handout master 1.3 can science answer this question
TRANSCRIPT
Handout Master 1.3 Can Science Answer This Question?
Psychology is an empirical science; that is, its knowledge is obtained through observation, experimentation, and measurement. Some questions cannot be answered empirically and are, therefore, outside the realm of science. Decide whether scientific research can answer the questions below and respond “yes” or “no” to each question. Do not try to answer the question itself. Just say whether or not scientific research can, in principle, address the question. Briefly explain why each question is, or is not, a good candidate for scientific inquiry. For the questions that can be studied scientifically, identify what the independent and dependent variables would be in the experiment. 1. Is abortion on demand bad for society? 2. Do people talk more after they have eaten than they do when they are hungry? 3. Does jogging lead to a positive mental attitude? 4. Are the incomes of doctors related to the grades they make in medical school? 5. Which emotion is stronger, love or anger? 6. Are breast-‐fed babies more alert than bottle-‐fed babies? 7. Will people be more moral in the year 2020 than they are now? 8. Are people who commit suicide sorry after they have done it?
Handout Master 2.1 Mapping the Brain
Label the diagram of the brain to show or answer the following questions. 1. Is this a drawing of the left side or the right side of the brain?
What are the particular functions of that side of the brain as compared to the other hemisphere? Left side functions: Right side functions:
2. Where is the front of the brain? Where is the back?
3. Label the cerebrum and cerebellum and describe their functions. Cerebral functions: Cerebellar functions: 4. Label the four lobes of the cerebral cortex. 5. Label the motor cortex and describe its function.
6. Label the visual cortex and describe its function. 7. Label the auditory cortex and describe its function. 8. Label the somatosensory cortex and describe its function. 9. Label Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas and describe their functions. 10. Where would you expect to find neurons in this drawing and how big would they be if they were drawn? 11. Label the brain stem. What is its function?
Senses, I can live with or without them
Group members _______________________________________________________________________ The five senses are:
1. __________________________________ 2. __________________________________ 3. __________________________________ 4. __________________________________ 5. __________________________________ 6. __________________________________
How are senses used every day:
Sense Everyday Use 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
If I lose this sense: This would be very challenging in
life (Cons) I could compensate losing this sense by… (Pros)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
After reviewing the above pros and cons, as a group, we’ve decided that we could live without the following sense: __________________________________ We believe we could live relatively well without this sense because: _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
Handout Master 4.1
Recording the Stream of Consciousness Instructions: During class, the lecture will be interrupted at four random intervals. Whenever the instructor says “stop and record your thoughts,” you should immediately write down in the spaces provided below exactly what you were thinking about just before the interruption. Please write down exactly what you were thinking (i.e., do not edit yourself); anything is acceptable as long as it is accurate. These data will not be collected by the instructor. Interruption 1: Interruption 2: Interruption 3: Interruption 4:
Chapter 5
Activity: Identifying Components of Classical Conditioning For each of the following scenarios, identify the CS, UCS, CR, and UCR, as well as any indication of generalization or discrimination. You may need to make inferences about how learning took place.
1) Cancer patients often have trouble maintaining good nutrition because they come to associate food with the feeling of nausea. After a while the sight of any food makes them nauseated. How did they learn this association?
2) By the end of their first month, newborn infants begin sucking when they see the bottle, even before the nipple hits their mouth. How did they learn this association?
3) Baseball players are notorious for their superstitious rituals. How did Nomar Garciaparra come to reposition his gloves so many times before he batted? Why does he do it before every pitch now?
4) My pet cat comes running when she hears the can opener, even if I’m opening a can of corn. Why does she do this?
5) An instructor always prints quizzes on half-‐sheets of paper. Midway through the quarter, when the instructor arrives to class with a stack of half-‐sheets of paper, students notice an increased heart-‐rate and a sense of dread. Why did these students learn to fear half-‐sheets of paper?
6) You never feared the ocean as a child. However, one day, you got caught in an undertow and almost drowned. Now you fear the ocean. Interestingly, you don’t fear swimming in lakes.
