Studied by 62 PeopleTags & Description
psychological disorder
a psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
phobia
a psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation
abnormal behavior
a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
psychological dysfunction
a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
impairment
criterion for psychological dysfunction; damage that results in a reduction of strength or quality
atypical or not culturally expected
criterion for psychological dysfunction; deviation from average, not enough to classify as dysfunction, may even be called eccentric or talented
psychopathology
the scientific study of psychological disorders
clinical and counseling psychologists
receive the Ph.D., doctor of philosophy, degree and follow a course of graduate-level study lasting approximately 5 years, which prepares them to conduct research into the causes and treatment of psychological disorders and to diagnose, assess, and treat these disorders
psychiatrists
first earn an M.D. degree in medical school and then specialize in psychiatry during residency training that lasts 3 to 4 year
psychiatric social workers
typically earn a master’s degree in social work as they develop expertise in collecting information relevant to the social and family situation of the individual with a psychological disorder
psychiatric nurses
have advanced degrees, such as a master’s or even a Ph.D., and specialize in the care and treatment of patients with psychological disorders, usually in hospitals as part of a treatment team
marriage & family therapists and mental health counselors
typically spend 1 to 2 years earning a master’s degree and are employed to provide clinical services by hospitals or clinics, usually under the supervision of a doctoral-level clinician
scientist-practitioners
mental health professionals that take a scientific approach to their clinical work
presenting problem
term used in hospitals and clinics for most prevalent problem/problems
clinical description
represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up a specific disorder
clinical
refers to both the types of problems or disorders that you would find in a clinic or hospital and to the activities connected with assessment and treatment
prevalence
how many people in a population have a certain disorder
incidence
statistics on how many new cases are diagnosed during a given period
sex ratio
what percentage of males and females have a certain disorder
course
individual pattern for mental disorders
chronic course
disorder that tend to last a long time or even a lifetime
episodic course
disorder that the individual is likely to recover within a few months only to suffer a recurrence of the disorder at a later time
time-limited course
disorder that will improve without treatment in a relatively short period with little or no risk of recurrence
acute onset
disorder that begins suddenly
insidious onset
disorder that develops gradually over an extended period
prognosis
anticipated course of a disorder
developmental psychology
study of changes in behavior
developmental psychopathology
study of changes in abnormal behavior
life-span developmental psychology
study of abnormal behavior across the entire age span
etiology
the study of origins, has to do with why a disorder begins (what causes it) and includes biological, psychological, and social dimensions
effect
does not necessarily imply the cause
supernatural model
belief that agents outside our bodies and environment influence our behavior, thinking, and emotions (divinities, demons, spirits, or other phenomena such as magnetic fields or the moon or the stars)
soul or psyche
the mind, has been considered separate from the body
biological model
belief that abnormal behavior is a physical disease (body can influence the mind)
psychological model
belief that abnormal behavior is a result of intrapsychic conflict (Freud)
exorcism
treatment in which various religious rituals were performed in an effort to rid the victim of evil spirits
Salem Witch Trials
resulted in hanging deaths of 20 women, rooted in supernatural model
mass hysteria
a condition in which a large group of people exhibit the same state of violent mental agitation
emotion contagion
the experience of an emotion seems to spread to those around us
mob psychology
popular language term for emotion contagion
lunatic
term for mentally disordered; Ancient Greeks speculated that the gravitational effects of the moon on bodily fluids might be a possible cause of mental disorders
Hippocratic Corpus
written between 450 and 350 BC; suggested that psychological disorders could be treated like any other disease
humoral theory
Hippocrates assumed that normal brain functioning was related to four bodily fluids or humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm; imbalance of humors caused mental disorder
melancholy
derived from "black bile," or melancholer; used to describe aspect of depression
sanguine
describes someone who is ruddy in complexion, presumably from copious blood flowing through the body, and cheerful and optimistic, although insomnia and delirium were thought to be caused by excessive blood in the brain
melancholic
depressive (depression was thought to be caused by black bile flooding the brain)
phlegmatic
(from the humor phlegm) indicates apathy and sluggishness but can also mean being calm under stress
choleric
(from yellow bile or choler) is hot tempered
bleeding or bloodletting
a carefully measured amount of blood was removed from the body, often with leeches
hysteria or somatic symptom disorders
the physical symptoms appear to be the result of a medical problem for which no physical cause can be found, such as paralysis and some kinds of blindness; formerly assumed to be only affecting women, presumed from "wandering uterus"
