Personality and Social PsychologyBy: Sky, Rachel, Isaac, Kayla, Chase, Gabby, Malia, and Mark

Personality Structure Freud’s view of human personality—including

its emotions and striving—arises from a conflict between our aggressive, pleasure-seeking biological impulses and the internalized social restraints against them.

3 interacting systems: Id Ego superego

ID, Ego, and Super-ego ID• Unconscious• Satisfies basic needs: survival, reproduction, and

aggression

EGO• Conscious mind• Thoughts, judgments, perceptions• Gratifies the ID’s impulses in realistic ways

Super-ego• Preconscious (outside awareness but accessible)• Strives for perfection, judging actions, and producing

positive feelings of pride, or negative feelings of guilt

Freud’s Psychosexual StagesOral (0-18 months) Pleasure centers on the mouth- sucking, biting,

chewingAnal (18-36 months) Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder

elimination, coping with demands for controlPhallic (3-6 years) Pleasure zone is the genitals coping with

incestuous sexual feelingsLatency (6 to puberty) Dormant sexual feelingsGenital (puberty on) Maturation of sexual interests

The Big Five Personality Factors

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

Openness

Extraversion

Personality Biological influences

1. Genetically determined temperament2. Autonomic nervous system reactivity3. Brain activity

Psychological Influences1. Learned Responses2. Unconscious thought processes3. Optimistic or pessimistic attributional style

Social-Cultural influences1. Childhood experiences 2. Influence of the situation3. Cultural expectations4. Social support

Personality Defense Mechanisms Ego protects itself with defense mechanisms Repression-banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts and

feelings from consciousness Regression-allows us to retreat to an earlier, more

infantile stage of development Reaction formation-when the ego unconsciously makes

unacceptable impulses look like their opposite Projection-disguises threatening impulses by attributing

them to others Rationalization-occurs when we unconsciously generate

self-justifying explanations to hide from ourselves the real reasons for our action

Displacement-diverts sexual or aggressive impulses toward an object or person that is psychologically more acceptable than the one that aroused the feeling.

Social Thinking Fundamental Attribution Theory – the

tendency to overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon – the tendency for those who complied to a small request to comply later to a larger demand.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory – theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two thoughts are inconsistent.

Social Influence Conformity – adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to

coincide with a group standard. Normative social influence – influence resulting from a

person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval. Informational social influence – influence resulting from

one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality. Social Facilitation – stronger responses on simple or well-

learned tasks in the presence of others. Social Loafing – tendency for people in a group to exert

less effort when pooling their efforts toward a common goal.

Groupthink can be prevented when a leader welcomes various opinions and invites experts’ critiques of developing plans or assigns people to identify possible problems.

Antisocial Relations Prejudice – an unjustifiable attitude toward a group and

its members. Discrimination – unjustifiable behavior towards a group

or its members. Ingroup Bias – “Us.” The tendency to favor our own

group. Outgroup– “Them” Scapegoat Theory – theory that prejudice offers an

outlet for anger by providing someone to blame. Frustration-Aggression Principle – principle that

frustration creates anger, which can generate aggression.

Social Trap – a situation in which the conflicting parties become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Prosocial Relations Passionate Love – intense positive absorption in

another, at the beginning of a relationship Companionate Love – deep affectionate

attachment we feel for those whose lives intertwine with ours

Self-disclosure – revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Altruism – unselfish regard for the welfare of others Mere exposure effect – phenomenon that repeated

exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them. Similarity – opposites attract is a myth. We often

tend to like someone similar to us. Similarity breeds content.

Our Song Lyrics

“Moves Like Jagger”There’s a man who’s names FreudHe’s doctor who had lots of toysThere’s a structure that’s totally hisIt starts with the IdBeginning with thisAnd it goes like thisThe id seeks total gratificationThe ego gratifies Id impulsesAnd the superegoIt’s the superego It makes yooooooooou have good judgment

But of course that’s not allThere are stagesThe lists not so tallIt’s a short oneIt starts with the mouth and then travels southI’ve got this figured outAnd it goes like thisFirst it starts out with only just one toothThen I learn how to use that bathroomAnd I begin to wonderWhat’s the thing down under?Now you’re fiiiiiiiiiinding sexual interests