Handout Master 5.4 Schedules of Reinforcement
Instructions: Identify the reinforcement schedule illustrated in the following examples by placing the appropriate abbreviation in the blank next to the item. Use the following code: Fixed Ratio (FR) Variable Ratio (VR) Fixed Interval (FI) Variable Interval (VI) _____ 1. Getting a paycheck every other week _____ 2. Pop quizzes _____ 3. Slot machines at gambling casinos _____ 4. Calling the mechanic to find out if your car is fixed yet _____ 5. A factory worker who is paid on piece work _____ 6. Fly fishing: casting and reeling back several times before catching a fish _____ 7. Looking at your watch during a lecture until the end of the lecture _____ 8. A salesperson who gets paid on commission _____ 9. Calling a friend and getting a busy signal because he or she is frequently on the phone _____ 10. Signaling with your thumb while hitchhiking _____ 11. Frequent flyer program: rewards after flying X amount of miles _____ 12. Collecting bottles, cans, or other recyclables for cash _____ 13. An athlete’s contract specifies salary increases to be renegotiated every three years _____ 14. Buying lottery tickets _____ 15. A person refrains from drugs for fear of random drug testing _____ 16. Checking the refrigerator to see if the JELL-‐O is ready _____ 17. Watching for shooting stars _____ 18. Checking the mail, assuming the mail carrier comes at the same time every day _____ 19. Playing Bingo _____ 20. A worker receives $1 for every 100 envelopes stuffed and sealed
Handout Master 5.3
Reinforcement vs. Punishment Instructions: For each example presented below, identify whether positive reinforcement (PR), negative reinforcement (NR), or punishment (PUN) is illustrated by placing the appropriate abbreviation in the blank next to the item. _____ 1. Police pulling drivers over and giving prizes for buckling up _____ 2. Suspending a basketball player for committing a flagrant foul _____ 3. A soccer player rolls her eyes at a teammate who delivered a bad pass _____ 4. A child snaps her fingers until her teacher calls on her _____ 5. A hospital patient is allowed extra visiting time after eating a complete meal _____ 6. Receiving a city utility discount for participating in a recycling program _____ 7. Grounding a teenager until his or her homework is finished _____ 8. Scolding a child for playing in the street _____ 9. A prisoner loses TV privileges for one week for a rule violation _____ 10. A parent nagging a child to clean up her room _____ 11. A rat presses a lever to terminate a shock or a loud tone _____ 12. A professor gives extra credit to students with perfect attendance _____ 13. A dog is banished to his doghouse after soiling the living room carpet _____ 14. A defendant is harassed and tortured until he confesses _____ 15. A young child receives $5 for earning good grades in school _____ 16. A mother smiles when her child utters “Mama” _____ 17. A child is put into “time out” for misbehaving _____ 18. Employee of the month gets a reserved parking space _____ 19. At a party, a husband becomes sullen when his wife flirts with a colleague _____ 20. A woman watching a football game offers her child candy to play quietly
Handout Master 5.7 Learning Self-‐Test
For each situation below, indicate whether it is an example of: a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. insight d. observational learning 1. Susie is a four-‐year-‐old child. One day she watches her mother vacuum the living room. Her mother comments
to Susie, “Doesn’t the living room look nice now that I’ve cleaned it?” The next day, her mother finds Susie “vacuuming” the living room with her toy vacuum.
2. You are thinking of asking the teacher for an extension on your paper. Just as you are about to go up to the
teacher, another student approaches the teacher with the same request. The teacher appears angry, and very loudly and rudely turns down the student’s request for an extension. You decide not to ask for an extension.
3. Until she was eight, Barbara liked cats. When she was eight, she was bitten through the hand by a cat as she
tried to get it out from under a bed. This was an upsetting experience. Since that time, Barbara experiences anxiety whenever she is near a cat.
