Personality glossary Feist PDF

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Personality psychology glossary terms of the textbook by Feist & Feist...

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Personality glossary based on the book by Feist & Feist

accusation Adlerian safeguarding tendency whereby one protects magnified feelings of self-esteem by blaming others for one's own failures. active imagination Technique used by Jung to uncover collective unconscious material. Patients are asked to concentrate on an image until a series of fantasies are produced. actualizing tendency (Rogers) Tendency within all people to move toward completion or fulfillment of potentials. adolescence (Erikson) An important psychosocial stage when ego identity should be formed. Adolescence is characterized by puberty and the crisis of identity versus identity confusion. adulthood (Erikson) The stage from about ages 3 1 to 60 that is characterized by the psychosexual mode of procreativity and the crisis of generativity versus stagnation. aesthetic needs (Maslow) Needs for art, music, beauty, and the like. Although they may be related to the basic conative needs, aesthetic needs are a separate dimension. agape Altruistic love. aggression (Adler) Safeguarding tendencies that may include depreciation or accusation of others as well as self-accusation, all designed to protect exaggerated feelings of personal superiority by striking out against other people. aggression (Freud) One of two primary instincts or drives that motivate people. Aggression is the outward manifestation of the death instinct. anal character Freudian term for a person characterized by compulsive neatness, stubbornness, and miserliness. anal phase (Freud) Sometimes called the anal-sadistic phase, this second stage of the infantile period is characterized by a child's attempts to gain pleasure from the excretory function and by such related behaviors as destroying or losing objects, stubbornness, neatness, and miserliness. Corresponds roughly to the second year of life. anal triad (Freud) The three traits of compulsive neatness, stubbornness, and miserliness that characterize the anal character. anal-urethral-muscular Erikson's term for the young child's psychosexual mode of adapting. analytical psychology Theory of personality and approach to psychotherapy founded by Carl Jung. anima Jungian archetype that represents the feminine component in the personality of males and originates from men's inherited experiences with women. animus Jungian archetype that represents the masculine component in the personality of females and originates from women's inherited experiences with men. anxiety A felt, affective, unpleasant state accompanied by the physical sensation of uneasiness. anxiety (Kelly) The recognition that the events with which one is confronted lie outside the range of convenience of one's construct system. anxiety (May) The experience of the threat of imminent nonbeing. anxiety (Rogers) Feelings of uneasiness or tension with an unknown cause. anxiety (Sullivan) Any tension that interferes with satisfaction of needs. apathy (Sullivan) Dynamism that reduces tensions of needs through the adoption of an indifferent attitude.

archetypes Jung's concept that refers to the contents of the collective unconscious. Archetypes, also called primordial images or collective symbols, represent psychic patterns of inherited behavior and are thus distinguished from instincts, which are physical impulses toward action. Typical archetypes are the anima, animus, and shadow. attitude (Jung) A predisposition to act or react in a characteristic manner, that is, in either an introverted or an extraverted direction. authoritarianism (Fromm) The tendency to give up one's independence and to unite with another person or persons in order to gain strength. Takes the form of masochism or sadism. autistic language (Sullivan) Private or parataxic language that makes little or no sense to other people. basic anxiety (Fromm) The feeling of being alone and isolated, separated from the natural world. basic anxiety (Horney) Feelings of isolation and helplessness in a potentially hostile world. basic anxiety (Maslow) Anxiety arising from inability to satisfy physiological and safety needs. basic conflict (Horney) The incompatible tendency to move toward, against, and away from people. basic hostility (Horney) Repressed feelings of rage that originate during childhood when children fear that their parents will not satisfy their needs for safety and satisfaction. basic strength The ego quality that emerges from the conflict between antithetical elements in Erikson's stages of development. basic tendencies McCrae and Costa's term for the universal raw material of personality. behavior potential (Rotter) The possibility of a particular response occurring at a given time and place as calculated in relation to the reinforcement of that response. behavioral analysis Skinner's approach to studying behavior that assumes that human conduct is shaped primarily by the individual's personal history of reinforcement and secondarily by natural selection and cultural practices. behavioral signature of personality (Mischel) An individual's unique and stable pattern of behaving

