AP Psychology Personality Theories

Name the Psychological Approach: Emphasizes the importance of motives hidden in the unconscious mind that shapes our personalities

• Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic

• Behavioral

• Cognitive

• Humanistic

Name the Psychological Approach: Rewards and punishments shape our actions, which shapes our personalities

• Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic

• Behavioral

• Humanistic

• Trait Theory

Name the Psychological Approach: Our personal potential for growth: creativity, and spontaneity drives our personality

• Behavioral

• Social Learning Theory

• Cognitive

• Humanistic

Name the Approach: Basic personality characteristics, such as friendliness, and aggression hold the essential components of our personality

• Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic

• Social Learning Theory

• Cognitive

• Trait Theory

The part of the unconscious mind that contains our needs, drives, instincts, and repressed urges.

• Id

• Ego

• Super Ego

• Preconscious

The part of the personality that is the source of our morals and ethics. It counteracts the socially unacceptable impulses of our unconscious.

• Id

• Ego

• Super Ego

• Preconscious

This part of our personality acts as our "true self," it is in touch with reality and strives to meet urges in a socially acceptable way.

• Id

• Ego

• Super Ego

• Preconscious

Which Defense Mechanism: You fail a test and say “Those test questions were bad, they didn’t make any sense” even though you didn’t spend any time studying

• Rationalization

• Repression

• Projection

• Reaction Formation

Defense Mechanism: Pushing any disturbing thoughts or memories out of awareness.

• Rationalization

• Repression

• Denial

• Projection

Defense Mechanism: Refusing to accept the reality of something that makes you anxious.

• Rationalization

• Repression

• Denial

• Projection