Psychology of Personality Exam 1 (Shim)
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Psychology Personality - CORRECT ANSWER - The scientific study of the psychological
forces that make people uniquely themselves
anti wish - CORRECT ANSWER - when you have a dream that is the opposite of what
you want and this dream keeps you in check (for example, "I had a dream about stealing. I will
never do that!")
bereavement exclusion - CORRECT ANSWER - A stipulation in which people who have
experienced the loss of a significant loved one would not be given the diagnosis of major
depression within the first 2 months of the loss. This exclusion was removed from the DSM-5.
paradigm - CORRECT ANSWER - a model; an example
Public Self - CORRECT ANSWER - The personality or traits you wish to convey to the
rest of the world; how you want to be seen
the awareness of the self as seen by the world
Private Self - CORRECT ANSWER - The personality or traits you keep within; the side of
you, you may deem unfit for the rest of society to view
the tendency to introspect and reflect on thoughts/feelings
Creative Illusionism - CORRECT ANSWER - Observing a particular behaviors or traits,
and proposing a theory from these observations, often self-reflective. Theorists then look to
validate these theories by observing them in others (consensual validation)
,Components of Adequate Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - "Reality", "Normal" &
Pathological Processes, Change Process & Development. Serve as a "road map" to the human
psyche
Personality/Character - CORRECT ANSWER - includes (but not limited to): behavior,
thoughts, feelings
a reliable set of characteristics that dictate how you interact with the world
nomothetic - CORRECT ANSWER - Seeking to formulate laws; can describe a wide range
of people. Aristole had this type of theory
idiographic - CORRECT ANSWER - pertaining to an individual case; describes a single
person. May be enough to refute a common law. Galileo has this type of theory
psychic determinism (FREUD) - CORRECT ANSWER - Events have observable and non-
observable characteristics; everything happens with a reason, known or unknown, especially
related to psychological events
The idea that the mind is an active system
Every action is determined by unconscious mental processes!
parapraxis - CORRECT ANSWER - Everyday psychosis; something irrational that has
some unconscious reasoning and is unknown unless further explored; reveals repressed motives
(eg. slip of a tongue)
Free association - CORRECT ANSWER - Method of psychoanalysis in which an
individual says everything that comes to mind, and the therapist is out of view. Helps uncover the
unconscious meanings of things.
, Topographical Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - One of Freud's Theory involving the
different mental processes including: Conscious, Preconscious, Censor System (Defense
Mechanisms), Unconscious & Repressed
Conscious - CORRECT ANSWER - The thoughts of your brain that you are currently
aware of
Unconscious - CORRECT ANSWER - Majority of your brains thoughts; involves those
thoughts you are not conscious of, and are not easily brought into consciousness
(the deeper part of the mind, where useless and scary deep dark things are stored here --- has
defense mechanisms here: 1) REPRESSION 2) DENIAL)
Repressed Content - CORRECT ANSWER - Part of your unconscious where painful
events are stored, very DEEP in your unconscious (basically forget that this area exists)
Defense Mechanisms - CORRECT ANSWER - the brain's censor system; that distorts
reality, and prevents unconscious thoughts from surfacing in an unacceptable way ( rather
alternate routes are formed). Part of censorship
Denial - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of defense mechanism in which unconsciously
motivated negation occurs. People convince themselves that something did not happen and truly
believe it. Children deal with trauma in this way
Repression - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of defense mechanism in which you suppress
negative emotions or painful moments so far into your unconscious, that you no longer
remember the event, unless extensive therapy is done.
Unacceptable Impulse - CORRECT ANSWER - A thought or urge you have that is so
abhorrent it is immediately repressed; sometimes the repression results in physical symptoms
causes anxiety and kickstarts defense mechanism
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Psychology Personality - CORRECT ANSWER - The scientific study of the psychological
forces that make people uniquely themselves
anti wish - CORRECT ANSWER - when you have a dream that is the opposite of what
you want and this dream keeps you in check (for example, "I had a dream about stealing. I will
never do that!")
bereavement exclusion - CORRECT ANSWER - A stipulation in which people who have
experienced the loss of a significant loved one would not be given the diagnosis of major
depression within the first 2 months of the loss. This exclusion was removed from the DSM-5.
paradigm - CORRECT ANSWER - a model; an example
Public Self - CORRECT ANSWER - The personality or traits you wish to convey to the
rest of the world; how you want to be seen
the awareness of the self as seen by the world
Private Self - CORRECT ANSWER - The personality or traits you keep within; the side of
you, you may deem unfit for the rest of society to view
the tendency to introspect and reflect on thoughts/feelings
Creative Illusionism - CORRECT ANSWER - Observing a particular behaviors or traits,
and proposing a theory from these observations, often self-reflective. Theorists then look to
validate these theories by observing them in others (consensual validation)
,Components of Adequate Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - "Reality", "Normal" &
Pathological Processes, Change Process & Development. Serve as a "road map" to the human
psyche
Personality/Character - CORRECT ANSWER - includes (but not limited to): behavior,
thoughts, feelings
a reliable set of characteristics that dictate how you interact with the world
nomothetic - CORRECT ANSWER - Seeking to formulate laws; can describe a wide range
of people. Aristole had this type of theory
idiographic - CORRECT ANSWER - pertaining to an individual case; describes a single
person. May be enough to refute a common law. Galileo has this type of theory
psychic determinism (FREUD) - CORRECT ANSWER - Events have observable and non-
observable characteristics; everything happens with a reason, known or unknown, especially
related to psychological events
The idea that the mind is an active system
Every action is determined by unconscious mental processes!
parapraxis - CORRECT ANSWER - Everyday psychosis; something irrational that has
some unconscious reasoning and is unknown unless further explored; reveals repressed motives
(eg. slip of a tongue)
Free association - CORRECT ANSWER - Method of psychoanalysis in which an
individual says everything that comes to mind, and the therapist is out of view. Helps uncover the
unconscious meanings of things.
, Topographical Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - One of Freud's Theory involving the
different mental processes including: Conscious, Preconscious, Censor System (Defense
Mechanisms), Unconscious & Repressed
Conscious - CORRECT ANSWER - The thoughts of your brain that you are currently
aware of
Unconscious - CORRECT ANSWER - Majority of your brains thoughts; involves those
thoughts you are not conscious of, and are not easily brought into consciousness
(the deeper part of the mind, where useless and scary deep dark things are stored here --- has
defense mechanisms here: 1) REPRESSION 2) DENIAL)
Repressed Content - CORRECT ANSWER - Part of your unconscious where painful
events are stored, very DEEP in your unconscious (basically forget that this area exists)
Defense Mechanisms - CORRECT ANSWER - the brain's censor system; that distorts
reality, and prevents unconscious thoughts from surfacing in an unacceptable way ( rather
alternate routes are formed). Part of censorship
Denial - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of defense mechanism in which unconsciously
motivated negation occurs. People convince themselves that something did not happen and truly
believe it. Children deal with trauma in this way
Repression - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of defense mechanism in which you suppress
negative emotions or painful moments so far into your unconscious, that you no longer
remember the event, unless extensive therapy is done.
Unacceptable Impulse - CORRECT ANSWER - A thought or urge you have that is so
abhorrent it is immediately repressed; sometimes the repression results in physical symptoms
causes anxiety and kickstarts defense mechanism
