Psychological Disorders and Theories of Personality Key Terms

A set of 66 vocabulary flashcards covering psychological disorders, clinical terminology, and personality theories directly from the lecture notes.

agoraphobia

Anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations in which it might be difficult to escape if one experiences symptoms of a panic attack

antisocial personality disorder

Characterized by a lack of regard for others' rights, impulsivity, deceitfulness, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse over misdeeds

anxiety disorder

Characterized by excessive and persistent fear and anxiety, and by related disturbances in behavior

attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Childhood disorder characterized by inattentiveness and/or hyperactive, impulsive behavior

atypical

Describes behaviors or feelings that deviate from the norm

autism spectrum disorder

Childhood disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and repetitive patterns of behavior or interests

bipolar and related disorders

Group of mood disorders in which mania is the defining feature

bipolar disorder

Mood disorder characterized by mood states that vacillate between depression and mania

body dysmorphic disorder

Involves excessive preoccupation with an imagined defect in physical appearance

borderline personality disorder

Instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood, as well as impulsivity; key features include intolerance of being alone and fear of abandonment, unstable relationships, unpredictable behavior and moods, and intense and inappropriate anger

catatonic behavior

Decreased reactivity to the environment; includes posturing and catatonic stupor

comorbidity

Co-occurrence of two disorders in the same individual

delusion

Belief that is contrary to reality and is firmly held, despite contradictory evidence

depersonalization/derealization disorder

Dissociative disorder in which people feel detached from the self (depersonalization), and the world feels artificial and unreal (derealization)

depressive disorder

One of a group of mood disorders in which depression is the defining feature

diagnosis

Determination of which disorder a set of symptoms represents

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)

Authoritative index of mental disorders and the criteria for their diagnosis; published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)

diathesis-stress model

Suggests that people with a predisposition for a disorder (a diathesis) are more likely to develop the disorder when faced with stress; model of psychopathology

disorganized thinking

Disjointed and incoherent thought processes, usually detected by what a person says

disorganized/abnormal motor behavior

Highly unusual behaviors and movements (such as child-like behaviors), repeated and purposeless movements, and displaying odd facial expressions and gestures

dissociative amnesia

Dissociative disorder characterized by an inability to recall important personal information, usually following an extremely stressful or traumatic experience

dissociative disorders

Group of DSM-5 disorders in which the primary feature is that a person becomes dissociated, or split off, from their core sense of self, resulting in disturbances in identity and memory

dissociative fugue

Symptom of dissociative amnesia in which a person suddenly wanders away from one's home and experiences confusion about their identity

dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) in which a person exhibits two or more distinct, well-defined personalities or identities and experiences memory gaps for the time during which another identity emerged

dopamine hypothesis

Theory of schizophrenia that proposes that an overabundance of dopamine or dopamine receptors is responsible for the onset and maintenance of schizophrenia

etiology

Cause or causes of a psychological disorder

flashback

Psychological state lasting from a few seconds to several days, during which one relives a traumatic event and behaves as though the event were occurring at that moment

flight of ideas

Symptom of mania that involves an abruptly switching in conversation from one topic to another

anal stage

Psychosexual stage in which children experience pleasure in their bowel and bladder movements

analytical psychology

Jung's theory focusing on the balance of opposing forces within one's personality and the significance of the collective unconscious

archetype

Pattern that exists in our collective unconscious across cultures and societies

collective unconscious

Common psychological tendencies that have been passed down from one generation to the next

congruence

State of being in which our thoughts about our real and ideal selves are very similar

conscious

Mental activity (thoughts, feelings, and memories) that we can access at any time

Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks Test (C-TCB)

Projective test designed to be culturally relevant to African Americans, using images that relate to African-American culture

defense mechanism

Unconscious protective behaviors designed to reduce ego anxiety

displacement

Ego defense mechanism in which a person transfers inappropriate urges or behaviors toward a more acceptable or less threatening target

ego

Aspect of personality that represents the self, or the part of one's personality that is visible to others

Five Factor Model

Theory that personality is composed of five factors, including openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism

genital stage

Psychosexual stage in which the focus is on mature sexual interests

heritability

Proportion of difference among people that is attributed to genetics

id

Aspect of personality that consists of our most primitive drives or urges, including impulses for hunger, thirst, and sex

ideal self

Person we would like to be

incongruence

State of being in which there is a great discrepancy between our real and ideal selves

individual psychology

School of psychology proposed by Adler that focuses on our drive to compensate for feelings of inferiority

inferiority complex

Refers to a person's feelings that they lack worth and don't measure up to others' or to society's standards

latency period

Psychosexual stage in which sexual feelings are dormant

locus of control

Beliefs about the power we have over our lives; an external locus of control is the belief that our outcomes are outside of our control; an internal locus of control is the belief that we control our own outcomes

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Personality test composed of a series of true/false questions in order to establish a clinical profile of an individual

neurosis

Tendency to experience negative emotions

oral stage

Psychosexual stage in which an infant's pleasure is focused on the mouth

personality

Long-standing traits and patterns that propel individuals to consistently think, feel, and behave in specific ways

phallic stage

Psychosexual stage in which the focus is on the genitals

projection

Ego defense mechanism in which a person confronted with anxiety disguises their unacceptable urges or behaviors by attributing them to other people

Projective test

Personality assessment in which a person responds to ambiguous stimuli, revealing hidden feelings, impulses, and desires

psychosexual stages of development

Stages of child development in which a child's pleasure-seeking urges are focused on specific areas of the body called erogenous zones

rationalization

Ego defense mechanism in which a person confronted with anxiety makes excuses to justify behavior

reaction formation

Ego defense mechanism in which a person confronted with anxiety swaps unacceptable urges or behaviors for their opposites

real self

Person who we actually are

reciprocal determinism

Belief that one's environment can determine behavior, but at the same time, people can influence the environment with both their thoughts and behaviors

regression

Ego defense mechanism in which a person confronted with anxiety returns to a more immature behavioral state

repression

Ego defense mechanism in which anxiety-related thoughts and memories are kept in the unconscious

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Projective test that employs a series of symmetrical inkblot cards that are presented to a client by a psychologist in an effort to reveal the person's unconscious desires, fears, and struggles

Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)

Projective test that is similar to a word association test in which a person completes sentences in order to reveal their unconscious desires, fears, and struggles

sublimation

Ego defense mechanism in which unacceptable urges are channeled into more appropriate activities

superego

Aspect of the personality that serves as one's moral compass, or conscience