Intro to theories of psychopathology

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Behaviour therapy

Array of therapy methods based on the principles of behavioural and cognitive science, as well as principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviours rather than inferred conflicts as legitimate targets for change

Behavioural model

Explanation of human behaviour, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaption derived from experimental psychology

Behaviourism

Explanation of human behaviour, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaption derived from experimental psychology

Castration anxiety

In psychoanalysis, the fear in young boys that they will be mutilated genitally because of their lust for their mothers

Catharsis

Rapid or sudden release of emotional tension thought to be an important factor in psychoanalytic therapy

Classical conditioning

Fundamental learning process first described by Ivan Pavlov. An event that automatically elicits a response is paired with another stimulus event that does not (a neutral stimulus). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned response that by itself can elicit the desired response

Collective unconscious

Accumulated wisdom of a culture collected and remembered across generations, a psychodynamic concept introduced by Jung

Comorbidity

Comorbidity refers to the occurrence of multiple mental disorders in the same individual. Psychopathologists often investigate comorbidity to understand how different disorders may interact or influence each other.

Cultural and Societal Factors

Cultural and societal factors can significantly influence the expression, interpretation, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychopathologists examine how cultural beliefs, norms, and values shape our understanding of psychopathology.

Defence mechanisms

Unconscious protective processes that keep primitive emotions associated with conflict at bay allowing the ego to maintain its co-ordination of functioning

Diagnosis

Psychopathology involves the process of diagnosing mental disorders. Mental health professionals use criteria and guidelines, often outlined in diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), to classify and diagnose different disorders based on a patient's symptoms and clinical presentation.

Diathesis

A condition that makes someone susceptible to developing a disorder

Diathesis-stress model

Hypothesis that both an inheretied tendency (a vulnerability) and specific stressful conditions are required to produce a disorder

Dream analysis

Psychoanalytic therapy method in which dream contents are examined as symbolic of id impulses and intrapsychic conflicts

Ego

In psychoanalysis, the psychical entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy

Ego psychology

Derived from psychoanalysis, this theory emphasises the role of the ego in development and attributes psychological disorders to the failure of the ego to manage impulses and internal conflicts. AKA self-psychology

Epigenetics

The study of factors other than inherited DNA sequence, such as new learning or stress, that alter the phenotypic expression of genes

Etiology

Etiology refers to the study of the causes or origins of mental disorders. Psychopathologists investigate various factors that may contribute to the development of psychological disorders, such as genetic, biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

Extinction

Learning process in which a response maintained by reinforcement in operant conditioning or pairing in classical conditioning decreases when that reinforcement or pairing is removed; also the procedure of removing the reinforcement or pairing

Free association

Psychoanalytic therapy technique intended to explore threatening material repressed into the unconscious. The patient is instructed to say whatever comes to mind without censoring

Gene-environment correlation model

Hypothesis that people with a genetic predisposition for a disorder may also have a genetic tendency to create environmental risk factors that promote the disorder

Id

In psychoanalysis, the unconscious psychical entity present at birth represents basic sexual and aggressive drives

Inferiority complex

Feeling of being inferior to others while striving for superiority

Intrapsychic conflicts

In psychoanalysis, the struggles among the id, ego, and superego

Introspection

Early, non-scientific approach to the study of psychology involving systematic attempts to report thoughts and feelings that specific stimuli evoked

Mental Disorders

Psychopathology examines various mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders (like depression and bipolar disorder), psychotic disorders (like schizophrenia), personality disorders, and many others. These disorders are characterized by specific sets of symptoms and behaviors.

Mental hygiene movement

Mid-19th century effort to improve care of the mentally disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment

Moral therapy

Psychosocial approach in the 19th century that involved treating patients as normally as possible in normal environments

Neuron

Individual nerve cell; responsible for transmitting information

Neurosis

Obsolete psychodynamic term for a psychological disorder thought to result from unconscious conflicts and the anxiety they cause. Plural is neuroses

Object relations

Modern development in psychodynamic theory involves the study of how children incorporate the memories and values of people who are close and important to them

Person-centred therapy

Therapy method in which the client, rather than the counsellor, primarily directs the course of discussion, seeking self-discovery and self-responsibility

Polygenic

Influenced by many genes

Prevalence

Prevalence refers to the frequency or proportion of individuals within a population who have a particular mental disorder. Psychopathologists study the prevalence rates of different disorders to understand how common they are in society.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalytic assessment and therapy, which emphasizes exploration of and insight into unconscious processes and conflicts, pioneered by Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalyst

Therapist who practices psychoanalysis after earning a master's professional degree as a psychologist with specialised training in the psychoanalytic modality and registered as a practising psychologist or an additional PhD degree in the psychoanalytic therapeutic modality, and receiving additional specialised postdoctoral training

Psychoanalytic model

Complex and comprehensive theory originally advanced by Freud that seeks to account for the development and structure of personality, as well as the origin of abnormal behaviour, based primarily on inferred inner entities and forces

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

Contemporary version of psychoanalysis that still emphasises unconscious processes and conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems

Psychosexual stages of development

In psychoanalysis, the sequence of phases a person passes through during development. Each stage is named for the location on the body where id gratification is maximal at the time

Psychosocial treatment

Treatment practices that focus on social and cultural factors (like family experience), as well as psychological influences. These approaches include cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal methods

Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, consequences for behaviour that strengthen it or increase its frequency. Positive reinforcement involves the contingent delivery of a desired consequence. Negative reinforcement in the contingent escape from an aversive consequence. Unwanted behaviours may result from their reinforcement or the failure to reinforce desired behaviours

Resilience

Psychopathology also considers the concept of resilience, which refers to an individual's ability to adapt, cope, and recover from adversity or stress. Resilience can play a protective role in mental health and may help prevent the development of disorders.

Self-actualising

Process emphasised in humanistic psychology in which people strive to achieve their highest potential against difficult life experiences

Shaping

In operant condition, the development of a new response by reinforcing successively more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and undesirable behaviours may be learnt in this manner

Stigma

Stigma refers to negative stereotypes, attitudes, and discrimination associated with mental illness. Psychopathology often addresses the social and cultural factors that contribute to stigma and its impact on individuals with mental disorders.

superego

In psychoanalysis, the psychical entity representing the internalised moral principles of parents and society

Symptoms

Symptoms are the observable or reported features of a mental disorder. Symptoms can include thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physiological responses that deviate from what is considered normal or healthy. Examples of symptoms include anxiety, hallucinations, sadness, or obsessions.

Systematic desensitisation

Behavioural therapy technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually relaxation

Transference

Psychoanalytic concept suggesting that clients may seek to relate to the therapist as they to important authority figures, particularly their parents.

Treatment

Psychopathology explores various treatment approaches for mental disorders. This includes therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), medication, psychoeducation, and other interventions designed to alleviate symptoms and improve a person's mental health.

Unconditional positive regard

Acceptance by the counsellor of the client's feelings and actions without judgment or condemnation

Unconscious

Part of psychic makeup that is outside the awareness of the person

Vulnerability

Susceptibility or tendency to develop a disorder