Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
Edition(^608) Back Matter Glossary © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
fixation (Fromm) The nonproductive form of
rootedness marked by a reluctance to grow beyond the
security provided by one’s mother.
fixed-interval (Skinner) Intermittent reinforcement
schedule whereby the organism is reinforced for its first
response following a designated period of time (e.g., FI
10 means that the animal is reinforced for its initial
response after 10 minutes have elapsed since its previous
reinforcement).
fixed-ratio (Skinner) Reinforcement schedule in
which the organism is reinforced intermittently
according to a specified number of responses it makes
(e.g., FR 7 means that the organism is reinforced for
every seventh response).
formative tendency (Rogers) Tendency in all matter
to evolve from simpler to more complex forms.
fortuitous events (Bandura) Environmental events
that are unexpected and unintended.
fragmentation corollary Kelly’s assumption that
behavior is sometimes inconsistent because one’s
construct systems can admit incompatible elements.
frame of orientation (Fromm) The need for humans
to develop a unifying philosophy or consistent way of
looking at things.
free association Technique used in Freudian
psychotherapy in which the therapist instructs the patient
to verbalize every thought that comes to mind, no matter
how irrelevant or repugnant it may appear.
freedom of movement (Rotter) The mean expectancy
of being reinforced for performing all those behaviors
that are directed toward the satisfaction of some general
need.
Freudian slips Slips of the tongue or pen, misreading,
incorrect hearing, temporary forgetting of names and
intentions, and the misplacing of objects, all of which are
caused by unconscious wishes. Also called parapraxes.
fully functioning person (Rogers) (Seeperson of
tomorrow)
functional autonomy (Allport) The tendency for
some motives to become independent from the original
motive responsible for the behavior.
G
Gemeinschaftsgefühl (Seesocial interest)
generalization The transfer of the effects of one
learning situation to another.
generalized expectancy (Rotter) Expectation based
on similar past experiences that a given behavior will be
reinforced.
generalized reinforcer (Skinner) A conditioned
reinforcer that has been associated with several primary
reinforcers. Money, for example, is a generalized
reinforcer because it is associated with food, shelter, and
other primary reinforcers.
genitality (Erikson) Period of life beginning with
puberty and continuing through adulthood and marked
by full sexual identity.
genital-locomotor Erikson’s term for the preschool
child’s psychosexual mode of adapting.
genital stage (Freud) Period of life beginning with
puberty and continuing through adulthood and marked
by full sexual identity.
genital stage (Klein) Comparable to Freud’s phallic
stage: that is, the time around ages 3 to 5 when the
Oedipus complex reaches its culmination.
great mother Jungian archetype of the opposing
forces of fertility and destruction.
guilt (Kelly) The sense of having lost one’s core role
structure.
guilt (May) An ontological characteristic of human
existence arising from our separation from the natural
world (Umwelt), from other people (Mitwelt), or from
oneself (Eigenwelt).
H
hero A Jungian archetype representing the myth of the
godlike man who conquers or vanquishes evil, usually in
the form of a monster, dragon, or serpent.
hesitating (Adler) Safeguarding tendency
characterized by vacillation or procrastination designed
to provide a person with the excuse “It’s too late now.”
hierarchy of needs Maslow’s concept that needs are
ordered in such a manner that those on a lower level
must be satisfied before higher level needs become
activated.
hoarding characters (Fromm) People who seek to
save and not let go of material possessions, feelings, or
ideas.
holistic-dynamic Maslow’s theory of personality,
which stresses both the unity of the organism and the
motivational aspects of personality.
human agency (Bandura) The ability of people to
use cognitive abilities to control their lives.
human dilemma (Fromm) The present condition of
humans who have the ability to reason but who lack
powerful instincts needed to adapt to a changing
world.
humanistic psychoanalysis Fromm’s personality
theory that combines the basics of both psychoanalysis
and humanistic psychology.
hypochondriasis Obsessive attention to one’s health;
typically characterized by imaginary symptoms.
G-6 Glossary