4. Alison, age four, needs to learn to speak up louder in class. Her parents and teacher agree that whenever
Alison speaks up loudly in class, she will get a star on her chart. Whenever she accumulates 25 stars, she will get to go to Baskin-‐Robbins for ice cream. Alison starts speaking up in class more frequently.
5. Scott, age six, has difficulty in reaching clothes hanging from the clothes bar in his closet because the clothes
bar is too high. He figures out that if hangers simply had longer necks, he would be able to manage with the clothes bar at the current height. Working with his father, he creates a set of long-‐necked hangers and enters them in the “Invent America” contest at his school.
6. Tom is hammering nails into planks to build a fence. He experiments with holding the nail a different way and
immediately hits his thumb with the hammer. OUCH! He continues his work, but he never holds the nail that way again.
7. It is summer time. Sarah and Jeremy are in love. They enjoy being together and are thoroughly relaxed and
content in each other’s presence. The hit song that summer is “Buckets of Love” and they hear that song a lot when they are together. At the end of the summer, they have to return to their separate colleges, which are quite far apart. That fall, every time Sarah hears the tune “Buckets of Love,” she experiences the same feelings of relaxation and contentment that she felt when she was with Jeremy.
In the following examples, identify which is being used to control behavior:
a. positive reinforcement b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. extinction
8. The smoke detector in Jesse’s house is low on batteries. It emits an annoying chirp every few seconds. Jesse
installs a new battery so it will stop making that noise. 9. Dr. Smith, a Doe College instructor, is having difficulty getting students to turn in papers. Previously, he had
not assigned credit for homework; rather, he had simply assumed that students would do it for the practice. Dr. Smith establishes a policy that all students who turn in papers will get full credit for their work. Students now turn in papers much more often.
10. Robert puts $0.85 in the Coke machine to buy his daily Coke. Today, nothing comes out, and he does not get
his money back. Robert does not put any more money in the machine. 11. Jeff is playing with his food at the dinner table. His mother tells him to stop playing with his food. When he
does not stop, she takes his food away, leaving Jeff hungry all night. Jeff never plays with his food again. 12. Jeff is playing with his food at the dinner table while his parents are trying to carry on an adult conversation.
When his mother notices what Jeff is doing, she stops talking with her husband and directs her attention to Jeff. She yells at him to stop playing with his food, and says that playing with his food is a horrible and disgusting habit. Jeff plays with his food again several times during that meal, and even more frequently the next night.
13. Jeff is diligently working on an art project at school. His teacher notices how nicely he is working and praises
him loudly for his efforts. Jeff immediately seems less interested working on his project. The teacher praises the little bits he completes as time goes on, and Jeff stops working on the art project entirely.
For each example given, identify the unconditioned stimulus (US), unconditioned response (UR), conditioned stimulus (CS) and conditioned response (CR): 14. Art goes to a meeting in New Orleans and tries some oysters at the oyster bar. He likes the taste and eats
quite a few. Soon he becomes very ill with an upset stomach. Now, even the thought of oysters makes him nauseous.
US = CS = UR = CR =
15. When Trudy was four, Trudy did not have any particular reaction to, or interest in, yardsticks. From the time
she was five, until she was eight, Trudy’s parents beat her with a yardstick. Trudy was very upset every time she was beaten. Now Trudy becomes very upset every time she sees a yardstick.
US = CS = UR = CR =
Handout Master 7.1
The Hospital Room Problem
Instructions: Use the following information to answer the question posed below. Five people are in a hospital. Each one has only one disease, and each has a different disease. Each one occupies a separate room; room numbers are 101–105. 1. The person with asthma is in Room 101. 2. Ms. Jones has heart disease. 3. Ms. Green is in Room 105. 4. Ms. Smith has tuberculosis. 5. The woman with mononucleosis is in Room 104. 6. Ms. Thomas is in Room 101. 7. One of the patients, other than Ms. Anderson, has gall bladder disease. Question: What disease does Ms. Anderson have and in what room is she?
