Abnormal Psychology Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Abnormal Psychology lecture notes.

Psychological Disorder

Psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

Psychological Dysfunction

Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning that interferes with daily functioning.

Distress or Impairment

Individual is extremely upset and cannot function properly, either to self or to others.

Atypical or Not Culturally Expected (Deviance)

Deviates from the average or the norm of the culture, including deviation from the person’s usual behavior.

Dangerousness

Creates potential harm to self (suicidal gestures) and others (excessive aggression).

Duration

How long the mental state has been persisting; sustained, persistent, and pervasive changes can be concerning.

Psychopathology

Scientific study of mental disorders.

Clinical Psychology

Applied branch of psychology that seeks to understand, assess, and treat psychological conditions in a clinical setting.

Abnormal Psychology

Branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotions, and thought which may or may not indicate an underlying condition.

Normal Behavior

Behavior that is like other people in the society; includes social conformity, personal comfort, and is a process.

Criteria for determining Abnormal Behavior

Norm-violation, statistical rarity, personal discomfort, deviation, and maladaptiveness.

Clinical Assessment

The systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder.

Diagnosis

Process of determining whether the particular problem afflicting the individual meets all criteria for a psychological disorder.

Epidemiology

Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population.

Prevalence

Number of active cases in a population during a given period of time.

Point Prevalence

Proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point in time.

1 Year Prevalence

Everyone who experienced depression at any point in time throughout the entire year.

Lifetime Prevalence

Estimate number of people who have had a particular disorder at any time in their lives.

Incidence

Number of new cases occur over a given period of time.

Sign

Manifestation of disease that the physicians receive.

Symptom

Subjective representation of the complaints of the patient.

Syndrome

Group of symptoms that occur together more often by chance