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acrophobia
fear of high places
acute stress disorder
a disorder, like PTSD, that is characterized by feelings of anxiety and helplessness and caused by a traumatic event; acute stress disorder occurs within a month of the event and lasts from 2 days to 4 weeks
agoraphobia
fear of open, crowded places
antisocial personality disorder
the diagnosis given a person who is in frequent conflict with society, yet who is undeterred by punishment and experiences little or no guilt and anxiety
anxiety disorders
disorders characterized by excessive worrying, fear of losing control, nervousness, and inability to relax
attributional styles
the tendency to attribute one’s behavior to internal or external factors, stable or unstable factors, and global or specific factors
bipolar disorder
a disorder in which the mood alternates between two extreme poles (elation and depression); also referred to as manic depression
borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by instability in relationships, self-image, mood, and lack of impulse control
catatonia
a psychotic condition characterized by striking motor impairment
claustrophobia
fear of tight, small places
conversion disorder
a disorder in which anxiety or unconscious conflicts are “converted” into physical symptoms that often have the effect of helping the person cope with anxiety or conflict
delusions
false, persistent beliefs that are unsubstantiated by sensory or objective evidence
depersonalization-derealization disorder
a disorder in which one feels detached from oneself or that one’s surroundings are not real
dissociative amnesia
a dissociative disorder marked by loss of memory or self-identity; skills and general knowledge are usually retained
dissociative disorders
disorders in which there are sudden, temporary changes in consciousness or self-identity
dissociative identity disorder (DID)
(formerly termed multiple personality disorder) a disorder in which a person appears to have two or more distinct identities or personalities that may alternately emerge
generalized anxiety disorder
feelings of dread and foreboding and sympathetic arousal of at least 6 months’ duration
hallucination
a perception in the absence of sensory stimulation that is confused with reality
ideas of persecution
erroneous beliefs that one is being victimized or persecuted
illness anxiety disorder
a somatoform disorder characterized by persistent belief that one is ill despite lack of medical findings
la belle indifférence
a French term descriptive of the lack of concern for their (imagined) medical problem sometimes shown by people with conversion disorders
learned helplessness
a possible explanation for some depressive behavior, based on findings that organisms in aversive situations learn to show inactivity when their behavior is not reinforced
major depressive disorder
a serious to severe depressive disorder in which the person may show loss of appetite, psychomotor retardation, and impaired reality testing
manic
elated; showing excessive excitement
mutism
refusal to talk
narcissistic personality disorder
a disorder characterized by an inflated self-image, extreme need for admiration, and lack of empathy for others
negative symptoms
those symptoms of schizophrenia that reflect the absence of appropriate behavior, such as a blank face, monotone voice, and motionless body
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
an anxiety disorder defined by recurrent, anxiety-provoking thoughts or images that seem irrational and beyond control (obsessions) and seemingly irresistible urges to engage in thoughts or behaviors that tend to reduce the anxiety (compulsions)
panic disorder
recurrent experiencing of attacks of extreme anxiety in the absence of external stimuli that usually elicit anxiety
paranoid personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by persistent suspiciousness but not involving the disorganization of paranoid schizophrenia
personality disorders
enduring patterns of maladaptive behavior that are sources of distress to the individual or others
positive symptoms
those symptoms of schizophrenia that indicate the presence of inappropriate behavior, such as hallucinations, delusions, agitation, and inappropriate giggling
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a disorder that follows a distressing event outside the range of normal human experience and that is characterized by features such as intense fear and avoidance
psychological disorders
patterns of behavior or mental processes that are connected with emotional distress or significant impairment in function
psychomotor retardation
slowness in motor activity and (apparently) in thought
rapid flight of ideas
rapid speech and topic changes, characteristic of manic behavior
social anxiety disorder
an irrational, excessive fear of public scrutiny
somatoform disorders
disorders in which people complain of physical (somatic) problems even though no physical abnormality can be found
specific phobia
persistent fear of a specific object or situation
stupor
a condition in which the senses, thought, and movement are dulled
waxy flexibility
a feature of catatonic schizophrenia in which people can be molded into postures that they maintain for quite some time
antidepressant
acting to relieve depression
asylum
a historic institution for the care of the mentally ill
aversive conditioning
a behavior-therapy technique in which undesired responses are inhibited by pairing repugnant or offensive stimuli with them
behavior therapy
systematic application of the principles of learning to the direct modification of a client’s problem behaviors
biofeedback training (BFT)
the systematic feeding-back to an organism of information about a bodily function so that the organism can gain control of that function
catharsis
in psychoanalysis, the expression of repressed feelings and impulses to allow the release of the psychic energy associated with them
client-centered therapy
Rogers’s method of psychotherapy that emphasizes the creation of a warm, therapeutic atmosphere that frees clients to engage in self-exploration and self-expression
cognitive therapy
a form of therapy that focuses on how clients’ cognitions (e.g., expectations, attitudes, and beliefs) lead to distress and may be modified to relieve distress and promote adaptive behavior
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