Handout Master 7.4 Insight
Instructions: Give the correct answer for each of the following problems. 1. How would you rearrange the letters in the words new door to make one word? [Note: There is only one
correct answer.] 2. It is impossible for anyone to survive longer than one week without drinking, yet Abdullah managed a ten-‐day
desert crossing without finding water or bringing any along. How was this possible? 3. What is so unusual about the sentence below? (Aside from the fact that it doesn’t make a lot of sense.)
“Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.”
4. A well-‐known fashion designer, wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, decided to spend a few
days at a rural resort. After a day of relaxing, she went for a winter stroll to get some fresh air. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. The autopsy revealed that her death was due to the pack on her back. What was so deadly about this pack?
5. How can you stand behind your father while he is standing behind you? 6. Even if they are starving, natives living in the Arctic will never eat a penguin’s egg. Why not?
Farmer River Crossing Problem Once upon a time a farmer went to market and purchased a fox, a goose, and a bag of beans. On his way home, the farmer came to the bank of a river and rented a boat. But in crossing the river by boat, the farmer could carry only himself and a single one of his purchases -‐ the fox, the goose, or the bag of the beans. If left alone, the fox would eat the goose, and the goose would eat the beans. The farmer's challenge was to carry himself and his purchases to the far bank of the river, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?
Problem Solvers
Please respond to the following questions:
• How did you interpret the problem? • What strategy did you use and how did you evaluate your progress? • Did you encounter any obstacles while solving the problem? • Were you aware of this thought process as you worked through the problem?
Observers Your role, as an observer, is to closely watch your assigned problem solver/s. Without speaking, note what strategies your problem solver/s employs to solve the problem. Take notes as you observe. Please make note of the following:
• Is there a strategy established from the beginning of this activity? ! If so, what is it?
• What tools, if any, do/does the problem solvers use? • Is there a change in strategy at some point in this activity?
! If so, why and what is it? Is it effective? • If working with a pair, describe the dynamic between the two problem solvers? • If there is dialogue, describe its nature? • Do problems arise while resolving this problem?
! If so, describe. • Note any other behavior witnessed by the problem solver/s that you find of interest.
Handout Master 7.7
Emotional Intelligence Test
Check one response for each item. 1. I’m always aware of even subtle feelings as I have them.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never 2. I can delay gratification in pursuit of my goals instead of getting carried away by impulse.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never 3. Instead of giving up in the face of setbacks or disappointments, I stay hopeful and optimistic.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never 2. My keen sense of others’ feelings makes me compassionate about their plight.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never 3. I can sense the pulse of a group or relationship and state unspoken feelings.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never 4. I can soothe or contain distressing feelings, so that they don’t keep me from doing things I need to do.
____ Always ____ Usually ____ Sometimes ____ Rarely ____ Never Score your responses as follows: Always = 4 points, Usually = 3 points, Sometimes = 2 points, Rarely = 1 point, Never = 0 points. Add your scores for each item to derive a total score.
Handout Master 8.1
Development Across the Lifespan Instructions: Choose three words that are descriptive of each decade below and write your responses on the blank next to each one. To do this task, you should think of a hypothetical person from each decade (e.g., a person who is between the ages of 50 and 59) and write the words that come to mind when thinking of that person and what their life is like. DECADE DESCRIPTORS 0 – 9 _______________________________________________________ 10 – 19 _______________________________________________________ 20 – 29 _______________________________________________________ 30 – 39 _______________________________________________________ 40 – 49 _______________________________________________________ 50 – 59 _______________________________________________________ 60 – 69 _______________________________________________________ 70 – 79 _______________________________________________________ 80 – 89 _______________________________________________________ 90 – 99 _______________________________________________________
Adolescence
Complete the following sentence: Adolescence is ________________________________________________________________________. Independently, think about and answer the following questions: 1. Describe five positive and five negative characteristics you had as an adolescent. How did you come to be
aware of your positive characteristics? Your negative characteristics? How did you overcome the negative aspects of your personality?
