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Psychology 5/e Book Cover
Psychology, 5/e
Lester M. Sdorow, Arcadia University
Cheryl A. Rickabaugh, University of Redlands

Personality


anal stage  In Freud's theory, the stage of personality development, between ages 1 and 3, during which the child gains pleasure from defecation and faces a conflict over toilet training.
archetypes  In Jung's theory, inherited images that are passed down from our prehistoric ancestors and that reveal themselves as universal symbols in art, dreams, and religion.
collective efficacy  People's perception that with collaborative effort the group will obtain its desired outcome.
collective unconscious  In Jung's theory, the unconscious mind that is shared by all human beings and that contains archetypal images passed down from our prehistoric ancestors.
defense mechanism  In Freud's theory, a process that distorts reality to prevent the individual from being overwhelmed by anxiety.
displacement  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves expressing feelings toward a person who is less threatening than the person who is the true target of those feelings.
ego  In Freud's theory, the part of the personality that helps the individual adapt to external reality by making compromises between the id, the superego, and the environment.
Electra complex  A term used by some psychoanalysts, but not by Freud, to refer to the Oedipus complex in girls.
extravert  A person who is socially outgoing and prefers to pay attention to the external environment.
fixation  In Freud's theory, the failure to mature beyond a particular stage of psychosexual development.
genital stage  In Freud's theory, the last stage of personality development, associated with puberty, during which the individual develops erotic attachments to others.
id  In Freud's theory, the part of the personality that contains inborn biological drives and that seeks immediate gratification.
introvert  A person who is socially reserved and prefers to pay attention to his or her private mental experiences.
latency stage  In Freud's theory, the stage, between age 5 and puberty, during which there is little psychosexual development.
libido  Freud's term for the sexual energy of the id.
Oedipus complex  In Freud's theory, a conflict, during the phallic stage, between the child's sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and fear of punishment from the same-sex parent.
oral stage  In Freud's theory, the stage of personality development, between birth and age 1 year, during which the infant gains pleasure from oral activities and faces a conflict over weaning.
personality  An individual's unique, relatively consistent pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
personal unconscious  In Jung's theory, the individual's own unconscious mind, which contains repressed memories.
phallic stage  In Freud's theory, the stage of personality development, between ages 3 and 5, during which the child gains pleasure from the genitals and must resolve the Oedipus complex.
pleasure principle  The process by which the id seeks immediate gratification of its impulses.
projection  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves attributing one's own undesirable feelings to other people.
projective test  A Freudian personality test based on the assumption that individuals project their unconscious feelings when responding to ambiguous stimuli.
rationalization  Giving socially acceptable reasons for one's inappropriate behavior.
reaction formation  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves a tendency to act in a manner opposite to one's true feelings.
reality principle  The process by which the ego directs the individual to express sexual and aggressive impulses in socially acceptable ways.
reciprocal determinism  Bandura's belief that personality traits, environmental factors, and overt behavior affect each other.
regression  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves reverting to immature behaviors that have relieved anxiety in the past.
repression  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves banishing threatening thoughts, feelings, and memories into the unconscious mind.
schema  A cognitive structure that guides people's perception and information processing that incorporates the characteristics of particular persons, objects, events, procedures, or situations.
self-actualization  In Maslow's theory, the individual's predisposition to try to fulfill her or his potentials.
self-efficacy  In Bandura's theory, a person's belief that she or he can perform behaviors that are necessary to bring about a desired outcome.
sublimation  In psychoanalytic theory, the defense mechanism that involves expressing sexual or aggressive impulses through indirect, socially acceptable outlets.
superego  In Freud's theory, the part of the personality that acts as a moral guide telling us what we should and should not do.
temperament  A person's characteristic emotional state, first apparent in early infancy and possibly inborn.
trait  A relatively enduring, cross-situationally consistent personality characteristic that is inferred from a person's behavior.