AP Psych - Unit 5

Stress

The physiological and psychological response to internal or external stressors. It can cause many illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, headaches, and immune suppression. Fight or flight response with release of epinephrine (adrenaline).

Cortisol

Stress hormone. Sustained levels weaken the immune system.

Stressor

Anything that results in stress.

Eustress

Motivating stress/stressor

Distress

Debilitating stress/stressor

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

Sources of stress that can affect an individual throughout their lifetime.

General Adaptation Syndrome

The physiological stress response. Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion.

Alarm

Increase in sympathetic nervous system arousal.

Resistance

Stabilization of increased sympathetic nervous system arousal.

Exhaustion

Breakdown with symptoms such as sleep loss, irritability, and fatigue.

The Tend-and-Befriend Theory

Some people react to stress by tending their needs to the needs of others. May seek connections with others. Occurs mainly with women.

Coping Strategies

Cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage situations that exceed resources and negative emotions caused by stress.

Problem-Focused Coping

Viewing stress as a problem to solve and working until one finds a solution.

Emotion-Focused Coping

Managing emotional reactions to stress. Examples include medication, meditation, and deep breathing.

Positive Psychology

How to live a worthwhile life. Focuses on what is good and how to reach it instead of negatives. Examines how psychological states such as happiness states such as happiness, personality traits, and societal forces can increase one’s overall subjective well-being.

Subjective Well-Being (SWB)

A self-report measure of one’s level of happiness and life satisfaction. Expressing gratitude increasing SWB.

Character Strengths

A positive trait that is morally valued and contributes to the fulfillment of self and/or others. Exercising character strengths lead to higher levels of SWB. Wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendance.

Posttraumatic Growth

A positive subject experience after experiencing trauma or stress.

Deviant

Breaking the social norms established for a group.

Distressful

A negative emotional state that causes changes in physiological activity.

Dysfunctional

An impairment or disturbance of behavior.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)

Published by the American Psychiatric Association as the means of diagnosing disorders. Descriptions of diagnostic categories. Hundreds of disorders.

International Classification of Mental Diseases (ICD)

Developed by the World Health Organization. The global standard.

Eclectic Approach

Most psychologists utilize this approach, which involves using multiple psychological perspectives to diagnose and treat clients.

Biopsychosocial Model

Proposes that psychological problems arise from a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Diathesis-Stress Model

Proposes that psychological disorders develop due to a combination of genetics (diathesis) and stress.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

First diagnosed in childhood and includes developmental problems in academics, intellectual, and social functioning. Are the individuals exhibiting behavior appropriate for their age?

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A combination of problems such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Related to brain development and impacts how the person socializes and repetitive behaviors with a wide range of severity.

Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

Severe mental disorders that manifest as impairment in reality with one or more of the symptoms listed. Can be acute or chronic. Possibly caused by genetics, prenatal virus exposure, or a dopamine imbalance.

Symptoms include: Paranoia, Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganized Speech, Catatonic Behavior, Flat Affect, etc.

Depressive Disorders

Dysfunction caused by sad, empty, or irritable moods along with physical and cognitive changes.

Major Depressive Disorder

Persistent sadness involving angry outbursts, loss of interest in usual activities, sleep disturbances, lack of energy, reduced appetite, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, unexplained physical problems.

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthmic)

Sadness that is less severe but more enduring. Includes loss of interest in everyday activities, sadness, hopelessness, sleep problems, low self-esteem, and trouble concentrating.

Bipolar Disorders

Prolonged and pervasive emotional disturbances alternating between mania and depression.

Bipolar 1

Depressive symptoms alternating with Mania.

Mania

Abnormally upbeat, jumpy, agitated, has an easily exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence, has a decreased need for sleep, is talkative, has racing thoughts, and has poor decision-making.

Hypomania

A milder version of mania that lasts for a shorter time.

Bipolar 2

Depressive symptoms alternating with Hypomania.

Anxiety Disorder

A group of disorders characterized by fear and worry.

Phobia

Persistent fear of a specific activity, object, or situation.

Agoraphobia

Excessive and irrational fear of open and unfamiliar spaces where escape would be difficult, such as public places or standing in line.

Panic Disorder

Characterized by panic attacks. Concern with having another panic attacks and worrying about the consequences of them.

Panic Attack

Intense fear with heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, chest pain, smothering sensations, sweating, and dizziness.

Ataque de Nervios

Panic attacks that are mainly experienced by people of Caribbean or Iberian descent. Includes shaking and uncontrollable crying, sense of rising heat, loss of control, aggression, fainting, and seizure-like episodes.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Intense fear of being watched by others. Significant distress at social activities. Social situations are avoided or experienced with discomfort and dread.

Taijin Kyofusho

Social anxiety disorder experienced by Japanese people. Fear of others judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, and unpleasing.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive worry. It occurs “more days than not“ for six months or more. Restlessness, fatigue, impaired concentration, and disturbed sleep. Difficult to control.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Recurrent intrusive thoughts that prompt performance rituals to alleviate them. Obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions

A persistent and often intrusive thoughts that causes anxiety and distress.

Compulsions

A type of behavior or mental act to reduce anxiety and stress.

Hoarding Disorder

Holding onto items without the need or space to accommodate them.

Dissociative Disorders

Disruption in the integration of consciousness, memory, and perception of the environment.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

It includes the presence of two or more identities in one individual. It is associated with physical or sexual abuse, typically during childhood.

Dissociative Amnesia

Failure to recall important information from personal experiences. One or more episodes of inability to remember important personal information. Fugue.

Fugue

Travel or confused wandering with amnesia.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

It may result when an individual experiences or witnesses and event that is a threat to life and safety. Reexperiencing trauma, flashbacks, nightmares, etc.

Eating Disorder

Disturbance in the attitudes and behaviors related to food.

Anorexia Nervosa

The persistent refusal of food, excessive fear of weight gain, and disturbed body image.

Bulimia Nervosa

Episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors to rid the food.

Personality Disorders

Patterns of behavior deviant from one’s culture; the behavior is inflexible. enduring, and stable over time.

Cluster A Personality Disorders

Odd or eccentric.

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Distrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason.

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Emotional coldness and lack of feelings for others and relationships.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Display odd or eccentric behaviors. Loner, flat emotions, social anxiety, strange/unusual thinking and mannerisms.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Dramatic, emotional, or erratic

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Demonstrate little regard for right and wrong and the feelings of others. Sometimes called sociopathy or psychopathy.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

An overwhelming desire to be noticed and the center of attention. Depressed when not the center of attention, shallow emotions, dramatic, and emotionally expressive.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Grandiose self-importance. Feeling of being superior, exaggerates achievements, requires constant and excessive admiration.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Instability of mood, interpersonal relations, and self-image. Intense fear of abandonment, unstable relationships, idealizing people, and then suddenly thinking they are cruel, rapid changes to identity.

Cluster C Personality Disorders

Anxious or fearful

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Hypersensitivity to rejection or criticism. Does not feel good enough, does not feel attractive, does not try new things or attempt to meet new people, shy in social situations, fears being made fun of.

Dependent Personality Disorder

Long-term pattern to let others take responsibility for major areas of life. Relies too much on others, needs to be taken care of, clingy, lacks confidence.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

A pattern of perfectionism, control, and inability to compromise. Focuses on details and rules, everything and everyone needs to be perfect.

Psychotherapies

Any psychological service provided by a trained professional that uses communication to diagnose and treat mental illness or mental well-being. Meta-analysis studies concluded that it is generally effective.

Evidence-Based Interventions