2. What were your typical concerns during early, middle, and late adolescence? How did you deal with these
concerns? 3. Can you think of one or more events that happened during your high-‐school years that marked a turning point
in your life, that had a profound influence on your personality? In other words, was there an event that caused you to feel that you were crossing some boundary or somehow growing up and developing into a different, more mature person? Looking back, how do you feel about it now?
4. What were you peer relationships like? How did they affect your life? How did your peer relationships change
throughout adolescence? 5. What was your relationship with your parents like? Describe some of the positive and negative aspects. What
were the major issues in this relationship? How has your relationship with your parents changed? 6. How would you generally characterize your adolescence? Was it difficult? Does it support the “storm and
stress” view of adolescence? What were your fears, anxieties, and hopes? 7. How did your peers influence you with respect to alcohol and tobacco use? What information about smoking,
drugs, and sexual behavior did you receive from school? What influenced your own decisions about these matters?
Handout Master 8.5
Aging Quiz Instructions: Record “true” or “false” for each of the following statements. Consider “younger” as under 65 and “older” as past the 65th birthday. T F 1. Older people are more likely than younger people to attend church. T F 2. Older people are more cautious and less likely to make risky decisions than
younger people. T F 3. As people age, they tend to become more alike. T F 4. Older people have more difficulty than younger people in adapting to a changing
environment. T F 5. A decrease in life satisfaction is usually experienced by older people. T F 6. The majority of people over 65 live in nursing-‐home type institutions. T F 7. Mental disorders occur more frequently among older people than among younger
people. T F 8. Depression is more common in older people than in younger people. T F 9. Decreasing intelligence as measured by IQ tests and other measures of cognitive
functions is one of the inevitable changes that occur with age. T F 10. Aging of the brain leads the way for deterioration of other bodily systems and
functions.
Handout Master 9.9 Fill-‐in-‐the-‐Blanks
1. The process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that physical or psychological needs or
wants are met is known as __________. 2. __________ __________ is why a person performs an action because it leads to an outcome that is separate
from or external to the person. 3. __________ are the biologically-‐determined and innate patterns of behavior that exist in both people and
animals. 4. __________ are the biologically-‐determined and innate patterns of behavior that exist in both people and
animals. 5. A psychological tension and physical arousal arising when there is a need that motivates the organism to act in
order to fulfill the need and reduce the tension is called a __________. 6. The __________ __________ __________ approach to motivation assumes behavior arises from physiological
needs that cause internal drives to push the organism to satisfy the need and reduce tension and arousal. 7. Those drives that involve needs of the body such as hunger and thirst are known as __________ __________. 8. Those drives that are learned through experience or conditioning, such as the need for money or social
approval are known as __________ __________ __________. 9. __________ is the tendency of the body to maintain a steady state. 10. The __________ __________ __________ is a need that involves a strong desire to succeed in attaining goals,
not only realistic ones but also challenging ones. 11. The __________ __________ __________ is the need for friendly social interactions and relationships with
others. 12. The need to have control or influence over others is called the __________ __________ __________. 13. __________ __________ is a motive that appears to be unlearned but causes an increase in stimulation, such
as curiosity. 14. __________ __________ is the theory of motivation in which people are said to have an optimal (best or
ideal) level of tension that they seek to maintain by increasing or decreasing stimulation. 15. A __________ __________ is someone who needs more arousal than the average person. 16. The things that attract or lure people into action are called __________. 17. __________ __________ is, according to Maslow, the point that is seldom reached at which people have
sufficiently satisfied the lower needs and achieved their full human potential. 18. __________ __________ are, according to Maslow, times in a person’s life during which self actualization is
temporarily achieved. 19. The type of motivation in which a person performs an action because the act itself is rewarding or satisfying in
some internal manner is called __________ __________. 20. A hormone secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the body by
reducing the level of glucose in the bloodstream is called __________. 21. A hormone that is secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the
body by increasing the level of glucose in the bloodstream is called __________. 22. __________ is a condition in which the body weight of a person is 20 percent or more over the ideal body
weight for that person’s height (actual percents vary across definitions). 23. __________ __________ is a condition in which a person reduces eating to the point that a weight loss of 15
percent below the ideal body weight or more occurs. 24. __________ is a condition in which a person develops a cycle of “binging” or overeating enormous amounts of
food at one sitting, and “purging” or deliberately vomiting after eating. 25. __________ is a hormone that, when released into the bloodstream, signals the hypothalamus that the body
has had enough food and reduces the appetite while increasing the feeling of being full.
