Psych Theories in Film Final 1

Psychoanalysis

a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques such as dream interpretation and free association

Free Association

the mental process by which one word or image may spontaneously suggest another without any apparent connection

Psychoanalytic techniques

Insight, Interpretation, Resistance, and Transference

Defense mechanisms

denial, displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, repression, sublimation

Repression

Pushes threatening thoughts and ideas into the unconscious

Denial

Refusal to acknowledge anxiety- provoking stimuli

Displacement

Shifting one's unconscious aggression or fears to a safer target (hydraulic model)

Rationalization

Creating logical, socially acceptable explanations for behaviors which were actually driven by unconscious impulses

Reaction formation

Hides threatening impulses by over-emphasizing their opposite. Lack of proportion between the provocation and response.

Sublimation

Dangerous urges are transformed into positive, socially meaningful motivations

Stereotypes of the mentally ill

rebellious free spirit, seductress, homicidal maniac, enlightened member of society, narcissistic parasite, zoo specimen

Rebellious free spirit

Eccentric characters whose unusual behaviors are mistaken for insanity. This stereotype emphasizes the incompetency and imposing agendas of mental health professionals, and implies that likable characters cannot be mentally ill (they are merely misunderstood.

Seductress

Evil with her nymphomaniac, manipulative behaviors and inappropriate attempts to seduce her male therapist, and she eventually ends up destroying the lives of the men she pursues.

Homicidal maniac

These characters are ruthless and unfeeling, are described by others as "evil" or are perceived as being possessed.
They seem to be impervious to psychiatric help, again undermining the efficacy of therapy, and should they be deemed "cured" and released, they always revert to homicidal tendencies.

Enlightened member of society

A creative revolutionary capable of envisioning a utopian society, and is more "sane" than the societal institution that restricts him.

The narcissistic parasite

depicts outpatients who seek psychotherapy as self-obsessed, over-privileged attention-seekers who have nothing else to do but spend their time and money complaining about trivial issues to anyone who will listen.

Zoo specimen

Treat people with mental illness as objects of amusement or derision for the entertainment of people who are 'normal'.

Dr. Dippy

is comic, crazy, and foolish. This sort of practitioner lacks common sense, prefers bizarre treatments, but, ultimately, does no real harm."

Dr. Wonderful

is warm, humane, caring, and much prefers the use of non-physical treatments. Robin Williams' character in Good Will Hunting is an example."

Dr. Evil

tends to be cruel and sadistic in the use of coercive physical treatments. He may not be immediately identifiable, hiding, perhaps, in the benevolent guise of someone else." Hannibal Lecter
(Wedding, 2009)

Freud's stages of psychosexual development

Oral -\> Anal -\> Phallic -\> (Latency) -\> Genital

Erikson's 8 stages

Trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair

Identity diffusion

avoid exploring or making commitments by remaining in an amorphous state of identity diffusion

Identity foreclosure

commitment without exploring alternatives

Identity moratorium

actively exploring alternatives

Identity achievement

a likely progression would be from diffusion through moratorium to identity achievement

Strange situation test

A parent-infant "separation and reunion" procedure that is staged in a laboratory to test the security of a child's attachment

Secure attachment

The baby is secure when the parent is present, distressed by separation, and delighted by reunion.

Anxious-ambivalent attachment

The baby clings to the parent, cries at separation, and reacts with anger and a desire to be close to the mother at reunion.

Avoidant attachment

The baby does not interact with the parent when the mother is present or when the mother returns.

Gordie

Deactivation of attachment system. Avoidant attachment in general (aside from Chris)
Avoid intimate relationships on average
Difficulty trusting others

Teddy

Hyperactivation of the attachment system. Anxious attachment
Over-invest themselves emotionally
Idealize others
Inconsistent parenting-never know what to expect-confused
Cling to parent

Five-factor Personality

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Extraversion

warm, gregarious, assertive, active, excitement seeking, dominant, optimistic, ambitious
React less to sensory stimuli

Neuroticism

emotional instability, negative emotionality
Hostile, self-conscious, impulsive
Ineffective problem solving; strong negative reactions to stress

Conscientiousness

Competent, dutiful, achievement striving, self-disciplines

Agreeableness

Conformity, friendly compliance, likeability, warmth, love

Openness to experience

Viewed by others as creative, imaginative, artistic, open-minded, and clever
Politically liberal

Ego

(Jung) The conscious part of personality
Embodies the sense of self
Similar to Freud's concept of ego

Personal unconscious

(Jung) That part of the unconscious mind containing an individual's thoughts and feelings

Collective unconscious

(Jung) The part of the unconscious that is inherited and common to all members of a species
The inherited images common to all humans

Hero

(Jung) Began as exemplifying courage/prowess later shifted to demonstrate good morality.

