fei75766_glo_G1-G15.indd G-4  02/19/20 09:26 AM
GlossaryG-4
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Dasein  Anexistential term meaning asense ofselfasa
freeandresponsible person whose existence is
embedded intheworld ofthings, ofpeople, andofself-
awareness.
deductive method  Approach tofactor analytical theories 
ofpersonality thatgathers dataonthebasis ofpreviously 
determined hypotheses ortheories, reasoning from the
general totheparticular.
defense mechanisms (Freud)  Techniques suchas
repression, reaction formation, sublimation, andthelike,
whereby theegodefends itself against thepainofanxiety.
defensiveness (Rogers)  Protection oftheself-concept 
against anxiety andthreat bydenial anddistortion of
experiences thatareinconsistent withit.
delay of gratification  Areference totheobservation that
some people some ofthetimewillprefer more valued 
delayed rewards overlesser valued immediate ones.
denial (Rogers)  Theblocking ofanexperience orsome 
aspect ofanexperience from awareness because itis
inconsistent withtheself-concept.
depreciation  Adlerian safeguarding tendency whereby 
another’s achievements areundervalued andone’s own
areovervalued.
depressive position (Klein)  Feelings ofanxiety over
losing aloved object coupled withasense ofguiltfor
wanting todestroy thatobject. 
desacralization (Maslow)  Theprocess ofremoving 
respect, joy,awe,andrapture from anexperience, which 
thenpurifies orobjectifies thatexperience.
destructiveness (Fromm)  Method ofescaping from 
freedom byeliminating people orobjects, thusrestoring 
feelings ofpower.
diathesis –stress model  Eysenck accepted thismodel of
psychiatric illness, which suggests thatsome people are
vulnerable toillness because theyhavebothgenetic and
anacquired weakness thatpredisposes them toanillness.
dichotomy corollary  Kelly’s assumption thatpeople 
construe events inaneither/or (dichotomous) manner.
disengagement of internal control (Bandura)  The
displacement ordiffusion ofresponsibility forthe
injurious effects ofone’s actions.
displacement  AFreudian defense mechanism inwhich 
unwanted urges areredirected ontoother objects or
people inorder todisguise theoriginal impulse.
disposition, cardinal (Allport)  Personal traits so
dominating inanindividual’s lifethattheycannot be
hidden. Most people donothaveacardinal disposition.
disposition, central (Allport)  The5–10personal traits 
around which aperson’s lifefocuses.disposition, secondary (Allport)  Theleastcharacteristic 
andreliable personal traits thatstillappear withsome 
regularity inanindividual’s life.
dispositional theories  Aretheclass oftheory thatargue 
thatunique andlong-term tendencies tobehave in
particular ways aretheessence ofourpersonality.
distortion (Rogers)  Misinterpretation ofan
experience sothatitisseenasfitting intosome aspect of
theself-concept.
D-love (Maslow)  Deficiency loveoraffection 
(attachment) based onthelover’s specific deficiency and
theloved one’s ability tosatisfy thatdeficit.
dream analysis (Freud)  Thetherapeutic procedure 
designed touncover unconscious material byhaving 
apatient freeassociate todream images. (See also free 
association )
dystonic  Erikson’s termforthenegative element ineach
pairofopposites thatcharacterizes theeight stages of
development.
dynamic processes  McCrae andCosta’s termforthe
interconnectedness ofcentral andperipheral components 
ofpersonality.
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early childhood (Erikson)  Thesecond stage of
psychosocial development, characterized bytheanal-
urethral-muscular psychosexual mode andbythecrisis of
autonomy versus shame anddoubt.
early recollections  Technique proposed byAdler to
understand thepattern ortheme thatrunsthroughout a
person’s styleoflife.
eclectic  Approach thatallows selection ofusable 
elements from different theories orapproaches and
combines them inaconsistent andunified manner.
ego (Freud)  Theprovince ofthemind thatrefers tothe
“I”orthose experiences thatareowned (notnecessarily 
consciously) bytheperson. Astheonlyregion ofthe
mind incontact withtherealworld, theegoissaidto
serve thereality principle.
ego (Jung)  Thecenter ofconsciousness. InJungian 
psychology, theegoisoflesser importance thanthemore 
inclusive selfandislimited toconsciousness.
ego-ideal (Freud)  Thepartofthesuperego thatresults 
from experiences withreward andthat,therefore, teaches 
aperson what isrightorproper conduct.
Eigenwelt  Anexistentialist termmeaning theworld of
one’s relationship toself.Oneofthree simultaneous 
modes ofbeing-in-the-world.
elaborative choice (Kelly)  Making choices thatwill
increase aperson’s range offuture choices.Final PDF to printer