fei75766_glo_G1-G15.indd G-2  02/19/20 09:26 AM
GlossaryG-2
artificial selection (Buss)  Occurs when humans select 
particular desirable traits inabreeding species (otherwise 
known as“breeding”).
attitude (Jung)  Apredisposition toactorreact ina
characteristic manner, thatis,ineither anintroverted or
anextraverted direction.
authoritarianism (Fromm)  Thetendency togiveup
one’s independence andtounite withanother person or
persons inorder togainstrength. Takes theform of
masochism orsadism.
B
basic anxiety (Fromm)  Thefeeling ofbeing alone and
isolated, separated from thenatural world.
basic anxiety (Horney)  Feelings ofisolation and
helplessness inapotentially hostile world.
basic anxiety (Maslow)  Anxiety arising from inability to
satisfy physiological andsafety needs.
basic conflict (Horney)  Theincompatible tendency to
move toward, against, andaway from people.
basic hostility (Horney)  Repressed feelings ofrage
thatoriginate during childhood when children fearthat
theirparents willnotsatisfy theirneeds forsafety 
andsatisfaction.
basic strength  Theegoquality thatemerges from the
conflict between antithetical elements inErikson’s stages 
ofdevelopment.
basic tendencies  McCrae andCosta’s termforthe
universal rawmaterial ofpersonality.
behavior potential (Rotter)  Thepossibility ofa
particular response occurring atagiven timeandplace 
ascalculated inrelation tothereinforcement ofthat
response.
behavioral analysis  Skinner’s approach tostudying 
behavior thatassumes thathuman conduct isshaped 
primarily bytheindividual’s personal history of
reinforcement andsecondarily bynatural selection and
cultural practices.
behavioral signature of personality (Mischel)  An
individual’s unique andstable pattern ofbehaving 
differently indifferent situations.
behaviorism  A“school” ofpsychology thatlimits its
subject matter toobservable behavior. John B.Watson is
usually credited withbeing thefounder ofbehaviorism, 
withB.F.Skinner itsmost notable proponent.
being-in-the-world  (SeeDasein )
biological-evolutionary theories  Aretheclassoftheories 
thatargue thatbehavior, thought, feelings, andpersonality 
areinfluenced bydifferences inbasic genetic, epigenetic, 
andneurological systems between individuals. These 
theories alsoposit thatbrain systems andultimately personality differences havebeenshaped bynatural and
sexual selection (evolution) overmillions ofyears.
biophilia  Love oflife.
bipolar traits  Traits withtwopoles: thatis,those traits 
scaled from aminus point toapositive point, withzero
representing themidpoint.
B-love (Maslow)  Love between self-actualizing people 
andcharacterized bytheloveforthebeing oftheother.
B-values (Maslow)  Thevalues ofself-actualizing people, 
including beauty, truth, goodness, justice, wholeness, and
thelike.
by-products (Buss)  Traits thathappen asaresult of
adaptations butarenotpartofthefunctional design.
C
cardinal disposition (Allport)  Personal disposition so
dominating thatitcannot behidden. Most people donot
haveacardinal disposition.
care (Erikson)  Acommitment totakecareofthepeople 
andthings thatonehaslearned tocarefor.
castration anxiety (Freud)  (Seecastration complex )
castration complex (Freud)  Condition thataccompanies 
theOedipus complex, buttakes different forms inthetwo
sexes. Inboys, ittakes theform ofcastration anxiety ,or
fearofhaving one’s penis removed, andisresponsible for
shattering theOedipus complex. Ingirls, ittakes theform 
ofpenis envy, orthedesire tohaveapenis, anditprecedes 
andinstigates theOedipus complex.
catharsis  Theprocess ofremoving orlessening 
psychological disorders bytalking about one’s problems.
causality  Anexplanation ofbehavior interms ofpast
experiences.
central dispositions (Allport)  The5to10personal traits 
around which aperson’s lifefocuses.
chance encounter (Bandura)  Anunintended meeting of
persons unfamiliar toeachother.
character (Fromm)  Relatively permanent acquired 
qualities through which people relate themselves toothers 
andtotheworld.
character orientation (Fromm)  Productive or
nonproductive patterns ofreacting totheworld ofthings 
andtheworld ofpeople.
characteristic  Unique qualities ofanindividual that
include suchattributes astemperament, physique, 
intelligence, andother aptitudes.
characteristic adaptations (McCrae and Costa)  Acquired 
personality structures thatdevelop aspeople adapt to
theirenvironment.
choice corollary  Kelly’s assumption thatpeople choose 
thealternative inadichotomized construct thatthey
perceive willextend theirrange offuture choices.Final PDF to printer