Psyc 357 Lecture 7

Front 1

Freudian theory: EGO

Back 1

ego is the part of the mind that controls rational thought

Negotiates a way for people to meet their biological needs without putting themselves at risk of violating society's expectations

Front 2

Erikoson's ego development theory

Back 2

Proposes that the ego matures throughout life as the individual faces bio, psycho, social forces.

Involves eight crisis stages - not limited to age.

Defined each development point in terms of a push or pull that leads the individual toward an outcome

Front 3

Loevinger's ego development theory

Back 3

Ego is personality structure that attempts to synthesize, master, and interpret experiences. Regulates impulses, relates to others, achieves self understanding, and thinks about experiences

Front 4

In what stage of loevingers development theory are most adults?

Back 4

Conscientious - conformist

Internalized sense of right and wrong, aware of own motives and those of others

Front 5

What are the stages of Loevingers development theory?

Back 5

Front 6

Vaillant's ego development theory

Back 6

Focuses on defense mechanisms and how they change in adulthood

Ego integrates inner and outer reality

reality

Front 7

Compare vaillant's theory to freuds

Back 7

Same: defense mechanism subconscious, unaware, to protect ego

Different: vaillant believed that defense mechanisms are present all through life but changes as we grow

Front 8

Categories of defense mechanisms

Back 8

Front 9

Denial

Back 9

Disclaiming feelings or events that actually happened

This is different from repression

Front 10

Delusional projection

Back 10

Pushing own bizarre feelings onto others

Front 11

Distortion

Back 11

Altering reality to protect ego

Front 12

Projection

Back 12

Projecting personal feelings onto others

i.e. "everyone hates him!"

Front 13

Hypochondriasis

Back 13

Psychological conflict with exaggerated physical symptoms

Front 14

Acting out

Back 14

Engaging in destructive behaviour that expresses inner conflict

Front 15

Regression

Back 15

Primitive coping/ childish behaviour

I.e sucking thumb

Front 16

Displacement

Back 16

Channeling anger onto "safer" object

Front 17

Repression

Back 17

Forgotten troubling event, may be able to acknowledge

Front 18

Reaction formation

Back 18

Reacting opposite of true feelings

Front 19

Altruism

Back 19

Turning unacceptable feelings into behaviour that is helpful to others

Front 20

Sublimation

Back 20

Protecting conflicting feelings in a productive way

Front 21

Humor

Back 21

Being able to laugh at an unpleasant or disturbing feeling or situation

Front 22

How do the defense mechanisms differ between age groups?

Back 22

Older adults: more mature defense mechanisms, control negative emotions, put situation in perspective

Younger adults: acting out, projection, or regression

Front 23

Adults attachment theory

Back 23

Proposes that the early bond between the infant and caregiver sets the stage for all of the individuals later significant relationships.

Secure attachment, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment

Front 24

Adults attachment theory: secure attachment

Back 24

Feel confident about self and confident that others will treat them well

Front 25

Adults attachment theory: Anxious attachment style

Back 25

Imagine that adult partners will abandon them

Can occur in individuals who were abandoned or felt they would be

Front 26

Adults attachment theory: avoidant attachment style

Back 26

Intense fear of abandonment that leads to staying away from all close relationships

Can occur in individuals who were neglected in infancy

Front 27

How do attachment styles change as we get older?

Back 27

Less likely to experience anxious attachment.

Individuals may have fewer attachment figures, but those they have come from a wider variety of areas

Those that had secure attachment as children are happier

Front 28

Critiques of stage theory

Back 28

Appealing: simple

Fail to deal with individual differences

Empirical validation difficult, contradictory

Front 29

Identity status interview

Back 29

Devloped by James Marcia,

examines the degree of the individuals commitment to identity issues and the degree of exploration the individual used to arrive at this commitment

Categories: identity achievement, foreclosed, moratorium, and identity diffused

Front 30

Trait

Back 30

Stable enduring attribute

One element of individuals personality

Front 31

Trait perspective in personality

Back 31

Based on the assumption that the organization of personal traits guide the individuals behaviour.

increasingly viewed in terms of genetic theories of personality

Front 32

The Five Factor Model

Back 32

Five major dimensions of personality in adulthood:

1. openness to experience

2. Conscientiousness

3. Extroversion

4. Agreeableness

5. Neuroticism

Front 33

EXAMPLE. if rated "very accurate" on the following statements which of the five major facets of personality is the individual

Back 33

Front 34

Five factor model traits

Back 34

Front 35

How do our personality traits change as we age?

Back 35

1.Tend to be stable throughout life, but are reliable changes.

2. increases in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neurotisism in later life

3. openness seems to be fairly stable with slight decrease, same with extroversion

Front 36

Correspondence principle

Back 36

People experience particular life events that reflect their personality traits; once these events occur, they further affect peoples pesonalities

i.e. someone who is high in extroversion is more likely to be involved in social gatherings than someone who is introverted, therefore growth in extroversion is promoted.

Front 37

Critiques of the 5-Factor Model

Back 37

1. circular - shy b/c scared of social abilities. doesn't go out and socialize therefore doesn't grow social skills leads to being even more shy

2. methodological problems - Laypersons identified personality descriptors

3. Doesn't assess core aspects of human nature

4. not predictive of behaviour

5. ignores sociocultural context

6. assumes people can rate their own personality characteristics

Front 38

Midlife crisis theory

Back 38

Refers to the period of self-scrutiny and re-evaluation of goals triggered by the individuals entry into middle age.

Developed by Levisons and colleagues.

