Untitled Flashcards Set

Sigmund Freud

Psychoanalyst known for developing psychoanalytic theory, which emphasizes the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior.

Psychoanalytic Theory

A psychological theory that asserts that behavior and personality are influenced by unconscious motives, desires, and past experiences.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety by distorting reality or avoiding unpleasant feelings.

Denial

A defense mechanism involving the refusal to accept reality or facts, often to avoid painful feelings.

Regression

A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development, typically in response to stress.

Reaction Formation

A defense mechanism involving the transformation of an anxiety-producing emotion into its opposite.

Projection

A defense mechanism in which individuals attribute their own undesirable feelings or thoughts onto others.

Displacement

A defense mechanism where emotional impulses are redirected from a primary target to a more acceptable one.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that involves providing logical or reasonable explanations for behaviors that are actually motivated by irrational factors.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism that involves channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Psychosexual Development

Freud's theory suggesting that personality develops through a series of stages focused on erogenous zones.

Oedipus Complex

A child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and jealousy toward the same-sex parent, associated with the phallic stage.

Big Five Traits

A model of personality that includes openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

DSM

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; used for classifying and diagnosing mental disorders.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry about various aspects of life.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A mental health condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).

Learned Helplessness

A phenomenon in which individuals learn to feel helpless and stop trying to escape from stressful situations due to past failures.

Postpartum Depression

A type of mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth, characterized by feelings of severe sadness and anxiety.

Bipolar Disorder

A mental health condition marked by extreme mood swings, including emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression).

Schizophrenia

A severe mental disorder characterized by distorted thinking, perceptions, emotions, language, sense of self, and behavior.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

A complex psychological condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A medical treatment that involves sending small electrical currents through the brain to induce a seizure, used primarily to treat severe depression.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A type of psychotherapy that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors.

Catatonia

A state of psycho-motor immobility and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor.

Diathesis-Stress Model

A psychological theory that explains behavior as a predispositional vulnerability together with stress from life experiences.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior.

Flashbulb Memory

A highly detailed and vivid memory of a significant event.

Systematic Desensitization

A behavioral therapy technique used to reduce anxiety by gradually exposing a patient to feared stimuli.

Flooding

A therapeutic technique involving prolonged exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli until the anxiety decreases.

Benzodiazepines

A class of medications commonly prescribed for anxiety that enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that is believed to contribute to feelings of well-being and happiness, often targeted by antidepressant medications.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.