Chapter 12 Vocab

Agreeableness- A Big Five personality trait characterized by trustworthiness, altruism, trust,

compliance, modesty, and tender mindedness
Big Five Theory- A trait theory that identifies five main characteristics that account for most
individual differences in personality
Conscientiousness- A Big Five personality trait characterized by competence, order, dutifulness,
achievement striving, self-discipline, and deliberation
Defense Mechanism- In Sigmund Freud’s personality theory, a protective behavior that reduces
anxiety
Ego- The component of Sigmund Freud’s personality theory that is the self that others see
Extroversion- One of the Big Five traits characterized by warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness,
activity, excitement seeking, and positive emotion; opposite of introversion
Id- The component of Sigmund Freud’s personality theory containing primitive drives present at
birth
Interpersonal Self- The self we are in the presence of other people
Introversion- One of the Big Five traits characterized by coolness, reserve, passivity, inactivity,
caution, and negative emotion; opposite of extroversion
Locus of Control- A cognitive expectancy featured in social–cognitive learning theories of
personality about the source of individual outcomes
Neo-Freudian- A theorist who attempted to update and modify Sigmund Freud’s original theory
of personality
Neuroticism- A Big Five personality trait characterized by anxiety, angry hostility, depression,
self-consciousness, impulsivity, and vulnerability
Openness- A Big Five personality trait characterized by an appreciation for fantasy, feelings,
actions, ideas, values, and aesthetics
Personality Inventory- An objective test, often using numbered scales or multiple choice, used to
assess personality
Projective Test- A test of personality based on Freudian theory that provides an ambiguous
stimulus onto which test takers “project” their personality
Psychoanalysis- Sigmund Freud’s treatment approach based on his psychodynamic theory
Psychodynamic- A theory put forward by Sigmund Freud in which psychic energy moves among
the compartments of the personality: id, ego, and superego
Psychosexual Stage- A stage in Sigmund Freud’s theory of the developing personality
Reciprocal Determinism- A social–cognitive learning theory of personality that features the
mutual influence of the person and that of the situation on each other
Self- Patterns of thought, feelings, and actions we perceive in our own minds
Self-Concept- People’s description of their own characteristics
Self-Esteem- A judgment of the value of the self
Self-Schema- A cognitive organization that helps us think about the self and process self-
relevant information
Social-Cognitive Learning Theory- A theory of personality that features cognition and learning,
especially from the social environment, as important sources of individual differences in
personality
Superego- The component of Sigmund Freud’s personality theory that internalizes society’s rules
for right and wrong, or the conscience
Temperament- A child’s pattern of mood, activity, or emotional responsiveness linked to later
personality
Trait- A stable personality characteristic
Unconscious Mind- The part of mental activity that cannot be voluntarily retrieved