Module 29 Vocabulary

Front

psychoanalysis

Back

Freud's theory of personality; also, a therapeutic technique that attempts to provide insight into thoughts and actions by exposing and interpreting the underlying unconscious motives and conflicts.

Front

psychodynamic perspective

Back

A view of personality that retains some aspects of Freudian theory (such as the importance of unconscious thought processes) but is less likely to see unresolved childhood conflicts as a source of personality development.

Front

free association

Back

A method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.

Front

preconscious

Back

According to Freud, a region of the mind holding information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness.

Front

unconsciousness

Back

According to Freud, a region of the mind that is a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories.

Front

defense mechanisms

Back

In psychoanalytic theory, the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Front

superego

Back

The part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations.

Front

ego

Back

The largely conscious 'executive' part of personality that, according to Freud, negotiates among the demands of the id, the superego, and reality; operates on the reality principle, satisfying its desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.

Front

psychosexual stages

Back

The childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on different parts of the body.

Front

resilience

Back

The ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and to bounce back from adversity.