differently in different situations. behaviorism A "school" of psychology that limits its subject matter to observable behavior. John B. Watson is usually credited with being the founder of behaviorism, with B. F. Skinner its most notable proponent. being-in-the-world (See Dasein) biophilia Love of life. bipolar traits Traits with two poles: that is, those traits scaled from a minus point to a positive point, with zero representing the midpoint. B-love (Maslow) Love between self-actualizing people and characterized by the love for the being of the other. B-values (Maslow) The values of self-actualizing people, including beauty, truth, goodness, justice, wholeness, and the like. cardinal traits (Allport) Personal disposition so dominating that it cannot be hidden. Most people do not have a cardinal disposition. care (Erikson) A commitment to take care of the people and things that one has learned to care for. castration anxiety (Freud) (See castration complex) castration complex (Freud) Condition that accompanies the Oedipus complex, but takes different forms in the two sexes. In boys, it takes the form of castvation anxiety, or fear of having one's penis removed, and is responsible for shattering the Oedipus complex. In girls, it takes the form ofpenis envy, or the desire to have a penis, and it precedes and instigates the Oedipus complex. catharsis The process of removing or lessening psychological disorders by talking about one's problems. causality An explanation of behavior in terms of past experiences. central traits (Allport) The 5 to 10 personal traits around which a person's life focuses. chance encounters (Bandura) An unintended meeting of persons unfamiliar to each other.

character (Fromm) Relatively permanent acquired qualities through which people relate themselves to others and to the world. character orientation (Fromm) Productive or nonproductive patterns of reacting to the world of things and the world of people. characteristic Unique qualities of an individual that include such attributes as temperament, physique, intelligence, and other aptitudes. characteristic adaptations (McCrae and Costa) Acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environment. choice corollary Kelly's assumption that people choose the alternative in a dichotomized construct that they perceive will extend their range of future choices. client-centered therapy Approach to psychotherapy originated by Rogers, which is based on respect for the person's capacity to grow within a nurturing climate. cognitive-affective personality system Mischel's theory that views people as active, goal-directed individuals capable of exerting influence on both their situation and themselves. cognitive needs (Maslow) Needs for knowledge and understanding; related to basic or conative needs, yet operating on a different dimension. collective efficacy (Bandura) The confidence people have that their combined efforts will produce social change. collective unconscious Jung's idea of an inherited unconscious, which is responsible for many of our behaviors, ideas, and dream images. The collective unconscious lies beyond our personal experiences and originates with repeated experiences of our ancestors. common traits (Allport) (See trait, common) commonality corollary Kelly's theory that personal constructs of people with similar experiences tend to be similar.

competencies (Mischel) People's cognitive and behavioral construction of what they can and cannot do, based on their observations of the world, themselves, and others. complex (Jung) An emotionally toned conglomeration of ideas that comprise the contents of the personal unconscious. Jung originally used the word association test to uncover complexes. conative needs Needs that pertain to willful and purposive striving, for example Maslow's hierarchy of needs. conditioned reinforcer (Skinner) Environmental event that is not by nature satisfying but becomes so because it is associated with unlearned or unconditioned reinforcers such as food, sex, and the like. conditions of worth (Rogers) Restrictions or qualifications attached to one person's regard for another. conformity (Fromm) Means of escaping from isolation and aloneness by giving up one's self and becoming whatever others desire. congruence (Rogers) The matching of organismic experiences with awareness and with the ability to express those experiences. One of three "necessary and sufficient" therapeutic conditions. conscience (Freud) The part of the superego that results from experience with punishment and that, therefore, tells a person what is wrong or improper conduct. conscious (Freud) Those mental elements in awareness at any given time. conscious (Jung) Mental images that are sensed by the ego and that play a relatively minor role in Jungian theory. consistency paradox Mischel's term for the observation that clinical intuition and the perceptions of laypeople suggest that behavior is consistent, whereas research finds that it is not.

