Personality Theories
According to Freud, this is the part of personality driven by the morality principle.
superego
A person refuses to acknowledge traumatic childhood experiences, keeping them out of conscious awareness.
Repression
A person repeatedly breaks the law, lies, and shows no remorse for harming others.
anti-social personality disorder
This neurotransmitter is most commonly linked to depression when levels are low.
Serotonin
These are false beliefs that are not based in reality.
delusions
A person develops intense fear of driving after a serious car accident and relives the event through nightmares.
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
A person who is dependable, organized, and disciplined scores high on this Big Five personality trait.
conscientiousness
A student who feels insecure about their own intelligence criticizes others as “stupid.”
projection
A person has unstable and intense relationships, fears abandonment, and engages in impulsive, reckless behaviors.
borderline personality disorder (BPD)
A person reports several weeks of fatigue, hopelessness, and loss of interest, with no history of mania.
Major Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
Hearing voices that aren’t there is an example of this type of symptom.
Hallucinations (auditory hallucinations)
A person avoids leaving their house due to fear of having a panic attack in public where escape would be difficult.
agoraphobia
A person low in this believes they will fail no matter what and therefore does not try.
self-efficacy
A child who recently gained a sibling begins acting like a baby again.
regression
A person believes they are superior to others, lacks empathy, and requires constant admiration.
narcissistic personality disorder
This disorder involves alternating episodes of depression and mania.
Bipolar Disorder
This neurotransmitter is overactive in schizophrenia, especially in relation to positive symptoms.
Dopamine
A person repeatedly checks locks for hours despite knowing they are secure.
OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
A person’s behavior changes depending on the environment, and the environment changes in response to the behavior. This concept is called:
reciprocal determinism
A smoker justifies their habit by saying “it helps me relax, so it’s actually good for me.”
Rationalization
A student is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost.
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Depression is often treated with SSRIs, which stands for this:
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
This two-word term describes the reduced emotional expression often seen in schizophrenia.
flat affect
A teenager severely restricts food intake and denies the seriousness of their low body weight.
anorexia / anorexia nervosa
A person who is anxious, moody, and emotionally reactive scores high on this Big Five personality trait.
neuroticism
A person channels aggressive impulses into competitive sports.
sublimation
During group work, a student refuses to write anything in the shared doc because they think their group will delete their work or take credit for it.
Paranoid personality disorder
A college student alternates between severe depression and periods of elevated mood, increased energy, and decreased need for sleep.
Bipolar Disorder
A patient insists the government is controlling their thoughts through a chip in their brain.
delusion (specifically persecutory or paranoid)
Perfectionism and need for control are commonly associated with this disorder.
anorexia / anorexia nervosa
A student with this four-word mindset succeeds on a test and attributes it to their own ability rather than luck.
internal locus of control
A person expresses affection toward someone they actually strongly dislike.
reaction formation
A student insists that certain numbers, colors, or classroom events are “signs” meant specifically for them.
schizotypal personality disorder
Bipolar disorder is often treated with this drug, which inhibits excitatory neurotransmitters and balances levels of serotonin and dopamine to decrease mood swings and impulsive behaviors.
Lithium
A student mutters to themselves, “I went to school today… school is like weather… weather controls phones…”
schizophrenia (disorganized speech/"word salad")
A person eats a large amount of food quickly, then forces themselves to vomit.
bulimia / bulimia nervosa