G-10 Glossary
feelings of love for the mother and hostility toward the
father. The simple female Oedipus complex exists when
the girl feels hostility for the mother and sexual love for
the father.
old age (Erikson) The eighth and final stage of the
life cycle, marked by the psychosocial crisis of integrity
versus despair and the basic strength of wisdom.
openness (Buss) Involves one’s propensity for
innovation and ability to solve problems.
operant conditioning (Skinner) A type of learning in
which reinforcement, which is contingent upon the
occurrence of a particular response, increases the
probability that the same response will occur again.
operant discrimination Skinner’s observation that an
organism, as a consequence of its reinforcement history,
learns to respond to some elements in the environment but
not to others. Operant discrimination does not exist within
the organism but is a function of environmental variables
and the organism’s previous history of reinforcement.
operant extinction (Skinner) The loss of an operantly
conditioned response due to the systematic withholding
of reinforcement.
operational definition A definition of a concept in
terms of observable events or behaviors that can be
measured.
oral phase (Freud) The earliest stage of the infantile
period characterized by attempts to gain pleasure through
the activity of the mouth, especially sucking, eating, and
biting; corresponds roughly to the first 12 to 18 months
of life.
oral-sensory Erikson’s term for the infant’s first
psychosexual mode of adapting.
organ dialect (Adler) The expression of a person’s
underlying intentions or style of life through a diseased
or dysfunctional bodily organ.
organismic self (Rogers) A more general term than
self-concept; refers to the entire person, including those
aspects of existence beyond awareness.
organismic valuing process (OVP) Process by which
experiences are valued according to optimal
enhancement of organism and self.
organization corollary Kelly’s notion that people
arrange their personal constructs in a hierarchical system.
orthogonal rotation A method of rotating the axes in
factor analysis that assumes the independence of primary
factors.P
paranoia Mental disorder characterized by unrealistic
feelings of persecution, grandiosity, and a suspicious
attitude toward others.neurotic pride (Horney) A false pride based on one’s
idealized image of self.
neurotic search for glory Horney’s concept for the
comprehensive drive toward actualizing the ideal self.
neurotic trends Horney’s term for the three basic
attitudes toward self and others—moving toward people,
moving against people, and moving away from people; a
revision of her original list of 10 neurotic needs.
neuroticism (N) (Eysenck) One of three types or
superfactors identified by Eysenck. Neuroticism is a
bipolar factor consisting of neuroticism at one pole and
stability at the other. High scores on N may indicate
anxiety, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or
criminality. Low scores indicate emotional stability.
noise (Buss) Also known as “random effects,” occurs
when evolution produces random changes in design that
do not affect function. Noise tends to be produced by
chance and not selected for.
nomothetic An approach to the study of personality
that is based on general laws or principles.
nonbeing The awareness of the possibility of one’s not
being, through death or loss of awareness.
normal anxiety (May) The experience of threat that
accompanies growth or change in one’s values.
normal autism (Mahler) The stage in an infant’s
development when all his or her needs are satisfied
automatically, that is, without the infant having to deal
with the external world.
normal symbiosis (Mahler) The second developmental
stage marked by a dual unity of infant and mother.
nothingness (See nonbeing)
O
object Psychoanalytic term referring to the person or
part of a person that can satisfy an instinct or drive.
object relations theory A reference to the work of
Melanie Klein and others who have extended Freudian
psychoanalysis with their emphasis on early relations to
parents (objects) that influence later interpersonal
relationships.
objective biography (McCrae and Costa) All
experiences of a person across the lifespan.
oblique method A method of rotating the axes in
factor analysis that assumes some intercorrelation among
primary factors.
obsession A persistent or recurrent idea, usually
involving an urge toward some action.
Oedipus complex Term used by Freud to indicate the
situation in which the child of either sex develops
feelings of love and/or hostility for the parent. In the
simple male Oedipus complex, the boy has incestuous