Psychology Definitions

Flashcards from lecture notes

Personality

Who you are; the enduring pattern (doesn’t change)

Personality disorder

A long-lasting and stable maladaptive disorder; problems dealing with people due to personality being so strong they have difficulty changing to fit different situations

Impulse control

Hard time controlling urges

Cluster A

Odd or eccentric; profound impairment in relationships; Paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal

Cluster B

Dramatic, emotional, and unpredictable; people who push the limits; Histrionic, narcissitic, borderline, antisocial

Cluster C

Avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive

Paranoid

Suspects others (without solid basis) of harming, deceiving, exploiting; Reluctant to confide in people, preoccupied about loyalty, reads into benign remarks, unforgiving and bare grudges

Schizoid

Extreme loners; indifferent to social/ sexual relationship and praise/ criticism; Passive, flat affect, live and work alone, problems expressing anger

Schizotypal

Cognitive and perceptual distortions leading them to be odd or bizarre; Odd beliefs, thinking, speech, and behavior; social withdrawal, inappropriate affect, pre-schizophrenic

Antisocial

Previously called “psychopaths” - mainly criminals, mainly consisting of men; Illegal behaviors, deceit, impulsive, irritability/ aggression, reckless, lack of remorse, do not learn from mistakes

Borderline

Frantic attempts to avoid real/imagined abandonment; Unstable, intense relationships, Idealizing and devaluing others; Unstable emotions, self image and sense of self; Impulsive in at least two areas: spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving; Chronic feelings of emptiness/ boredom

Histrionic

Initially charming, Wears thin, demand to be the center of attention; “Life of the party” - very dramatic; Often seductive and sexually provocative; Appearnce is very important; Emotions on and off quickly

Narcissistic

Self important, boastful, superior; Require excessive admiration; Sense of entitlement; arrogant; Lack of empathy; Must have best of everything

Dependent

Want others to make decisions both large and small; Passive; not good sense of self; Strong need for relationship so may agree with things they know are wrong (may tolerate abuse)

Obsessive-compulsive

Hyperfocus on rules, lists, detail, procedure and lose sight of bigger picture; More of the lifestyle of OCD; Perfectionistic

Somatic symptoms

Physical sensations that are not caused by a medical condition

Conversion disorder

Psych problems are converted into physical symptoms

Malingering

Faking for an ulterior motive or gain

Somatic symptom disorder

1+ physical symptoms are distressing/ result in significant disruption of daily life; One or more: Disproportionate and persistent thoughts re seriousness of symptoms; Persistent high anxeity re health or symptoms; Excessive time and energy devoted to symptoms and health concerns

Factitious disorder

Faking with no ulterior motive or gain, Can also be imposed on another

Munchasusen’s syndrome

Chronic case of facetious disorder - whole life

Primary gain

When you avoid responsibility (getting out of school, work, etc.)

Secondary gain

Getting attention/ sympathy

Insomnia

Sleep problems

Hypersomnia

Sleeping too much

Narcolepsy

Falling asleep uncontrollably

Nightmare disorder

Reocurring nightmares

Sleep terror disorder

Wake up in a panic

Somnambulism

Sleep walking

Dissociative fugue

Identity confusion

Depersonalization disorder

Out of body experience; detachment from the body

Dissociative amnesia

Can’t remember part of life (associated with trauma)

Host

Core personality; passive

Alters

Other personality (one of multiple maybe); strikingly different (hostile, demanding, self-destructive)

Dissociative identity d/o (DID)

Formerly Multiple Personality; Not well established (is it real?); hard to study

Learning disability

Problems with reading, writing, and arithmetic “the 3 r’s”

Autism spectrum disorder

Deficits in communication, social interaction, and unusual behaviors

Intellectual disability

Below average intellectual ability and life skills

ADHD

Hyperactivity and impulsivity (need 6+)

Echolalia

Repeating sounds and phrases - symptom of ASD

Tic disorders

Involuntary movements or sounds

Tourette’s disorder

Extreme tic disorder

Beneficence

Psychologist always work to benefit their patients

Non-maleficence

Do no harm to patients

Confidentiality

Conversations with clients are private in therapy - except if they are a threat to themselves or others

Delirium

Altered state of consciousness

Amnesia

Can’t recall previousl learned information/ can’t learn new information

Dementia

Neurogonitive disorder consisting of memory loss - COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Aphasia

Loss of language

Apraxia

Trouble coordinating bodily movements

Agnosia

Inability to recognize familiar objects

Ageism

Discrimination against older people