1|Page
PSYCHOLOGY THEORIES CHEAT SHEET +
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
## HIGH-YIELD CONDENSED GUIDE + 100
FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH RATIONALES
**2026–2027 EDITION — FIRST-TIME PASS
READY**
## PART 1: CHEAT SHEET — QUICK REFERENCE TABLES
### 1. Major Theoretical Approaches in Psychology
| Approach | Core Idea | Key Theorists | Key Terms |
|----------|-----------|----------------|------------|
| **Psychoanalytic** | Unconscious drives, childhood conflicts | Freud, Jung,
Adler, Horney, Erikson | Id/ego/superego, defense mechanisms, psychosexual
stages |
| **Behaviorism** | Observable behavior, learning via conditioning | Watson,
Skinner, Pavlov | Classical/operant conditioning, reinforcement, punishment,
extinction |
| **Humanistic** | Free will, growth, self-actualization | Maslow, Rogers, May |
Hierarchy of needs, unconditional positive regard, congruence |
| **Cognitive** | Mental processes (thinking, memory, problem-solving) | Piaget,
Beck, Ellis, Neisser | Schemas, cognitive distortions, information processing |
,2|Page
| **Social-Cognitive** | Interaction of behavior, cognition, environment | Bandura,
Mischel, Rotter | Reciprocal determinism, self-efficacy, locus of control, CAPS |
| **Biological/Neuroscience** | Brain, genetics, neurotransmitters influence
behavior | Eysenck, Cloninger, Damasio | Heritability, neurotransmitter systems,
brain localization |
| **Evolutionary** | Behavior shaped by natural selection | Buss, Tooby, Cosmides
| Adaptive problems, sexual selection, parental investment |
| **Sociocultural** | Behavior influenced by culture, social norms | Vygotsky,
Markus & Kitayama | Social roles, cultural scripts, independent/interdependent self
|
---
### 2. Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development
| Stage | Age | Key Achievements | Limitations |
|-------|-----|------------------|--------------|
| **Sensorimotor** | 0–2 years | Object permanence, goal-directed actions | No
symbolic thought |
| **Preoperational** | 2–7 years | Symbolic thought, language, pretend play |
Egocentrism, animism, lack of conservation, irreversibility |
| **Concrete Operational** | 7–11 years | Conservation, reversibility, classification,
seriation | Cannot think abstractly/hypothetically |
| **Formal Operational** | 11+ years | Abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive
thinking, metacognition | Not all adults reach or use consistently |
---
,3|Page
### 3. Erikson's Psychosocial Stages (Lifespan)
| Stage (Age) | Crisis | Virtue | Successful Resolution | Failure Outcome |
|-------------|--------|--------|------------------------|------------------|
| Infancy (0–1) | Trust vs Mistrust | Hope | Trust in others, security | Fear, suspicion,
withdrawal |
| Early Childhood (1–3) | Autonomy vs Shame | Will | Independence, self-control |
Shame, doubt |
| Preschool (3–6) | Initiative vs Guilt | Purpose | Trying new things, leadership |
Guilt, lack of initiative |
| School Age (6–12) | Industry vs Inferiority | Competence | Mastery, pride in
accomplishments | Inferiority, low self-esteem |
| Adolescence (12–18) | Identity vs Role Confusion | Fidelity | Coherent sense of
self | Role confusion, identity diffusion |
| Young Adulthood (20–40) | Intimacy vs Isolation | Love | Close, committed
relationships | Loneliness, isolation |
| Middle Adulthood (40–65) | Generativity vs Stagnation | Care | Contributing to
next generation | Self-absorption, stagnation |
| Late Adulthood (65+) | Integrity vs Despair | Wisdom | Life acceptance,
fulfillment | Bitterness, despair, regret |
---
### 4. Freud's Psychosexual Stages
| Stage | Age | Erogenous Zone | Fixation Outcome |
, 4|Page
|-------|-----|----------------|------------------|
| Oral | 0–1 | Mouth | Smoking, overeating, dependency, optimism/pessimism |
| Anal | 1–3 | Anus | Anal-retentive (neat, stubborn) or anal-expulsive (messy,
impulsive) |
| Phallic | 3–6 | Genitals | Oedipus/Electra complex, vanity, recklessness, gender
identity issues |
| Latency | 6–12 | Dormant | None — social skills develop |
| Genital | 12+ | Genitals | Mature sexual relationships |
---
### 5. Freud's Defense Mechanisms
| Defense | Description | Example |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Repression** | Unconscious forgetting of threatening thoughts | No memory of
childhood abuse |
| **Denial** | Refusing to accept reality | "I don't have a drinking problem" |
| **Projection** | Attributing own unacceptable feelings to others | "He hates me"
(when you hate him) |
| **Displacement** | Redirecting emotion to safer target | Yell at spouse after bad
workday |
| **Rationalization** | Creating logical excuses | "I cheated because everyone does
it" |
| **Sublimation** | Channeling into socially acceptable activity | Aggression →
football player |
