AP Psychology Unit 5 Vocab Quiz #1 Terms 2024-25

Health psychology

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

Stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain stressors

Hypertension

high blood pressure

Immune suppression

a decrease in the production of antibodies

Stressors

specific events that place threaten the person's well-being

Eustress

positive stress

Distress

negative stress

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Stressful or traumatic experiences during childhood that affect development further on

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

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

Alarm reaction phase

The initial reaction to a stressor, activating the body's defense systems.

Resistance phase

The second phase in which the body adapts to and maintains resources to cope with the stressor.

Flight-flight-freeze response

an involuntary physiological reaction to perceived threats with three options

Exhaustion phase

third phase during which the body's resources become depleted

Tend-and-befriend theory

A theory that suggests people seek social support and tend to others in times of stress.

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

Emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction

Positive psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning that aims to discover strengths that enable people to thrive

Well-being

Feeling good about one's life

Resilience

the personal strength that helps most people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma

Positive emotions

joy, pride, relief, hope, love, and compassion

Gratitude

thankfulness

Positive subjective experiences

content for the past, happiness in the present, and optimism for the future that are hidden inside people

Subjective well-being

Individuals' perceptions of their overall happiness and life satisfaction.

Signature strengths

positive traits that a person owns, celebrates, and frequently exercises

Virtues

behavior showing high moral standards

Positive objective experiences

observable aspects of well-being (e.g., happiness)

Happiness

the state of being happy

Subjective well-being

Individuals' perceptions of their overall happiness and life satisfaction.

Categories of virtues

wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, transcendence

Post-traumatic growth

positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises

Dysfunction

Impaired or abnormal functioning

Distress

negative stress

Deviation from the social norm

Behavior significantly differing from societal expectations.

Cultural/societal norms

Influence perception and treatment of disorders.

Stigma

a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

Racism

Belief that one race is superior to another

Sexism

the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other

Ageism

Discrimination based on age

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

The guide on mental disorders that is commonly used in the United States

International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD)

The guide on mental disorders that is prevalent internationally

Eclectic approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

Behaviorial perspective

An approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of learning and importance of environmental influences in explaining behavior.

Maladaptive learned associations

unhealthy associations that can influence well-being in a negative way

Psychodynamic perspective

the approach based on the view that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control

Humanistic perspective

the psychological view that assumes the existence of the self and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the freedom to make choices

Cognitive perspective

A psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior

Evolutionary perspective

perspective that focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share

Sociocultural perspective

perspective that focuses on the relationship between social behavior and culture

Biological perspective

the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior

Biopsychosocial model

a model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness

Diathesis-stress model

suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress