Psych vocab 6A

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

general adaption syndrome

Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion

tend and befriend response

under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine

subjective well being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life

psychological disorder

a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior

epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

DSM-5

the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

attention-deficit/hyper activity disorder

a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

anxiety disorder

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

social anxiety disorder

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic

phobia

persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

obsessive-compulsive disorder

An anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsession) and/ or actions (compulsions), or both

post-traumatic stress disorder

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

major depressive disorder

A mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, two or more weeks with 5 or more symptoms, have to be either: 1) depressed mood 2) loss of interest/pleasure

bipolar disorder

A mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania

mania

a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common