26. The “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterized by a certain physical arousal, a certain behavior that reveals the emotion to the outside world, and an inner awareness of feelings is called __________.
27. The __________ __________ __________ of emotion states that a stimulus leads to an emotion, which then leads to bodily arousal.
28. The __________ __________ states that a physiological reaction leads to the labeling of an emotion. 29. The __________ __________ states that the physiological reaction and the emotion are assumed to occur at
the same time. 30. Theory of emotion in which both the physical arousal and the labeling of that arousal based on cues from the
environment must occur before the emotion is experienced is called the __________ __________ __________.
31. The theory of emotion that assumes that facial expressions provide feedback to the brain concerning the emotion being expressed, which in turn causes and intensifies the emotion, is called the __________ __________ __________.
32. __________ __________ __________ is the theory of emotion in which a stimulus must be interpreted (appraised) by a person in order to result in a physical response and an emotional reaction.
33. A viewpoint that recommends shifting the focus of psychology away from the negative aspects to a more positive focus on strengths, well-‐being, and the pursuit of happiness is called the __________ __________ __________.
Words for Fill-‐in-‐the Blanks
Acquired secondary drives Anorexia nervosa Arousal theory Bulimia Cannon-‐Bard theory Cognitive arousal theory Cognitive-‐mediational theory Common sense theory Drive Drive-‐reduction theory Emotion
Extrinsic motivation Facial feedback hypothesis Glucogen Homeostasis Incentives Instincts Insulin Intrinsic motivation James-‐Lange theory Leptin Motivation
Needs Need for achievement Need for affiliation Need for power Obesity Peak experiences Positive Psychology movement Primary drives Self-‐actualization Sensation seeker Stimulus motive
Handout Master 12.1 Who Will Survive?
A group of 15 individuals are traveling in a spaceship on their way to colonize a distant planet that is presently void of any intelligent life but that has an environment that could easily support humans. There is a sudden malfunction in the oxygen-‐replenishing equipment on the ship that cannot be repaired. It can now only supply oxygen for a maximum of 8 people. If the 15 continue to breathe the air, they will exhaust the oxygen and all will die before reaching the planet. Therefore, 7 people must be eliminated so that the remaining 8 can survive to colonize the planet. Your group is to decide which 7 are to be eliminated. This must be a unanimous decision by the group. Majority rule or voting is not allowed. The descriptions of the 15 people in the space ship are listed on the next page. Assume that this is the only information you have on these individuals. List below the 7 persons who were eliminated and briefly list the reasons for the decision. 1. ___________________________________ Reason: 2. ___________________________________ Reason: 3. ___________________________________ Reason: 4. ___________________________________ Reason: 5. ___________________________________ Reason: 6. ___________________________________ Reason: 7. ___________________________________ Reason:
Name Age Description Sarah Jansen 34 Divorced, unable to have children. Advanced degree in education, excellent
teacher. Bonnie Jansen 9 4th grade, good health, average student. Mrs. Jansen’s daughter. Susan Adams 31 Unmarried, beginning nursing student, does not date men. Sam Markus 25 Interested in electronics. Comes from very poor background. Married with
pregnant wife. Introvert who likes to be left alone. Ruth Markus 20 Wife of Mr. Markus. Six months pregnant. College graduate in art. Having
marital problems. Father Crimble 40 Catholic priest. Good health. A Socialist who is active in liberal politics. Dr. Joe Perkins 68 Medical doctor. History of heart problems but is currently practicing medicine. Dr. Ed Miller 38 Ph.D. in psychology. University professor. 1 child. Recently divorced. Michael Miller 11 Son of Dr. Miller. Physically healthy but mentally retarded with IQ around 75. Jean Majors 21 Former beauty queen. High school dropout. Likes to work with children. June Hart 42 Women’s rights activist, college educated in nursing. Divorced, no children. Tom Stein 27 Atheist, history of emotional problems. Last year medical student. Cynthia Allen 25 Reformed prostitute. Divorced, one infant child. Unable to have more children. Lisa Allen 1 Infant daughter of Cynthia Allen. Nursing, good health. John Watson 19 Sophomore college student, average grades, undecided on major.
