fei75766_glo_G1-G15.indd G-11  02/19/20 09:26 AM
GlossaryG-11
peak experience (Maslow)  Anintense mystical 
experience, often characteristic ofself-actualizing people 
butnotlimited tothem.
penis envy (Freud)  (Seecastration complex )
perceptual conscious (Freud)  Thesystem thatperceives 
external stimuli through sight, sound, taste, andthelike
andthatcommunicates them totheconscious system.
permeability (Kelly)  Aquality ofpersonal constructs that
allows newinformation torevise ourwayofviewing things.
perseverative functional autonomy (Allport)  Functionally 
independent motives thatarenotpartoftheproprium; 
includes addictions, thetendency tofinish uncompleted 
tasks, andother acquired motives.
person of tomorrow (Rogers)  Thepsychologically 
healthy individual intheprocess ofevolving intoallthat
heorshecanbecome.
persona  Jungian archetype thatrepresents thesideof
personality thatoneshows totherestoftheworld. Also, 
themask worn byancient Roman actors intheGreek 
theater andthustherootoftheword “personality.”
personal constructs (Kelly)  Aperson’s wayof
interpreting, explaining, andpredicting events.
personal disposition (Allport)  Arelatively permanent 
neuropsychic structure peculiar totheindividual, which 
hasthecapacity torender different stimuli functionally 
equivalent andtoinitiate andguide personalized forms of
behavior.
Personal Orientation Inventory (POI)  Testdesigned by
E.L.Shostrom tomeasure Maslow’s concept ofself-
actualizing tendencies inpeople.
personal unconscious  Jung’s termforthose repressed 
experiences thatpertain exclusively tooneparticular 
individual; opposed tothecollective unconscious, which 
pertains tounconscious experiences thatoriginate with
repeated experiences ofourancestors.
personality  Aglobal concept referring toarelatively 
permanent pattern oftraits, dispositions, orcharacteristics 
thatgivesome degree ofconsistency toaperson’s behavior. 
person-centered  Thetheory ofpersonality founded by
CarlRogers asanoutgrowth ofhisclient-centered 
psychotherapy.
phallic phase (Freud)  Thethird andlaststage ofthe
infantile period, thephallic phase ischaracterized bythe
Oedipus complex. Although anatomical differences 
between thesexes areresponsible forimportant 
differences inthemale andfemale Oedipal periods, Freud 
usedtheterm“phallic phase” tosignify bothmale and
female development. 
phenomenology  Aphilosophical position emphasizing 
thatbehavior iscaused byone’s perceptions rather than
byexternal reality.physical mechanisms (Buss)  Physiological organs and
systems thatevolved tosolve problems ofsurvival. 
physiological needs  Themost basic levelonMaslow’s 
hierarchy ofneeds; theyinclude food, water, air,etc.
philia  Brotherly orsisterly love;friendship.
phylogenetic endowment  Unconscious inherited images 
thathavebeen passed down tousthrough many 
generations ofrepetition. Aconcept usedbybothFreud 
andKlein.
placebo effect  Changes inbehavior orfunctioning 
brought about byone’s beliefs orexpectations.
play age (Erikson)  Thethird stage ofpsychosocial 
development, encompassing thetimefrom about 
ages3–5andcharacterized bythegenital-locomotor 
psychosexual mode andthecrisis ofinitiative 
versus guilt.
pleasure principle (Freud)  Areference tothemotivation 
oftheidtoseekimmediate reduction oftension through 
thegratification ofinstinctual drives.
polygenic transmission (Buss)  When many genes 
interact tocreate asingle characteristic.
positions (Klein)  Ways inwhich aninfant organizes its
experience inorder todealwithitsbasic conflict oflove
andhate. Thetwopositions aretheparanoid-schizoid 
position andthedepressive position.
positive freedom (Fromm)  Spontaneous activity ofthe
whole, integrated personality; signals areunification with
others andwiththeworld.
positive psychology  Arelatively newfieldofpsychology 
thatcombines anemphasis onhope, optimism, andwell-
being withanemphasis onresearch andassessment.
positive regard (Rogers)  Theneed tobeloved, liked, or
accepted byanother.
positive reinforcer  Anystimulus that,when added toa
situation, increases theprobability thatagiven behavior 
willoccur.
positive self-regard (Rogers)  Theexperience ofvaluing 
one’s self.
post-Freudian theory  Erikson’s theory ofpersonality that
extended Freud’s developmental stages intooldage.At
eachage,aspecific psychosocial struggle contributes to
theformation ofpersonality. 
posttraumatic stress disorder  Apsychological disorder 
resulting from extremely stressful experiences; itincludes 
nightmares andflashbacks ofthetraumatic experience.
preconscious (Freud)  Mental elements thatarecurrently 
notinawareness, butthatcanbecome conscious with
varying degrees ofdifficulty.
primary narcissism (Freud)  Aninfant’s investment of
libido initsownego;self-love orautoerotic behavior of
theinfant. (Seenarcissism )Final PDF to printer