Comprehensive Guide to Personality Theories in Psychology

Psychoanalysis

A theory by Sigmund Freud attributing thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.

Id

The unconscious energy that operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.

Ego

The executive part of the mind that operates on the reality principle, mediating between Id, Superego, and reality.

Superego

The conscience, focusing on moral principles and ideal standards.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used by the ego to reduce anxiety by distorting reality.

Repression

The banishment of anxiety-arousing thoughts from consciousness.

Regression

Retreating to an earlier stage of development in response to stress.

Reaction Formation

Switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites.

Projection

Disguising one's threatening impulses by attributing them to others.

Rationalization

Offering self-justifying explanations in place of real reasons.

Displacement

Shifting impulses toward a less threatening object or person.

Sublimation

Transferring unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives.

Denial

Refusing to accept painful realities or facts.

Inferiority Complex

A term used by Alfred Adler to describe a child's feeling of inferiority that drives behavior.

Collective Unconscious

A concept by Carl Jung referring to the shared, inherited memory traces from our species' history.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's model describing the prioritization of human needs from physiological to self-actualization.

Self-Actualization

The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potential.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Acceptance without conditions, essential for growth according to Carl Rogers.

Trait

Characteristic behaviors and conscious motives that define individual personality.

Big Five

A contemporary trait theory represented by the dimensions of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Factor Analysis

A statistical procedure used to identify clusters of test items that measure basic components of personality.

Reciprocal Determinism

Bandura's concept explaining that personality is shaped by the interaction of behavioral, personal, and environmental factors.

Locus of Control

A belief about whether control over one’s life outcomes resides internally or externally.

Self-Efficacy

One's belief in their competence to perform a specific task.

Sublimation vs. Displacement

Displacement is negative while sublimation is a positive coping mechanism.

Projection vs. Reaction Formation

Projection involves attributing your own feelings to others, while reaction formation is flipping those feelings to their opposite.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Efficacy

Self-esteem is a global sense of self-worth, while self-efficacy is task-specific confidence.

Type A Personality

A competitive, hard-driving, impatient personality type linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease.

Projective Tests

Subjective assessments used by psychoanalysts to reveal the unconscious.

Personality Inventories

Objective questionnaires designed to assess a wide range of personality traits.