Handout Master 13.2 Identifying Defense Mechanisms
Instructions: Identify the defense mechanism illustrated in the following examples in placing the appropriate letter in the blank next to ech item. Use the following code.
A. Denial B. Repression C. Projection D. Regression E. Reaction Formation F. Displacement G. Sublimation
_____ 1. Mark never stops ranting about the dangers of pornography. He gives endless examples of smut he
has seen in movies and on television, and spends a lot of time hanging around porno houses to get even more examples.
_____ 2. Chad always teases and annoys his kid brother Nathan after he himself is bullied and picked on by his older brother Sam.
_____ 3. Judy, who has always been aggressive and fiercely competitive, becomes captain of her college soccer team.
_____ 4. Diane, who keeps accusing Sam of being in love with her, probably has secret desires for Sam. _____ 5. Despite overwhelming evidence and a murder conviction, Jay’s mother refused to believe that her
son could actually take the life of another human being. _____ 6. Brett, who is extremely hard to convince in arguments, complains that all of his friends are stubborn. _____ 7. Even as a child Lisa was always impulsive and engaged in risky behavior. Perhaps not surprisingly, she
grew up to become a famous race car driver. _____ 8. Roger, a major league pitcher, often “beans” (i.e., hits with a pitch) the next batter after someone has
hit a home run on him. _____ 9. After an unsuccessful attempt at a sexual relationship, Pete began devoting most of his energies
toward church activities. _____ 10. Wendy was embarrassed because somehow she kept forgetting to keep her appointments with the
dentist. _____ 11. Amanda broke off her relationship with Jack, but Jack still talks and acts as if they are still dating. _____ 12. After her new baby sister came home from the hospital, her parents discovered that Susie had
dismembered her favorite doll. _____ 13. Linda, who has had many extramarital affairs, begins to accuse her husband Dan of being unfaithful. _____ 14. Larry began wetting his pants again after the birth of his baby brother. _____ 15. Max, who is unsure about his own sexuality, frequently makes homophobic and gay-‐bashing remarks. _____ 16. Two years after breaking off his relationship with Julie, Rick fails to even recognize her at a cocktail
party. _____ 17. At the first sign of any problems or trouble in his life, Bill immediately runs to his parents to bail him
out. Ego Defense Mechanisms Definitions We stated earlier that the ego's job was to satisfy the id's impulses, not offend the moralistic character of the superego, while still taking into consideration the reality of the situation. We also stated that this was not an easy job. Think of the id as the 'devil on your shoulder' and the superego as the 'angel of your shoulder.' We don't want either one to get too strong so we talk to both of them, hear their perspective and then make a decision. This decision is the ego talking, the one looking for that healthy balance.