advanced syphilis
a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterial microorganism entering the brain, include believing that everyone is plotting against you (delusion of persecution) or that you are God (delusion of grandeur), as well as other bizarre behaviors
psychosis
psychological disorders characterized in part by beliefs that are not based in reality (delusions), perceptions that are not based in reality (hallucinations), or both—researchers recognized that a subgroup of apparently psychotic patients deteriorated steadily, becoming paralyzed and dying within 5 years of onset
general paresis
other name for psychosis; because it had consistent symptoms (presentation) and a consistent course that resulted in death
John P. Gray
most influential psychologist in the biological tradition; editor of American Journal of Insanity, the precursor of the current American Journal of Psychiatry, the flagship publication of the American Psychiatric Association (APA); outlook was that causes of insanity are always physical
insulin shock therapy
insulin was occasionally given to stimulate appetite in psychotic patients who were not eating, but it also seemed to calm them down
neuroleptics
major tranquilizers
benzodiazepines
minor tranquilizers
psychosocial treatment
focuses not only on psychological factors but also on social and cultural ones
moral therapy
included treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible in a setting that encouraged and reinforced normal social interaction, thus providing them with many opportunities for appropriate social and interpersonal contact
mental hygiene movement
mid-19th-century effort to improve care of the mentally disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment
Dorothea Dix
campaigned endlessly for reform in the treatment of insanity; a schoolteacher who had worked in various institutions, she had firsthand knowledge of the deplorable conditions imposed on patients with insanity, and she made it her life’s work to inform the American public and their leaders of these abuses
psychoanalysis
emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious processes and conflicts; based on Sigmund Freud's elaborate theory of the structure of the mind and the role of unconscious processes in determining behavior
behaviorism
explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology; associated with John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner, which focuses on how learning and adaptation affect the development of psychopathology
Franz Anton Mesmer
suggested to his patients that their problem was caused by an undetectable fluid found in all living organisms called “animal magnetism,” which could become blocked
Jean-Martin Charcot
head of the Salpétrière Hospital in Paris, where Philippe Pinel had introduced psychological treatments several generations earlier; distinguished neurologist, Charcot demonstrated that some techniques of mesmerism were effective with a number of psychological disorders, and he did much to legitimize the fledgling practice of hypnosis
unconscious
part of the psychic makeup that is outside the awareness of the person
catharsis
rapid or sudden release of emotional tension thought to be an important factor in psychoanalytic therapy
Josef Breuer
while his patients were in the highly suggestible state of hypnosis, Breuer asked them to describe their problems, conflicts, and fears in as much detail as they could; partnered with Freud
psychoanalytic model
complex and comprehensive theory originally advanced by Sigmund Freud that seeks to account for the development and structure of personality, as well as the origin of abnormal behavior, based primarily on inferred inner entities and forces
id
unconscious psychical entity present at birth representing basic sexual and aggressive drives; conscience; driven by moral principles
ego
psychical entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy id drives; logical, rational; driven by reality principle
superego
psychical entity representing the internalized moral principles of parents and society; illogical, emotional, irrational; driven by pleasure principle
intrapsychic conflicts
the struggles among the id, ego, and superego
defense mechanism
common patterns of behavior, often adaptive coping styles when they occur in moderation, observed in response to particular situations. In psychoanalysis, these are thought to be unconscious processes originating in the ego
displacement
rransfers a feeling about, or a response to, an object that causes discomfort onto another, usually less-threatening, object or person
sublimation
directs potentially maladaptive feelings or impulses into socially acceptable behavior
denial
refuses to acknowledge some aspect of objective reality or subjective experience that is apparent to others
projection
falsely attributes own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or thoughts to another individual or object
rationalization
conceals the true motivations for actions, thoughts, or feelings through elaborate reassuring or self-serving but incorrect explanations
reaction formation
substitutes behavior, thoughts, or feelings that are the direct opposite of unacceptable ones
repression
blocks disturbing wishes, thoughts, or experiences from conscious awareness
psychosexual stages of development
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 that time
fixation
if we did not receive appropriate gratification during a specific stage or if a specific stage left a particularly strong impression
Oedipus complex
all young boys relive this fantasy when genital self-stimulation is accompanied by images of sexual interactions with their mothers