constructing obstacles (Adler) Safeguarding tendency in which people create a barrier to their own success, thus allowing them to protect their self-esteem by either using the barrier as an excuse for failure or by overcoming it. construction corollary Kelly's assumption that people anticipate events according to their interpretations of recurrent themes. constructive alternativism Kelly's view that events can be looked at (construed) from a different (alternative) perspective. continuous schedule (Skinner) The reinforcement of an organism for every correct trial; opposed to the intermittent schedule in which only certain selected responses are reinforced. core pathology (Erikson) A psychosocial disorder at any of the eight stages of development that results from too little basic strength. core role (Kelly) People's construction of who they really are; their sense of identity that provides a guide for living. correlation coefficient A mathematical index used to measure the direction and magnitude of the relationship between two variables. cosmology The realm of philosophy dealing with the nature of causation. countertransference Strong, undeserved feelings that the therapist develops toward the patient during the course of treatment. These feelings can be either positive or negative and are considered by most writers to be a hindrance to successful psychotherapy. creative power Adler's term for what he believed to be an inner freedom that empowers each of us to create our own style of life. Dasein An existential term meaning a sense of self as a free and responsible person whose existence is embedded in the world of things, of people, and of selfawareness. death instinct (Freud) One of two primary drives or impulses. The death instinct takes the form of

destruction or aggression. deductive method Approach to factor analytical theories of personality that gathers data on the basis of previously determined hypotheses or theories, reasoning from the general to the particular. defense mechanisms (Freud) Techniques such as repression, reaction formation, sublimation, and the like, whereby the ego defends itself against the pain of anxiety. defensiveness (Rogers) Protection of the self-concept against anxiety and threat by denial and distortion of experiences that are inconsistent with it. delay of gratification A reference to the observation that some people some of the time will prefer more valued delayed rewards over lesser valued immediate ones. denial (Rogers) The blocking of an experience or some aspect of an experience from awareness because it is inconsistent with the self-concept. depreciation Adlerian safeguarding tendency whereby another's achievements are undervalued and one's own are overvalued. depressive position (Klein) Feelings of anxiety over losing a loved object coupled with a sense of guilt for wanting to destroy that object. desacralization (Maslow) The process of removing respect, joy, awe, and rapture from an experience, which then purifies or objectifies that experience. destructiveness (Fromm) Method of escaping from freedom by eliminating people or objects, thus restoring feelings of power. diathesis-stress model Eysenck accepted this model of psychiatric illness, which suggests that some people are vulnerable to illness because they have both genetic and an acquired weakness that predisposes them to an illness. dichotomy corollary Kelly's assumption that people construe events in an eitherlor (dichotomous) manner.

disengagement of internal control (Bandura) The displacement or diffusion of responsibility for the injurious effects of one's actions. displacement A Freudian defense mechanism in which unwanted urges are redirected onto other objects or people in order to disguise the original impulse. disposition, cardinal (Allport) Personal traits so dominating in an individual's life that they cannot be hidden. Most people do not have a cardinal disposition. disposition, central (Allport) The 5 to 10 personal traits around which a person's life focuses. disposition, secondary (Allport) The least characteristic and reliable personal traits that still appear with some regularity in an individual's life. dissociation (Sullivan) The process of separating unwanted impulses, desires, and needs from the selfsystem. distortion (Rogers) Misinterpretation of an experience so that it is seen as fitting into some aspect of the selfconcept. D-love (Maslow) Deficiency love or affection (attachment) based on the lover's specific deficiency and the loved one's ability to satisfy that deficit. dream analysis (Freud) The therapeutic procedure designed to uncover unconscious material by having a patient free associate to dream images. (See also free association) dynamisms (Sullivan) Relatively consistent patterns of action that characterize the person throughout a lifetime. Similar to traits or habit patterns. dystonic Erikson's term for the negative element in each pair of opposites that characterizes the eight stages of development. dynamic processes McCrae and Costa's term for the interconnectedness of central and peripheral components of personality. early childhood (Erikson) The second stage of psychosocial development, characterized by the analurethral-

