GLOSSARY
absorption The ability to become highly
involved in sensory and imaginative
experiences.
achievement goals Targets people aspire
to in achievement situations.
affect intensity The strength or degree to
which people typically experience their
emotions.
anal stage The psychosexual stage of
development in which the anal region is
the primary erogenous zone.
androgyny A personality trait consisting
of masculine as well as feminine
characteristics.
anima/animus The archetype that is the
feminine side of the male (anima) or the
masculine side of the female (animus).
archetypes Primordial images that
predispose us to comprehend the world
in a particular manner.
avoidance coping strategies Coping
strategies designed to distract us from
thinking about the source of anxiety.
behavior modification Therapy
procedures based on operant
conditioning and classical conditioning
principles.
behavioral approach system A
hypothetical biological system that is
focused on seeking out and achievingpleasurable goals.behavioral inhibition system A
hypothetical biological system that is
focused on avoiding dangerous andunpleasant experiences.
behavioral validation A method for
establishing a test ’s validity by
predicting behavior from test scores.
Big Five The five basic dimensions of
personality found in many factor
analytic studies.
case study method An in-depth
examination of one person or one
group.
catharsis A release of tension or anxiety.
central traits The 5 to 10 traits that best
describe a person’ s personality.
cerebral asymmetry Higher levels of
brain activity in one cerebral hemisphere
than the other.
classical conditioning Learning resulting
from pairing a conditioned stimulus
with a new, unconditioned stimulus.
collective unconscious The part of the
unconscious mind containing thoughts,
images, and psychic characteristics
common to all members of a culture.
collectivist culture Culture that
emphasizes the importance of belonging
to a larger group, such as a family, tribe,
or nation.
conditional/unconditional positive
regard Acceptance and respect forpeople either only when they act as we
desire (conditional) or regardless of their
behavior (unconditional).
congruent validity A method for
establishing a test ’s validity by
correlating the test scores with other
measures of the same construct.
conscious In Freud ’s topographic model,
the part of personality that contains the
thoughts we are currently aware of.
construct validity The extent to which a
test measures the hypothetical construct
it is designed to measure.
contingencies of self-worth The domains
of self-concept an individual uses to
evaluate his or her self.
coping strategies Conscious efforts to
reduce
anxiety in the face of a perceived
threat.
correlation coefficient A statistic that
indicates the strength and direction of a
relationship between two variables.
defense mechanisms Devices the ego uses
to keep threatening material out of
awareness and thereby reduce or avoidanxiety.
defensive pessimism The tendency to
attend to and worry about failure on
upcoming tasks in a strategic effort tomotivate oneself to do well.
deficiency motive A need that is reduced
when the object of the need is attained.
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