an approach to therapy that uses cognitive and behavioral techniques that have been validated by research
ego analyst
a psychodynamically oriented therapist who focuses on the conscious, coping behavior of the ego instead of the hypothesized, unconscious functioning of the id
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
treatment of disorders like major depression by passing an electric current (that causes a convulsion) through the head
free association
in psychoanalysis, the uncensored uttering of all thoughts that come to mind
Gestalt therapy
Perls’s form of psychotherapy that attempts to integrate conflicting parts of the personality through directive methods designed to help clients perceive their whole selves
humanistic therapy
a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the client’s subjective, conscious experience in the “here and now”
meta-analysis
a statistical technique for combining and averaging the results of individual research studies
modeling
a behavior-therapy technique in which a client observes and imitates a person who approaches and copes with feared objects or situations
prefrontal lobotomy
the severing or destruction of a section of the frontal lobe of the brain
psychoanalysis
Freud’s method of psychotherapy
psychodynamic therapy
a type of psychotherapy that is based on Freud’s thinking and assumes that the psychological problems reflect early childhood experiences and internal conflicts
psychosurgery
surgery intended to promote psychological changes or to relieve disordered behavior
psychotherapy
a systematic interaction between a therapist and a client that brings psychological principles to bear on influencing the client’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior to help the client overcome psychological disorders, adjust to problems in living, or develop as an individual
rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
Ellis’s form of therapy that encourages clients to challenge and correct irrational expectations and maladaptive behaviors
rebound anxiety
anxiety that can occur when one discontinues use of a tranquilizer
resistance
the tendency to block the free expression of impulses and primitive ideas- a reflection of the defense mechanism of repression
selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
antidepressant drugs that work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin by presynaptic neurons, thus increasing the amount of serotonin available to the brain
serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
antidepressant drugs that block the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinphrine
social skills training
a behavior-therapy method for helping people in their interpersonal relations that utilizes self-monitoring, behavior rehearsal, and feedback
successive approximations
in operant conditioning, a series of behaviors that gradually become more similar to a target behavior
systematic desensitization
Wolpe’s method for reducing fears by associating a hierarchy of images of fear-evoking stimuli with deep muscle relaxation
token economy
a controlled environment in which people are reinforced for desired behaviors with tokens (such as poker chips) that may be exchanged for privileges
transference
responding to one person (such as a psychoanalyst) in a way similar to how one responded to another person (such as a parent) in childhood
wish fulfillment
in dreams, the acting-out of ideas and impulses that are repressed when one is conscious
A-B problem
the issue of how well we can predict behavior on the basis of attitudes
Actor-observer effect
the tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational factors but to attribute the behavior of others to dispositional factors
altruism
unselfish concern for the welfare of others
attitude
an enduring mental representation of a person, place, or thing that typically evokes an emotional response and related behavior
attitude-discrepant behavior
behavior inconsistent with an attitude that may have the effect of modifying an attitude
attraction
in social psychology, an attitude of liking or disliking (negative attraction)
attribution
a belief concerning why people behave in a certain way
bystander effect
the tendency to avoid helping other people in emergencies when other people are also present and apparently capable of helping
cognitive-dissonance theory
the view that we are motivated to make our cognitions or beliefs consistent with each other and with our behavior
commitment
the decision to maintain a relationship
consummate love
the ideal form of love within Sternberg’s model, which combines passion, intimacy, and commitment
deindividuation
the process by which group members may discontinue self-evaluation and adopt group norms and attitudes
diffusion of responsibility
the spreading or sharing of responsibility for a decision or behavior within a group
discrimination
hostile behavior directed against groups toward whom one is prejudiced
dispositional attribution
an assumption that a person’s behavior is determined by internal causes such as personal traits
effort justification
in cognitive-dissonance theory, the tendency to seek justification (acceptable reasons)for strenuous efforts
elaboration likelihood model
the view that persuasive messages are evaluated (elaborated) on the basis of central and peripheral cues
evaluation apprehension
concern that others are evaluating our behavior
fear appeal
a type of persuasive communication that influences behavior on the basis of arousing fear instead of rational analysis of the issues
foot-in-the-door technique
a method for inducing compliance in which a small request is followed by a larger request
fundamental attribution error
the assumption that others act predominantly on the basis of their dispositions, even when there is evidence suggesting the importance of their situations
groupthink
a process in which group members are influenced by cohesiveness and a dynamic leader to ignore external realities as they make decisions
intimacy
close acquaintance and familiarity; a characteristic of a relationship in which partners share their innermost feelings
passion
strong romantic and sexual feelings
prejudice
an attitude toward a group that leads people to evaluate members of that group negatively
primacy effect
the tendency to evaluate others in terms of first impressions
recency effect
the tendency to evaluate others in terms of the most recent impression