muscular psychosexual mode and by the crisis of autonomy versus shame and doubt. early recollections Technique proposed by Adler to understand the pattern or theme that runs throughout a person's style of life. eclectic Approach that allows selection of usable elements from different theories or approaches and combines them in a consistent and unified manner. ego (Freud) The province of the mind that refers to the "I" or those experiences that are owned (not necessarily consciously) by the person. As the only region of the mind in contact with the real world, the ego is said to serve the reality principle. ego (Jung) The center of consciousness. In Jungian psychology, the ego is of lesser importance than the more inclusive self and is limited to consciousness. ego-ideal (Freud) The part of the superego that results from experiences with reward and that, therefore, teaches a person what is right or proper conduct. eidetic personifications (Sullivan) Imaginary traits attributed to real or imaginary people in order to protect one's self-esteem. Eigenwelt An existentialist term meaning the world of one's relationship to self. One of three simultaneous modes of being-in-the-world. elaborative choice (Kelly) Making choices that will increase a person's range of future choices. empathic listening (Rogers) The accurate sensing of the feelings of another and the communication of these perceptions. One of three "necessary and sufficient" therapeutic conditions. empathy (Sullivan) An indefinite process through which anxiety is transferred from one person to another, for example, from mother to infant. empirical Based on experience, systematic observation, and experiment rather than on logical reasoning or philosophical speculation. empirical law of effect (Rotter) The assumption that

behaviors that move people in the direction of their goals are more likely to be reinforced. encoding strategies (Mischel) People's ways of transforming stimulus inputs into information about themselves, other people, and the world. energy transformations (Sullivan) Overt or covert actions designed to satisfy needs or reduce anxiety. enhancement needs (Rogers) The need to develop, to grow, and to achieve. epigenetic principle Erikson's term meaning that one component grows out of another in its proper time and sequence. epistemology The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge. erogenous zones Organs of the body that are especially sensitive to the reception of pleasure. In Freudian theory, the three principal erogenous zones are the mouth, anus, and genitals. eros The desire for an enduring union with a loved one. essential freedom (May) The freedom of being or the freedom of the conscious mind. Essential freedom cannot be limited by chains or bars. esteem needs The fourth level on Maslow's hierarchy of needs; they include self-respect, competence, and the perceived esteem of others. ethology The scientific study of the characteristic behavior patterns of animals. euphoria (Sullivan) A complete lack of tension. exclusivity (Erikson) The core pathology of young adulthood marked by a person's exclusion of certain people, activities, and ideas. excuses Adlerian safeguarding tendencies whereby the person, through the use of reasonable sounding justifications, becomes convinced of the reality of selferected obstacles. existential freedom (May) The freedom of doing one's will. Existential freedom can be limited by chains

or bars. existential living Rogers's term indicating a tendency to live in the moment. existential needs (Fromm) Peculiarly human needs aimed at moving people toward a reunification with the natural world. Fromm listed relatedness, transcendence, rootedness, a sense of identity, and a frame of orientation as existential, or human, needs. expectancy The subjective probability held by a person that any specific reinforcement or set of reinforcements will occur in a given situation. experience corollary Kelly's view that people continually revise their personal constructs as the result of experience. exploitative characters (Fromm) People who take from others, either by force or cunning. external evaluations (Rogers) People's perception of other people's view of them. external influences (McCrae and Costa) Knowledge, views, and evaluations of the self. external reinforcement (Rotter) The positive or negative value of any reinforcing event as seen from the view of societal or cultural values. extinction The tendency of a previously acquired response to become progressively weakened upon nonreinforcement. extraversion (E) (Eysenck) One of three types of superfactors identified by Eysenck and consisting of two opposite poles-extraversion and introversion. Extvavevts are characterized behaviorally by sociability and impulsiveness and physiologically by a low level of cortical arousal. Zntvovevts, by contrast, are characterized by unsociability and caution and by a high level of c...