Mentor

(Jung) This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance.

Trickster

(Jung) embodies the energy of mischief and the desire for change.
Tricksters cut big egos down to size and, most importantly, provide comic relief that eases tension and brings the Hero (and the audience) down to earth.

Anima

(Jung) feminine inner personality in males

Animus

(Jung) masculine inner personality in females

Shadow

(Jung) the unknown dark side of our personality. It tends to consist of primitive, negative emotions and impulses.
not necessarily evil or bad. It is the part of ourselves we deny or ignore for whatever reason-upbringing, fear of what it means about us, etc.

Hero's departure

the hero's call to adventure, somewhat immature and needs to gain wisdom along the way

Hero's initiation

The confrontation-the main part of the story

Hero's return

The final threshold to accomplish the task and bring the hero home

Emotion and memory

Moods affect how new stimuli are perceived. People notice and remember positive information while in positive moods (vice versa with negative moods)

Hippocampus

Part of the limbic system that plays a key role in encoding and transferring new information into long-term memory

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to store new information

Retrograde amnesia

Inability to retrieve memories from the past

Explicit Memory

The types of memory elicited through the conscious retrieval of recollections in response to direct questions.

Implicit Memory

A nonconscious recollection of a prior experience that is revealed indirectly, by its effects on performance.

Dementia

a gradual worsening loss of memory and related cognitive functioning-gradual loss of neurons in the brain. Dementia is often associated with specific identifiable changes in the brain tissue-this is the defining feature.

Aphasia

loss or impairment in language

Apraxia

difficulty performing purposeful movements in response to verbal commands

Agnosia

perception without meaning
Can be associated with visual, auditory, or tactile sensation

Alzheimer's Disease

(Dementia) The speed of onset serves as the main feature to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from the other types of dementia
A definite diagnosis can only be determined by autopsy.
Neurofibrillary tangles (Cortex and hippocampus), amyloid plaques, and beta-amyloid

Relational aggression

Girls and women can be extraordinarily mean. When girls feel angry or resentful, they hurt one another by verbal insults, friendship manipulation, or nonverbal expressions of disgust or disdain.

Social identity theory

A theory concerned with the consequences of perceiving the self as a member of a social group and identifying with it
People easily divide the social world into us (the in-group) versus them (the out-group)
People considered part of the 'us' category are thought of more favorably than those in the 'them' category

Normative social influence

The influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted by them.

Systematic processing (central)

Involves careful consideration of message content and ideas. Argument strength matters

Heuristic processing (peripheral)

Involves the use of simple rules or mental shortcuts. Argument strength does not matter

Group polarization

Tendency of group members to shift toward more extreme positions after group discussion

Fundamental attribution error

Tendency to explain others' actions as stemming from dispositions even in the presence of clear situational causes

Actor-observer effect

Tendency to attribute:
own behavior mainly to situational causes
behavior of others mainly to dispositional causes

Self-serving attributions

Explanations for one's successes that credit internal, dispositional factors and explanations for one's failures that blame external, situational factors.

Symptoms of ASD

Social communication issues, restricted & repetitive interests, apparent sensory deficits, self injury, savant performance
dysprosody, echolalia

dysprosody

(Symptoms of ASD) can speak fairly fluently but the rhythm of their speech, among other things, is disrupted

echolalia

(Symptoms of ASD) meaningless repetition of another person's spoken words

Applied behavior analysis

(Therapy of ASD) Intensive behavior modification using operant conditioning techniques. Therapists focus on treating the specific symptoms of autism, including communication deficits, lack of self-care skills, and self-stimulatory or self-destructive behavior.

Abnormal behavior

Inconsistent with societal and cultural norms, emotional distress, inconsistent with developmental norms, harmful dysfunction - interferes with daily functioning

Biological treatments

1. diagnosis is developed and refined.
2. clues about causes are put together.
3. scientists experiment with various treatment for preventing or curing the disorder until an effective treatment is found.
Treatments focus on symptom alleviation.

