Abnormal Psychology Exam One

Mental Illness/Disorder

Unusual workings of the brain that hinder one’s ability to function in a society, often leading to emotional distress or behavioral problems.

Seven Criteria of Abnormality

1. Distress

2. Disability

3. Violation of social norms

4. Historical classifications

5. Cross-cultural distinctions

6. Biological Features

7. Clinical factors

Distress

if a mental illness causes distress to you or others, it is considered a sign of abnormality

Disability

When a mental illness makes someone unable to function normally in some sense

Violation of social norms

A sign of mental illness which can vary depending on the place and its social norms

Historical classifications

A way of defining mental illness based on how it has been defined throughout history. (eg: has it always been considered a mental illness?)

Cross-cultural Distinctions

Defining mental illness based on whether or not other cultures consider it an illness

Biological Criteria

Physical signs of a disorder (ex. genetics)

Clinical Criteria

Processes in diagnosis that determine abnormality (ex. interviews, assessments)

Operationalisation

How you define things in a study (the process of defining abstract concepts into measurable, observable, and quantifiable indicators to make them empirically testable in research)

Experimental

a study that includes random assignment

Reliability

Accuracy of your measurement (can your experiment be repeated with the same results?)

Validity of Measurement

Refers to how well the assessment tool actually measures the underlying outcome of interest. (Does it measure what you say it does)

Longitudinal Designs

Study of the same group over a period of time (3 kids at 2, 4, 6, and 8)

Cross-sectional Study

Studying multiple different groups at one time (3 2-year-olds, 3 4-year-olds, 3 6-year-olds, 3 8-year-olds)

Tuskegee-Syphilis Study

A study in which researchers chose uneducated men & refused to let them get the treatment for syphilis so that they could watch how it would kill them.

Mental Patients in Guatemala Study

A study in which doctors intentionally infected vulnerable Guatemalan populations, such as psychiatric patients, with syphilis and other stds. Done so doctors could test the effectiveness of penicillin

Milgrim’s Obedience Study

A study set to find out if ordinary American citizens would obey an unjust order from an authority figure and inflict pain on another person because they were instructed to. (Inducing Shock while the person screams in other room)

7 Perspectives of Psychology

1. Biological

2. Psychodynamic

3. Behavioral

4. Cognitive

5. Humanistic & Existential

6. Family Views

7. Community & Social

Biological Perspective

a theoretical approach that explains human behavior, thoughts, and emotions through physical and physiological factors. It focuses on how genetics, the brain, the nervous system, and hormones shape behavior,

Psychodynamic Perspective

A branch of psychology originating from Sigmund Freud that emphasizes how unconscious mental forces, drives, and early childhood experiences shape human personality, behavior, and emotions. It focuses on resolving internal conflicts between the id, ego, and superego to understand behavior.

Psycho-sexual development

A theory by Sigmund Freud, posits that personality forms through five childhood stages.

1. Oral: (Birth to approximately 18 months). It focuses on the mouth as the primary source of pleasure, satisfaction, and interaction, particularly through feeding, sucking, and biting

2. Anal: (ages 1-3), where pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder control, with toilet training creating the central conflict; successful navigation fosters independence

3. Phallic: (ages 3 to 6) where a child's libido centers on their genitals, leading to curiosity about sex differences and the development of the Oedipus/Electra complex, fostering gender identity and personality through identifying with the same-sex parent

4. Latency: (ages 6-12) is a quiet period where sexual and aggressive urges are dormant, shifting focus from bodily pleasure to social skills, school, hobbies, and peer relationships, allowing for intellectual and social development. Crucial for building self-confidence and learning societal norms.

5. Genital: beginning at puberty and continuing through adulthood, focusing on mature, consensual sexual intimacy. It marks a shift from self-pleasure (phallic stage) to seeking heterosexual relationships

id

The earliest personality component: present from birth. Represents primal instincts, desires, and impulses, operating entirely unconsciously by the pleasure principle for immediate gratification

ego

A person's conscious sense of self-identity and self-worth. The conscious mind that mediates between primal drives (id) and social demands (superego).

superego

Represents internalized ideals, moral standards, and conscience, developed from parental and societal influences.

Erik Erikson

A psychodynamic theorist who outlines eight stages from birth to death, where individuals face conflicts between positive and negative tendencies that shape personality and social skills.

Behavioral Perspective

Posits that all behavior is learned through interaction with the environment, focusing on observable actions and external stimuli.

