FULL AP PSYCHOLOGY VOCAB FLASHCARDS! :)

Health Psychology

a subfield of psychology that explores the impact of psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors on health and wellness.

Psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect our immune system and resulting health.

Stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

Approach and avoidance motives

the drive to move toward (approach) or away from (avoid) a stimulus

Kurt Lewin

A German-American psychologist known for his work in social psychology and group dynamics, particularly for developing the field theory and the concept of approach-avoidance conflict.

Hans Selye

A pioneering endocrinologist known for his research on stress, specifically the General Adaptation Syndrome, which describes the body's response to stress in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Seyle’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases — alarm, resistance, exhaustion

tend-and-befriend response

under stress, people (especially women) may nurture themselves and others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)

coronary heart disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; a leading cause of death in many developed countries

Type A

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type B

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people

catharsis

in psychology, the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggression urges.

coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods.

problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress directly — by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that strestor

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction.

personal control

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless.

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation humans and other animals learn when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

external locus of control

the perception that outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate

self-control

the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards.

Martin Seligman

a psychologist known for his work on positive psychology and the concept of learned helplessness.

Positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of promoting strengths and virtues that foster well-being, resilience, and positive emotions, and that help individuals and communities to thrive

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

adaptation phenomenon

our tendency to form judgements (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

relative deprivation

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves

broaden-and-build phenomenon

proposes that positive emotions broaden our awareness, which over time helps us build novel and meaningful skills and resilience that improve well-being.

character strengths and virtues

a classification system to identify positive traits; organized into categories of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence

resilience

the personal strength that helps people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma

aerobic exercise

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; also helps alleviate depression and anxiety

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice in which people in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner

gratitude

an appreciative emotion people often experience when they benefit from other’s actions or recognize their own good fortunes

psychological disorder

a disturbance in people’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that causes distress or suffering and impairs their daily lives

medical model

the concept that diseases — in this case, psychological disorders — have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital

diathesis-stress model

the concept that genetic predispositions combine with environmental stressors to influence psychological disorders

epigenetics

the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression (Without a DNA change)

DSM-5-TR

the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

anxiety disorders

a group of disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety and related maladaptive behaviors

social anxiety disorders

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder in marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack.

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one may experience a loss of control and panic

specific phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions) or both

hoarding disorder

a persistent difficulty with parting with possessions, regardless of their value

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance, of trauma-related stimuli, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for 4 weeks or more after a traumatic experience

trauma- and stressor- related disorders

a group of disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is followed by psychological distress

depressive disorder

a group of disorders characterize by an enduring sad, empty, or irritable mood, along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to funciton

bipolar disorder

a group of disorders in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and he overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depressive disorder)

major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences five or more symptoms lasting two or more weeks, in the absence of drug use or a medical condition, at least one of which must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure

persistent depressive disorder

a disorder in which people experience a depressed mood on more days than not for at least two years (formerly called dysthymia)

bipolar I disorder

the most severe form, in which people experience a euphoric, talkative, highly energetic, and overly ambitious state that lasts a week or longer

Mania

a hyperactive, widely optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common

bipolar II disorder

a less severe form of bipolar in which people more between depression and a milder hypermania

rumination

compulsive fretting; overthinking our problems and their causes

schizophrenia spectrum disorders

a group of disorders characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or unusual motor behavior, and negative symptoms (sch as diminished emotional expression); includes schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder

psychotic disorders

a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality

delusion

a false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

chronic schizophrenia

(also called process schizophrenia) a form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood. As people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten.

acute schizophrenia

(also called reactive schizophrenia) a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age, frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event, and from which recovery is much more likely

dissociative disorders

a controversial, rare group of disorders characterized by a disruption of or discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior

disassociative identity disorder (DID)

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities (formerly called multiple personality disorder)

dissociative amnesia

a disorder in which people with intact brains reportedly experience memory gaps; people with this disorder may report not remembering trauma-related specific events, people, places, or aspects of their identity and life history

personality disorders

a group of disorders characterized by enduring inner experiences or behavior patterns that differ from someone’s cultural norms and expectations, are pervasive and inflexible, begin in adolescence or early adulthood, are stable over time, and cause distress or impairment

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorder in which a personality disorder which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

feeding and eating disorders

a group of disorders characterized by altered consumption or absorption of food that impairs health or psychological functioning (these disorders typically occur in infants and young children, whereas eating disorders affect people who self-feed)

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight, and has an inaccurate self-perception; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise

bulimia nervousa

an eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss-promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by limitations in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

Dorothea Dix

An American activist who played a pivotal role in advocating for the mentally ill and reforming mental health care in the 19th century. Her efforts led to the establishment of many mental health institutions.

deinstitutionalization

the process, begun in the late twentieth century, of moving people with psychological disorders out of institutional facilities

psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth.

biomedical therapy

prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology.

eclectic approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

Sigmund Freud

The founder of psychoanalysis, he developed techniques such as free association and dream analysis to explore the unconscious mind.

psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences — and the analyst’s interpretations of them — released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

resistance

in psychoanalysis the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden matieral

interpretation

in psychoanalysis the analyst’s noting of supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in an effort to promote insight

transference

in psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)

psychodynamic therapy

therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

insight therapies

therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses.

person-centered therapy

a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathetic environment to facilitate clients’ growth (Also called client-centered therapy)

Carl Rogers

An American psychologist who founded the humanistic approach to psychology and developed person-centered therapy.

active listening

empathetic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and seeks clarification. A feature of Rogers’ person-centered therapy

unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

behavior therapy

therapy that uses learning principles to reduce unwanted behaviors

coounterconditioning

behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; include exposure therapies and aversive conditioning

Mary Cover Jones

a psychologist known for her work in counterconditioning and desensitization techniques, often referred to as the "mother of behavior therapy." She successfully treated a child’s fear of rabbits through gradual exposure.

Joseph Wolpe

A psychiatrist known for developing systematic desensitization, a type of behavior therapy that treats phobias by gradually exposing patients to anxiety-inducing stimuli.

exposure therapies

behavioral techniques such as systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy, that treat anxieties by exposing people (in imaginary or actual situations) to the things they fear and avoid

Systematic desensitization

a type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat specific phobias.

virtual reality exposure therapy

a counterconditioning technique that treats anxiety through creative electronic simulations in which people can safely face specific fears, such as flying, spiders, or public speaking.

aversive conditioning

associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)

B.F. Skinner

An influential American psychologist known for his work in behaviorism and operant conditioning, emphasizing the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior.

token economy

an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange tokens for privileges or treats

cognitive therapy

therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions

Albert Ellis

a psychologist who developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), focusing on changing irrational beliefs to improve emotional well-being.

rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

confrontational cognitive therapy; developed by Albert Ellis, that vigorously challenges people’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions

Aaron Beck

a psychiatrist known as the father of cognitive therapy, who developed the Cognitive Triad and emphasized the role of negative thoughts in depression.