Psychopharmacology

The use of medications to treat psychological disturbances.
Psychotropic medications are chemical substances that affect psychological state.
Often safe and effective.
Many must be taken for long periods of time.
All medications have side effects.

Electroconvulsive therapy

(ECT) Involves causing seizures by passing electricity through the brain.
ECT involves six to 12 sessions over the course of a few weeks
Bilateral ECT (more effective, more memory loss)
Unilateral ECT (less effective, less memory loss)

Psychosurgery

the use of psychological techniques and the therapist-client relationship to produce emotional, cognitive, and behavior change

Lobotomy

Surgical destruction of specific regions of the brain

Psychodynamic therapy

Derived from psychoanalysis
Psychotherapists are more directive and engaged, and treatment may be brief.
Therapists more actively involved with patients than psychoanalysts

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Encourages:
Collaborative therapist-client relationships.
Focus on the present.
Direct efforts to change problems.
Use of research-based techniques.
Practical approach oriented to changing behavior than focusing on personality.

Systematic desensitization

Research focused on eliminating phobias
Assumed that some phobias were learned through classical conditioning

Humanistic therapy

Client-Centered Therapy
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
Viewed three qualities as essential in a therapist:
Warmth
Genuineness
Empathy - emotional understanding
Encourages therapist self-disclosure
Therapists do not act as experts
Unconditional positive regard
Therapeutic alliance

Panic disorder

Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
At least one of the attacks must be followed by a period of 1 month or more with persistent concerns about having additional attacks.
Sudden, overwhelming experience of terror or fright
Emotional response more focused than diffuse
More intense than anxiety
Has a sudden onset

Specific phobia

A "marked and persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation that almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety."
Exposure to phobic stimulus must be followed by an immediate fear response.
The person must appreciate the fact that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.

Social Anxiety

Nearly identical to specific phobia but includes additional element of performance
Afraid of or avoids social situations
Situations fall under two broad headings:
Performance Anxiety
Interpersonal interaction
Fear of humiliation or embarrassment

Agoraphobia

most complex and incapacitating phobic disorder
Fear of the marketplace
Usually described as fear of public places
Typical situations
Crowded streets and shops
Traveling on public transportation
Avoidance and distress

Generalized Anxiety

Excessive anxiety and worry
Trouble controlling the worries
Worries lead to significant distress
NOT focused on having panic attacks, being embarrassed or contaminated

OCD

Recognition that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable
Attempts to ignore, suppress, or neutralize the unwanted thoughts or impulses
The obsessions/compulsions must cause a marked distress or significantly interfere with the individuals normal routine, occupational functioning, or usual social activities or relationships with others.

Obsessions

Unwanted, anxiety-provoking thoughts
Thoughts may seem silly or crazy
Rarely act upon thoughts or impulses

Compulsions

Compulsions cannot be resisted without distress
Reduce anxiety, but do not produce pleasure
Two most common forms: cleaning and checking

Therapy for OCD/anxiety

Cognitive behavioral therapy, anti-anxiety medications (benzos - valium, xanax), antidepressants
Exposure and response prevention
Therapeutic puppetry

Substance use disorder

Problems arising from someone being addicted to a drug (e.g., alcoholism)

Substance induced disorders

Problems arising from the impact of taking a drug (intoxication) or discontinuing its repeated use (withdrawal)
The manual lists ten classes of drugs that can lead to substance-related disorders.

Tolerance

the process through which the nervous system becomes less sensitive to the effects of alcohol or any other drug
Metabolic-body becomes adapted to the drug
Pharmacodynamic- changes in receptor binding
Behavioral conditioning -resistance to the drugs behavioral effects-conditioned place preference

Withdrawal

the symptoms experienced when a person stops using a drug (alcohol withdrawal delirium)

Symptoms of heroin use

Can induce a state of dreamlike euphoria, which may be accompanied by increased sensitivity in hearing and vision
Positive emotional effects of opiates do not last-replaced by negative mood and emotion
Can induce nausea and vomiting among novice users, constrict the pupils of the eye, and disrupt the coordination of the digestive system

Cluster A

(Personality disorders) Paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
Odd & eccentric

Cluster B

(Personality disorders) Antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, histrionic
Dramatic, emotional, or erratic