Abnormal Psychology Exam #1

Psychosis

Refers to several types of severe mental disorder including being out of contact with reality; Ex. Hallucinations and Delusions

Bipolar

Distinct episode of mood disturbance; ex. Hypomania/Mania and depression. lasting about a week

Syndrome

A group of symptoms that appear together and are assumed to represent a specific type of disorder

Mental Disorders

Persistant maladaptive behaviors; often short

Weakness of Statistical Approach

It does not distinguish between deviations that are harmful and those that are not.

Harmful Dysfunction

One concept of mental disorders; if condition causes some harm to the person & if the condition results from the inability of some mental mechanism to persofrm its natural function.

Flourishing

Highest level of psychological functioning; Positive emotions, interested in life, and tend to be calm and peaceful.

Epidemiology

The scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disorder that appear in a population during a specific time period

Prevalence

Refers to the total number of active cases, both old and new, that are present during a population during a specific time period.

Lifetime Prevalence

The proportion of a given population that at any point in their life (up to the time of assessment) have experienced the condition in question

Comorbidity

The simultaneous manifestation of more than one disorder

The American Psychiatric Association (APA)/(AMSAII) was founded in

1844

Etiology

The causes or origins of a disorder

Paradigm

A set of assumptions about the substance of a theory and about how scientists should collect data and test hypotheses

Biopsychosocial Model

A view of the etiology of mental disorders that assumes that disorders can be be understood in terms of the interation of biological, psychological, and social systems.

Biological Paradigm

The view of (abnormal) behavior that emphasizes the importance of (abnormal) biological processes and how to study them.

Psychodynamic Paradigm

The view of behavior rooted in Freudian theory asserting that much behavior is ruled by unconscious mental processes.

Psychoanalytic Theory

A paradigm for conceptualizing abnormal behavior based on the ideas of Freud; Highlights unconcious processes and conflicts as causing abnormal behavior; recommends psychoanalysis for treatment.

ID

1st part of the personality. Operates according to the pleasure principle; present at birth and houses biological drives

The Ego

2nd part of the personality. Operates under the reality principle; resides in conscience awareness around preschool age.

The Superego

3rd part of the personality. Rough equivalent to your conscience; Contains societal standards of behavior/morality

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious processes that service the ego and reduce conscious anxiety by distorting anxiety-producing memories, emotions, and impulses.

Humanistic Paradigm

The view of human behavior which argues that our actions are choices, a product of free will.

Systems Theory

An innovation that emphasizes interdependance, cubernetics, and, especially, holism.

The Holistic Approach

The idea that the whole is more than the sum of it’s parts.

The Reductionist Approach

The scientific counterpoint; Attempts to understand problems by focusing on smaller and smalelr units, suggesting that the smallest account in the “true” cause.

Equifinality

There are many routes to the same destination

Multifiniality

The same event can lead to different outcomes

The Diathesis-Stress Model

A common way of simplifying how multiple influences produce abnormal behavior

Developmental Psychopathology

Emphasizes the importance of normal development to understanding abnormal behavior

Premorbid History

A pattern of behavior that precedes the onset of an illness

Hindbrain

Regulates basic bodily function; medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

Midbrain

Involved in control of some motor activities (fighting and sex); includes the reticular activating system which regulates sleeping.

Forebrain

Most of the human brain; includes the amygdala and limbic system; controls emotional, sensory, and cognitive processes.

Ventricles

Four connected chambers in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

Cerebral Cortex

The uneven surface of the brain that lies just underneath the skull and controls memory, sensory, and motor functions.

Psychophisology

The study of changes in the functioning of the body that result from psychological experiences

Temperament

Characteristic styles of relating to the world that are often conceptualized as inborn traits. Generally emphasizes the “how” as opposed to the “what” of behavior.

Labeling Theory

A perspective on mental disorders that’s primarily concerned with the social context in which abnormal behavior occurs; self-fufilling prophecy

Catharsis

The release of previously unexpressed feelings

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Includes cognition and research on human information processing, including general techniques to help participants learn new ways of thinking, acting, and feeling; sharply constrasts psychodynamic therapy

Behaviorism

Belief that observable behaviors are the appropriate focus of a psychological study

3rd Wave CBT

Focuses on broad, abstract priciples, such as acceptance and mindefulness.

Humanistic Psychotherapy

Assumes that the most essential human quality is the ability to make choices and freely act on them

Meta-Analysis

Allows results from different studies to be combined in a standardized way.

Primary Prevention

Prevents news cases of mental disorders; promote wellness

Secondary Prevention

Early detection of emotional problems in hope of preventing more serious problems

Tertiary Prevention

Intervention that occurs after mental illness is identified.

Reliability

The consistency of measurements and diagnostic decisions.

Validity

The meaning or systematic importance of a construct or a measurement

Actuarial Interpretation

Analysis of test results based on an explicit set of rules derived from empirical (observable) research