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Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms from lecture material on stress, psychological disorders, and therapeutic approaches.
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Stress
The physical and psychological response to a situation that threatens or appears to threaten one’s well-being.
Stressor
Any internal or external event that triggers a stress response.
Acute Stressor
A short-term, finite stressful situation (e.g., writing finals).
Chronic Stressor
A long-term stressor with no clear end (e.g., poverty).
Frustration
Emotion felt when something blocks goal attainment.
Pressure
Expectation or demand that one should act in a certain way.
Conflict
Discomfort produced by two or more incompatible goals or impulses.
Approach-Approach Conflict
Stress involving a choice between two desirable options.
Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict
Stress caused by choosing between two undesirable options.
Approach-Avoidance Conflict
Stress involving one option with both positive and negative aspects.
Endangered
Feeling life-threatened; triggers strong stress.
Daily Hassles
Minor everyday irritations that accumulate to cause stress.
Life Changes
Major events requiring adjustment (e.g., marriage, illness).
Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
Instrument that assigns life-change units to events to estimate stress load.
Traumatic Event
Unexpected disruptive incident such as disaster or violence.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety disorder marked by persistent memories and hyper-arousal after trauma.
Chronic Negative Situation
Ongoing adverse condition (e.g., dangerous neighborhood).
Socio-Cultural Conditions
Stressors arising from prejudice, discrimination, or acculturation.
Stereotype Threat
Stressful vigilance felt by minorities during cross-group interactions.
Fight-or-Flight Response
Sympathetic and endocrine reactions preparing the body to combat or escape danger.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Selye’s three-stage stress response: alarm, resistance, exhaustion.
Alarm Stage
Initial fight-or-flight activation in GAS.
Resistance Stage
Body attempts to stabilize while remaining alert to stressor.
Exhaustion Stage
Energy depleted; vulnerability to illness rises.
Primary Appraisal
Initial evaluation of how threatening a stressor is.
Secondary Appraisal
Assessment of resources and ability to cope with a stressor.
Autonomic Reactivity
Individual differences in intensity of ANS response to stress.
Explanatory Style
Habitual way of interpreting events as optimistic or pessimistic.
Hardy Personality
Stress-resistant style marked by control, commitment, and challenge.
Type A Personality
Competitive, impatient, hostile style linked to higher stress and heart risk.
Type B Personality
Relaxed, less aggressive style with lower stress levels.
Type C Personality
Cooperative but repressive style; difficulty expressing negatives; higher cancer risk.
Type D Personality
Distressed, worrisome, socially inhibited style affecting health.
Social Support
Perceived comfort, caring, and assistance from others that buffers stress.
Coping
Efforts to manage, reduce, or tolerate stress.
Problem-Focused Coping
Direct actions aimed at removing or altering a stressor.
Emotion-Focused Coping
Changing emotional reaction to a stressor rather than the stressor itself.
Cognitive Reappraisal
Re-interpreting a situation to make it less upsetting.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Field studying links among stress, immune function, and health.
Immune System
Organs, tissues, and cells defending the body against invaders.
Lymphocytes
White blood cells crucial to immune defense.
Cortisol
Stress hormone that suppresses immune functioning.
Cytokines
Proteins that promote inflammation; elevated by chronic stress.
Eustress
Optimal, beneficial level of stress that promotes growth.
Inoculation
Exposure to mild stress to build resilience to later stress.
Abnormal Psychology
Scientific study of psychological disorders and mental illness.
Deviance
Behavior that differs from societal norms.
Distress
Personal suffering caused by symptoms.
Dysfunction
Impairment in daily functioning due to symptoms.
Danger
Risk of harm to self or others posed by symptoms.
International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11)
WHO system used worldwide to classify disorders.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
APA manual providing criteria for over 200 mental disorders.
Diagnosis
Clinician’s identification of a disorder based on symptoms.
Comorbidity
The presence of two or more disorders in the same person.
Neuroscience Model
View that mental disorders arise from brain malfunction and biology.
Psychodynamic Model
Approach attributing disorders to unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood.
Cognitive-Behavioral Model (CBT)
Theory that maladaptive thoughts and learned behaviors produce disorders.
Humanistic-Existential Model
Perspective emphasizing distorted self-views and failure to find meaning.
Socio-Cultural Model
View that societal and family pressures contribute to disorders.
Developmental Psychopathology Model
Framework studying how early risk factors and resilience shape later disorders.
Equifinality
Different beginnings can lead to the same psychological outcome.
Multifinality
Same starting point can lead to multiple possible outcomes.
Resilience
Capacity to recover from or avoid serious effects of adversity.
Depression
Low, sad state marked by feelings of helplessness and loss of interest.
Major Depressive Disorder
Severe disabling depression not due to drugs or medical condition.
Dysthymic Disorder (Persistent Depressive Disorder)
Chronic, less severe form of depression.
Mania
Period of euphoria, overactivity, and inflated self-esteem.
Bipolar Disorder
Mood disorder with alternating episodes of mania and depression.
Learned Helplessness
Belief that one has no control over negative events, leading to passivity.
Cognitive Triad
Beck’s concept of negative views of self, world, and future fueling depression.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Persistent, excessive worry about various topics for at least six months.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Severe fear of social or performance situations where embarrassment may occur.
Phobia
Persistent, unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation.
Panic Attack
Sudden episode of intense fear with physical symptoms.
Panic Disorder
Recurrent unexpected panic attacks and worry about having more.
Obsession
Intrusive, unwanted thought or image that causes anxiety.
Compulsion
Repetitive behavior or mental act performed to reduce anxiety.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Disorder featuring distressing obsessions and/or compulsions.
Acute Stress Disorder
Short-term stress reaction within a month of trauma.
Schizophrenia
Psychotic disorder with disorganized thoughts, hallucinations, and impaired reality testing.
Positive Symptoms (Schizophrenia)
Pathological excesses such as delusions and hallucinations.
Negative Symptoms (Schizophrenia)
Deficits like flat affect, alogia, and social withdrawal.
Cognitive Symptoms (Schizophrenia)
Impairments in memory, attention, and executive function.
Catatonia
Extreme psychomotor disturbance including rigidity or stupor.
Delusion
Firmly held false belief despite contrary evidence.
Hallucination
False sensory perception experienced as real.
Loose Associations
Disorganized speech with rapid topic shifts.
Diathesis-Stress Model
Theory that disorders emerge from biological vulnerability plus stress.
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Excessive thoughts and behaviors about physical symptoms causing distress.
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Preoccupation with having a serious illness despite minimal symptoms.
Conversion Disorder
Neurological-like symptoms (e.g., paralysis) without medical cause.
Factitious Disorder
Deliberate production of symptoms to assume patient role.
Dissociative Disorder
Disruption in identity or memory with no physical cause.
Dissociative Amnesia
Inability to recall important personal information, usually traumatic.
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Persistent feelings of detachment from self or surroundings.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Presence of two or more distinct personality states.
Personality Disorder
Enduring, inflexible pattern causing distress or impairment.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Impulsive, reckless pattern violating others’ rights.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Instability in mood, self-image, and relationships with volatility.
Psychotherapy
Treatment in which therapist and client use verbal/behavioral techniques to overcome problems.