Before we can talk more about this, we need to understand what drives the id, ego, and superego. According to Freud, we only have two drives; sex and aggression. In other words, everything we do is motivated by one of these two drives. Sex, also called Eros or the Life force, represents our drive to live, prosper, and produce offspring. Aggression, also called Thanatos or our Death force, represents our need to stay alive and stave off threats to our existence, our power, and our prosperity. Now the ego has a difficult time satisfying both the id and the superego, but it doesn't have to do so without help. The ego has some tools it can use in its job as the mediator, tools that help defend the ego. These are called Ego Defense Mechanisms or Defenses. When the ego has a difficult time making both the id and the superego happy, it will employ one or more of these defenses:
denial arguing against an anxiety provoking stimuli by stating it doesn't exist
denying that your physician's diagnosis of cancer is correct and seeking a second opinion
displacement taking out impulses on a less threatening target
slamming a door instead of hitting as person, yelling at your spouse after an argument with your boss
intellectualization avoiding unacceptable emotions by focusing on the intellectual aspects
focusing on the details of a funeral as opposed to the sadness and grief
projection placing unacceptable impulses in yourself onto someone else
when losing an argument, you state "You're just Stupid;" homophobia
rationalization supplying a logical or rational reason as opposed to the real reason
stating that you were fired because you didn't kiss up the the boss, when the real reason was your poor performance
reaction formation taking the opposite belief because the true belief causes anxiety
having a bias against a particular race or culture and then embracing that race or culture to the extreme
regression returning to a previous stage of development
sitting in a corner and crying after hearing bad news; throwing a temper tantrum when you don't get your way
repression pulling into the unconscious forgetting sexual abuse from your childhood due to the trauma and anxiety
sublimation acting out unacceptable impulses in a socially acceptable way
sublimating your aggressive impulses toward a career as a boxer; becoming a surgeon because of your desire to cut; lifting weights to release 'pent up' energy
suppression pushing into the unconscious trying to forget something that causes you anxiety
Handout Master 13.5 The GPT (General Personality Test)
Indicate the degree to which each of the following sentences reflects your true character. 1 = Yes 2 = Sometimes 3 = Never
1 2 3 1. You have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you. 1 2 3 2. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. 1 2 3 3. You have a great deal of “unused capacity” which you have not turned to your advantage. 1 2 3 4. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. 1 2 3 5. Your sexual adjustment has presented some problems for you. 1 2 3 6. Disciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. 1 2 3 7. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the
right thing. 1 2 3 8. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by
restrictions and limitations. 1 2 3 9. You pride yourself as being an independent thinker and do not accept others’ opinions without
satisfactory proof. 1 2 3 10. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. 1 2 3 11. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary,
and reserved. 1 2 3 12. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.
Handout Master 13.11
The Three Faces of Psychology Imagine that three psychologists are having lunch together, and that you are eavesdropping on their conversation. There is a psychoanalyst (P), a behaviorist (B), and a humanist (H). Which of the psychologists is most likely to have made each of the following statements? _____ 1. I think people in our profession should put more effort into trying to understand mentally healthy
people and prosocial behavior. _____ 2. Aggression is a human instinct. Society can control it to some extent, but we will never eliminate
aggressive behavior. _____ 3. Your student may be under a lot of pressure from his parents, but that is no excuse for cheating. We
are responsible for what we do. _____ 4. If you want to understand why she did it, look to the environment for clues instead of at inferred
internal forces such as impulses and motives. _____ 5. We humans are products of evolutionary forces that have preserved selfishness, pleasure-‐seeking,
and a tendency to deceive ourselves. _____ 6. It doesn’t seem to me that you need to dig into a person’s past in order to understand the person’s
current problems and concerns. _____ 7. There aren’t any values inherent in human nature. Values are acquired in the same way we learn to
say “please” and “thank you.” _____ 8. If we wanted to improve the character of people in our society, we would need to start when they
are very young. By the time a kid is five years old, it’s probably too late. _____ 9. You may think your choice of chili and ice cream for lunch was freely made, but your perception of
free choice is an illusion. Choosing chili and ice cream is predictable from the consequences of past behavior.
_____ 10. General laws of behavior and experience that apply to all people are not very helpful if you want to
understand a particular individual. _____ 11. You say people are inherently good, and he says they are inherently pretty bad. I don’t think people
are inherently either good or bad. _____ 12. The sex drive is with us at birth. People just don’t want to believe that infants get sexual pleasure
from sucking and exploring anything they get in their hands with their mouths.