Concept largely discounted in academic psychology

Front 39

Critiques of the Mid-Life Crisis theory

Back 39

1.Age is not a marker of development:

chronological age doesn't relate to personality, ages proposed didn't even agree

2. Levinson's book was highly subjective:

seemed interested in studying himself and his colleagues, procedures were never fully published

3. Findings never replicated

Front 40

What was the alternative to the midlife "crisis"?

Back 40

Midlife "correction"

Front 41

Levison's Stages of adult development

Back 41

Proposed that development involves primarily changes in the life structure, and that there are 3 transitions in adulthood, with the mid life transition serving as the basis for the mid life crisis

Front 42

Why has the mid life crisis theory stuck, even though its been disregarded in the scientific community?

Back 42

Makes a "good story"

Exciting to think about change

Front 43

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

Back 43

People become increasingly selective, investing greater resources in emotionally meaningful goals and activities

We try to maximize gains and minimize risks in our relationships

People focus on emotional rewards as they age, and less on informational rewards in relationships

Older people prefer to sepnd time with those who increase those emotional rewards

Front 44

According to the socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults show advantages in...?

Back 44

Ability to control, and more effectively express, negative emotions

Front 45

What is the mean age of marriage for men and women in Canada?

Back 45

men 31

women 29.6

Front 46

Describe the Marriage and divorce trends in canada from 1926 to 2006

Back 46

Marriage rates are decreasing, while divorce rates are increasing.

Divorce rates saw significant increases in 1968 and 1986, when the Divorce act was introduced and revised.

Front 47

What are the advantages of marriage?

Back 47

9-15% reduction in mortality among older adults for married men and women

greater happiness and higher quality of life for both partners

Front 48

Has cohabitation preceding marriage increased or decreased in Canada?

Back 48

steady increase

Front 49

Cohabitation effect

Back 49

Higher divorce rates among couples who cohabitate before becoming engaged `

Front 50

Does living together before being engaged increase you're chances of divorce? why or why not?

Back 50

No, correlation does NOT equal causation. Although studies have shown that couples who cohabitate before marriage have higher rates of divorce than those who don't, we need to take into account the type of people who are waiting to move in together

i.e someone with strong religious beliefs are more likely hold off living together until after marriage, these same people probably don't believe in divorce

Front 51

Divorce proneness

Back 51

People who are more likely to contemplate divorce when their marriage is struggling.

People in remarriages more likely to consider divorce as an option

Remarried people more critical of marriage

Higher likelihood that remarried people had family problems in their early years

Front 52

What year did Canada legalize same-sex marriage?

Back 52

2005

Front 53

Name the 11 countries in which same-sex marriage is considered legal

Back 53

Canada,Belgium, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands,Sweden, South Africa, Iceland, Argentina, Portugal, Denmark

Front 54

What are the psychological effects of divorce?

Back 54

Lower well-being and health (substance abuse)

Higher mortality

More mental health problems

Less satisfying sex life

More negative life events

Front 55

Why can divorce statistics be misleading?

Back 55

50% rate not based on same couples

- those who got married were not the same people who got divorced in a year

Divorce proneness increases apparent odds

- some people get divorced more than once, inflates stat

Front 56

Risks for divorce

Back 56

Immaturity: age of marriage

Lack of homogamy: similarity of goals

Lack of equality: exchange theory, partners need to perceive fair exchange across relationship

Front 57

Gender differences in adjusting to divorce

Back 57

Men: more likely to be surprised by divorce, more likely to be blamed, more likely to be depressed initially

Women: more likely to file for divorce, have greater difficulty forming new relationships (custody reasons), greater risk of financial troubles

Front 58

What is the average age of the widowed population?

Back 58

75

Front 59

Widowhood effect

Back 59

Greater probability of death in those who have become widowed than in those who are married.

Increased mortality due to depression, psychosocial stress, chronic economic hardship, and loss of social support and environmental resources

Front 60

How do the actual fertility rates in Canada compare to the rate needed to sustain the population?

Back 60

actual = 1.6 children per woman

needed = 2.1 children per woman

Front 61

What does Canadas fertility rates mean for the overall population?

Back 61

Our population is aging rapidly

Front 62

How do characteristic of new mothers over the age of 30 differ from those younger?

Back 62

More: likely to breast feed, affectionate and sensitive to child's needs, time spent with baby

Less likely to: regard birth as mistimed, smoke while pregnant

Over 35: more likely to seek fertility treatment

Over 40: have higher chances of multiples and complications

Front 63

At what maternal age do we significant increase in risk of down syndrome?

Back 63

35

Front 64

What are predictors of a woman's dissatisfaction during the transition to parenthood?

Back 64

1. younger age, non-white ethnicity, short relationship duration prior to pregnancy

2. poor relationships with own parents

3. unplanned pregnancy

4. impulsivity

5. greater centrality of work

6. newborns who are female or with difficult temperaments

7. psychological characteristics (i.e neuroticism, insecure attachment style, psychological disorder)

Front 65

How do different living situation affect family relationships/ dyanmics?

Back 65

Single parent families: frustration, guilt and ambivalence about child. mothers often struggle with finances, fathers struggle more with emotion

Same-sex families: no difference in adjustment, no differences in sexual identity issues, gay men tend to be more concerned about nurturing, lesbian mothers greater parenting awareness skills

Front 66

Transition to Parenthood (TtP)

Back 66

Period of adjustment to the new family status represented by the presence of a child in the home

Front 67

"Doing gender"

Back 67

Refers to the tendency for women and men to behave in stereotypically gendered ways, allocating household tasks towards more traditional roles.

This can cause marital dissatisfaction, due to problems with role equity