Social Learning Theory

A theory that children learn through reinforcement and modeling.

Cognitive Perspective

The cognitive perspective focuses on internal mental processes—how we perceive, think, remember, learn, and solve problems—viewing the mind like a computer processing information

Beck’s Cognitive Restructuring

Beck's cognitive restructuring is a core Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) technique developed to treat emotional disorders by identifying, challenging, and replacing dysfunctional "automatic thoughts" and cognitive distortions. (Changing the way you think about a situation from bad to good)

Humanistic and Existential Perspective

Emphasize individual agency, free will, and the drive for self-actualization or meaning. Humanism views humans as inherently good, focusing on growth and reaching potential, while existentialism focuses on creating meaning in an absurd world, often dealing with themes of anxiety, death, and freedom.

Carl Rogers

American psychologist who was one of the founders of humanistic psychology

Fritz Perls

Another Humanistic psychologist. Perls coined the term "Gestalt therapy."

Family Systems Perspective

Focuses on how a family’s function affects a person.

The modern little Hans

A case study on the family therapy revolving around a young boy’s phobia. Focuses on restructuring the relationships the boy has with both parents.

Community Perspective

Examines the reciprocal relationship between individuals and their social systems, focusing on enhancing well-being, promoting social justice, and preventing problems through community-level interventions.

Role Theory

A social psychology and sociological framework asserting that human behavior is guided by expectations associated with specific, socially defined roles (e.g., teacher, parent, employee).

Cultural Relativity

Cultural relativism is the principle that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood within the context of their own culture, not judged by the standards of another

Passive Receptive Approach to Medicine

When a doctor expects you to book the appointments on their schedule and come to them for your help.

Community psychologists want to change this to make doctors come to patients.

Clinical vs Structure

Clinical interviews (often unstructured or semi-structured) build rapport and explore personal history Gold Standard of Testing

Structured interviews are objective, standardized assessments primarily used for research or to avoid diagnostic errors, though they can feel less personal.

Symptom Trackers

A series of questions on a patient’s symptoms in the past two weeks

Patients answer in relevance to their lives.

Interviewer Rating Scale

A report filled out by the interviewer after administering a symptom tracker to a patient. Based on their observation of the patient.

Thermatic Appreciation Test

A projective test where the interviewer shows a photo to a patient and ask them to tell a story about what is happening.

Anxiety Disorder Prevalence

The most common group of disorders.

15-20% of the US.

2x as likely in women

3 Subtypes of Anxiety

1. Panic Disorders: Someone who has had multiple panic attacks

2. Phobias: Can be simple or specific. sometimes social. Sometimes of people (Agoraphobia)

3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Anxiety that doesn’t fit into the category of other anxiety subtypes, nor does it fit in as OCD.

Perspectives on Anxiety DIsorders

1. Behavioral: Anxiety is a learned response. Treatment: Relaxation therapy.

2. Psychodynamic: psychological conflict causes anxiety

3. Biological: Genetic link to anxiety. Treatment: Anti-anxiety drugs (Valium, Xanax), SSRIs

Relaxation therapy

a process of systematically desensitizing a person to their fear, where exposure is the critical ingredient.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

2% lifetime prevalence. A disorder characterized by Obsessive thoughts and/or Compulsive behaviors.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

An anxiety disorder characterized by spending hours in front of a mirror.

Somatic Symptom Disorders

Medical conditions that have no testable biological signs, therefore they are sometimes treated as mental disorders. These involve extreme anxiety over physical symptoms that cause major distress and disruption in daily life

Five Main types:

1. Conversion Disorders: psychological stress is unconsciously "converted" into involuntary physical symptoms, such as paralysis, blindness, or seizures

2. Illness Anxiety: formerly known as hypochondriasis

3. Chronic Pain: Most commonly Fibromyalgia

4. Chronic Fatigue

5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Hoarding Disorders

A mental health condition characterized by persistent difficulty discarding possessions due to a perceived need to save them, leading to excessive clutter that compromises living spaces. Affecting 2-5% of people

Acute Stress Disorder

A form of stress disorder, similar to PTSD, which lasts less than a month.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing terrifying, life-threatening events like violence, accidents, or disasters

Multiple Personality Disorder

Formerly known as DID, is a complex mental health condition caused by severe, chronic childhood trauma that results in the presence of two or more distinct, alternating personality states. Very rare. Most psychologists do not encounter this