G-8 Glossary
latent content, which can be revealed only through dream
interpretation, was more important than the surface or
manifest content.
law of effect Thorndike’s principle that responses to
stimuli followed immediately by a satisfier tend to
strengthen the connection between those responses and
stimuli; that is, they tend to be learned.
learning-(social) cognitive theories Learning theorists
argue that if you want to understand behavior then focus
only on behavior, not hypothetical and unobservable
internals states such as thoughts, feelings, drives, or
motives. All behavior and ultimately personality are
learned through association and/or their consequences
(whether it is reinforced or punished). Social-cognitive
theories believe personality is a result of the interaction
between person qualities—especially thoughts and
assumptions about self and others—and the environment.
libido (Freud) Psychic energy of the life instinct;
sexual drive or energy.
life instinct (Freud) One of two primary drives or
impulses; the life instinct is also called Eros or sex.
locus of control (Rotter) The belief people have that
their attempts to reach a goal are within their control
(internal locus of control) or are primarily due to
powerful events such as fate, chance, or other people
(external locus of control). Locus of control is measured
by the Internal-External Control Scale.
love (Erikson) The basic strength of young adulthood
that emerges from the crisis of intimacy versus isolation.
love (Fromm) A union with another person in which a
person retains separateness and integrity of self.
love (May) To delight in the presence of the other
person and to affirm that person’s value and development
as much as one’s own.
love and belongingness needs The third level on
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; they include both the need
to give love and the need to receive love.M
maintenance needs (Rogers) Those basic needs that
protect the status quo. They may be either physiological
(e.g., food) or interpersonal (e.g., the need to maintain
the current self-concept).
malignant aggression (Fromm) The destruction of
life for reasons other than survival.
mandala (Jung) Symbol representing the striving for
unity and completion. It is often seen as a circle within a
square or a square within a circle.
manifest dream content (Freud) The surface or
conscious level of a dream. Freud believed that the
manifest level of a dream has no deep psychologicalinteractionist One who believes that behavior results
from an interaction of environmental variables and
person variables, including cognition.
intermittent schedule (Skinner) The reinforcement of
an organism on only certain selected occurrences of a
response; opposed to a continuous schedule in which the
organism is reinforced for every correct trial. The four
most common intermittent schedules are fixed-ratio,
variable-ratio, fixed-interval, and variable-interval.
internal reinforcement (Rotter) The individual’s
perception of the positive or negative value of any
reinforcing event.
internalization (object relations theory) A process in
which the person takes in (introjects) aspects of the
external world and then organizes those introjections in a
psychologically meaningful way.
interpersonal trust (Rotter) A generalized
expectancy held by a person that other people can be
relied on to keep their word. The Interpersonal Trust
Scale attempts to measure degree of interpersonal trust.
intimacy (Erikson) The ability to fuse one’s identity
with that of another person without fear of losing it. The
syntonic element of young adulthood.
introjection (Freud) A defense mechanism whereby
people incorporate positive qualities of another person
into their ego.
introjection (Klein) Fantasizing taking external objects,
such as the mother’s breast, into one’s own body.
introversion (Eysenck) (See extraversion, Eysenck)
introversion (Jung) An attitude or type characterized
by the turning inward of psychic energy with an
orientation toward the subjective.
intuition (Jung) An irrational function that involves
perception of elementary data that are beyond our
awareness. Intuitive people “know” something without
understanding how they know.
isolation (Erikson) The inability to share true intimacy
or to take chances with one’s identity. The dystonic
element of young adulthood.
J
Jonah complex The fear of being or doing one’s best.
L
latency (Erikson) The psychosexual mode of the
school-age child. A period of little sexual development.
latency stage (Freud) The time between infancy and
puberty when psychosexual growth is at a standstill.
latent dream content (Freud) The underlying,
unconscious meaning of a dream. Freud held that the