negative evaluations of us and our resulting helplessness
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Ideal Self
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Karen Horney's concept of the self that we view as perfection and hope to achieve, as molded by perceived inadequacies
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Neurotic Need
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In Karen Horney's approach, a strategy or pattern of interaction that becomes a dominant focus of a neurotic individual as a defense against anxiety
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Object Relations Theories
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The approach to personality that focuses on the objects of psychic drives and the importance of relations with other individuals in defining ourselves
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Symbiotic Psychotic
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According to Margaret Mahler, the forming of emotional ties that are so strong that a child is unable to form a sense of self
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Normal Symbiotic
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According to Margaret Mahler, the forming of ties between a child and mother in which the child develops empathy and the sense of being a separate but loving person
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder
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A disorder in which one feels powerless and dependent yet appears to be authoritative and self-aggrandizing
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Identity formation
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The process of developing one's individual personality and concept of one's self
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Ego Crises
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In Erik Erikson's theory of identity, each of the series of eight "crises" (conflicts or choices) that must be resolved, in sequence, for optimal psychological development
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Identity Crisis
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A term proposed by Erik Erikson to describe uncertainty about one's abilities, associations, and future goals
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Self-Monitoring
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Mark Snyder's concept of self-observation and self-control guided by situational cues about the social appropriateness of behavior
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Self-Presentation
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A term used by Mark Snyder to describe doing what is socially expected
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Functionalism
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The approach to psychology that declares that behavior and thought evolve as a result of their functionality for survival
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Personal Projects
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A term used by Brian Little to describe tasks that people are currently working on the motivate them on a daily basis
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Personal Strivings
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A term used by Robert Emmons to describe abstract, overarching goals that may be satisfied by a number of different behaviors
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Life Tasks
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A term used by Nancy Cantor to descibe age-determined issues on which people are currently concentrating
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Natural Selection
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The process by which certain adaptive characteristic emerge over generations
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Evolutionary Personality Theory
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An area of study applying biological evolutionary theory to human personality
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Behavioral Genomics
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The study of how genes affect behavior
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Temperament
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Stable individual difference in emotional reactivity
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Electrodermal Measures
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Measures that monitor the electrical activity of the skin with electrodes
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Sensation seeking
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A tendency to seek out highly stimulating activies and novelty
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Neurotransmitter
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A chemical used by nerves to communicate
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Prozac
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A drug that blocks reabsorption of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain and thus elevates mood and alters emotional reaction patterns
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Hemispheric Activity
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the level of activity within one cerebral hemisphere (left or right)
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Eugenics
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The movement begun by Francis Galton that encouraged preserving or purifying the gene pool of the elite in order to improve human blood lines
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Nonshared Environmental Variance
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Features of the environment that children raised in the same home experience differently
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Schizophrenia
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A condition whose symptoms include distorted reality, odd emotional reactions, and sometimes paranoia and/or delusions
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Manic-Depression (also called bipolar disorder)
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A disorder in which an individual swings regularly between bouts of wildly enthusiastic energy and bouts of hopeless depression
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Kin Selection
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The idea that increasing the likelihood for the family members of an individual to survive increases the likelihood that the individual's genes will be carried on to the next generation even if the individual did not reproduce him- or herself
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Bisexuality
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Sexual attraction to both men and women
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Meniere's Disease
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An inner-ear disorder that can produce disabling dizziness, nausea, and auditory disturbances
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Alzheimer's Disease
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A disease of the brain's cerebral cortex, primarily affecting elderly people, that causes altered behavior and memory loss
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Biological Determinism
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The belief that an individual's personality is completely determined by biological factors (and especially by genetic factors)
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Psychopharmacology
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The study of the role of drugs and other toxic substances in causing and treating psychiatric disturbance
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Tropism
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The tendency to seek out specific types of environments
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Somatotypology
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W.H. Sheldon's theory relating body type to personality characteristics
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Mesomorph
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According to W.H. Sheldon, a somatotype describing muscular, large-boned, athletic types of people
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Ectomorph
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According to W.H. Sheldon, a somatotype describing slender bookworm types of people
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Endomorph
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According to W.H. Sheldon, a somatotype describing overweight, good-natured types of people
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Sociobiology
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The study of the influence of evolutionary biology on individual responses regarding social matters
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Attachment
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The close bond that forms shortly after birth between an infant and the mother (or other caregiver)
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Survival of the Fittest
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The concept that species evolve because those individuals who cannot compete well in the environments in which they live ten to be less successful in growing up and producing offspring
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Social Darwinism
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The idea that societies and cultures naturally compete for survival of the fittest
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Human Genome Project
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An effort to identify each of the thousands of genes in our chromosomes
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