PSYCHOLOGY THEORIES CHEAT SHEET +
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
## HIGH-YIELD CONDENSED GUIDE + 100
FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH RATIONALES
**2026–2027 EDITION — FIRST-TIME PASS
READY**
## PART 1: CHEAT SHEET — QUICK REFERENCE TABLES
### 1. Major Theoretical Approaches in Psychology
| Approach | Core Idea | Key Theorists | Key Terms |
|----------|-----------|----------------|------------|
| **Psychoanalytic** | Unconscious drives, childhood conflicts | Freud, Jung,
Adler, Horney, Erikson | Id/ego/superego, defense mechanisms, psychosexual
stages |
| **Behaviorism** | Observable behavior, learning via conditioning | Watson,
Skinner, Pavlov | Classical/operant conditioning, reinforcement, punishment,
extinction |
| **Humanistic** | Free will, growth, self-actualization | Maslow, Rogers, May |
Hierarchy of needs, unconditional positive regard, congruence |
| **Cognitive** | Mental processes (thinking, memory, problem-solving) | Piaget,
Beck, Ellis, Neisser | Schemas, cognitive distortions, information processing |
,2|Page
| **Social-Cognitive** | Interaction of behavior, cognition, environment | Bandura,
Mischel, Rotter | Reciprocal determinism, self-efficacy, locus of control, CAPS |
| **Biological/Neuroscience** | Brain, genetics, neurotransmitters influence
behavior | Eysenck, Cloninger, Damasio | Heritability, neurotransmitter systems,
brain localization |
| **Evolutionary** | Behavior shaped by natural selection | Buss, Tooby, Cosmides
| Adaptive problems, sexual selection, parental investment |
| **Sociocultural** | Behavior influenced by culture, social norms | Vygotsky,
Markus & Kitayama | Social roles, cultural scripts, independent/interdependent self
|
---
### 2. Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development
| Stage | Age | Key Achievements | Limitations |
|-------|-----|------------------|--------------|
| **Sensorimotor** | 0–2 years | Object permanence, goal-directed actions | No
symbolic thought |
| **Preoperational** | 2–7 years | Symbolic thought, language, pretend play |
Egocentrism, animism, lack of conservation, irreversibility |
| **Concrete Operational** | 7–11 years | Conservation, reversibility, classification,
seriation | Cannot think abstractly/hypothetically |
| **Formal Operational** | 11+ years | Abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive
thinking, metacognition | Not all adults reach or use consistently |
---
,3|Page
### 3. Erikson's Psychosocial Stages (Lifespan)
| Stage (Age) | Crisis | Virtue | Successful Resolution | Failure Outcome |
|-------------|--------|--------|------------------------|------------------|
| Infancy (0–1) | Trust vs Mistrust | Hope | Trust in others, security | Fear, suspicion,
withdrawal |
| Early Childhood (1–3) | Autonomy vs Shame | Will | Independence, self-control |
Shame, doubt |
| Preschool (3–6) | Initiative vs Guilt | Purpose | Trying new things, leadership |
Guilt, lack of initiative |
| School Age (6–12) | Industry vs Inferiority | Competence | Mastery, pride in
accomplishments | Inferiority, low self-esteem |
| Adolescence (12–18) | Identity vs Role Confusion | Fidelity | Coherent sense of
self | Role confusion, identity diffusion |
| Young Adulthood (20–40) | Intimacy vs Isolation | Love | Close, committed
relationships | Loneliness, isolation |
| Middle Adulthood (40–65) | Generativity vs Stagnation | Care | Contributing to
next generation | Self-absorption, stagnation |
| Late Adulthood (65+) | Integrity vs Despair | Wisdom | Life acceptance,
fulfillment | Bitterness, despair, regret |
---
### 4. Freud's Psychosexual Stages
| Stage | Age | Erogenous Zone | Fixation Outcome |
, 4|Page
|-------|-----|----------------|------------------|
| Oral | 0–1 | Mouth | Smoking, overeating, dependency, optimism/pessimism |
| Anal | 1–3 | Anus | Anal-retentive (neat, stubborn) or anal-expulsive (messy,
impulsive) |
| Phallic | 3–6 | Genitals | Oedipus/Electra complex, vanity, recklessness, gender
identity issues |
| Latency | 6–12 | Dormant | None — social skills develop |
| Genital | 12+ | Genitals | Mature sexual relationships |
---
### 5. Freud's Defense Mechanisms
| Defense | Description | Example |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Repression** | Unconscious forgetting of threatening thoughts | No memory of
childhood abuse |
| **Denial** | Refusing to accept reality | "I don't have a drinking problem" |
| **Projection** | Attributing own unacceptable feelings to others | "He hates me"
(when you hate him) |
| **Displacement** | Redirecting emotion to safer target | Yell at spouse after bad
workday |
| **Rationalization** | Creating logical excuses | "I cheated because everyone does
it" |
| **Sublimation** | Channeling into socially acceptable activity | Aggression →
football player |
