Personality processes

Personality processes are those mechanisms by which personality is thought to develop or degrade. More specifically how character interacts with temperament and extrapsychic and intrapsychic forces lead to relatively stable changes in emotions thoughts and behavior. Many of these concepts are derived from psychoanalytic theory.

The processes usually identified include:


 * Catharsis
 * Cathexsis
 * Defence mechanisms
 * Externalization
 * Inhibition (personality)
 * Insight
 * Internalization
 * Introspection
 * Observational learning
 * Reality testing