VCE Psychology U4 AOS2

the journey's end...

SEWB domains

The interconnected domains of social and emotional wellbeing are mind and emotions, body and behaviours, family and kinship, community, culture, Country and land, and spirituality and ancestors.

Connection to mind and emotions

A SEWB domain involving mental health and wellbeing and managing thoughts and feelings.

Connection to body and behaviours

A SEWB domain involving biological markers, physical health and optimal functioning to participate fully in life.

Connection to family and kinship

A SEWB domain recognising family and kinship systems, reciprocity and caring, and respect for elders.

Connection to community

A SEWB domain involving cultural structures of responsibility and connection to others.

Connection to culture

A SEWB domain involving cultural expressions and activities that underpin strong identity.

Connection to Country and land

A SEWB domain involving a sense of belonging to Country and connection to kin and culture through Country.

Connection to spirituality and ancestors

A SEWB domain involving knowledges and belief systems, cultural healing practices, and values of wisdom and hope.

Determinants of health

Overarching factors that influence individual and community wellbeing, including social, political, historical and cultural factors.

Cultural determinants of health

Factors that shape the environment in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are born and influence the ability of cultural groups to maintain cultural continuity and exercise self-determination.

Cultural continuity

The passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions and values from generation to generation.

Self-determination

The right for individuals to participate in decision-making that affects their lives.

Mental wellbeing

Mental wellbeing refers to an individual's psychological state, including their ability to regulate emotions, cope with everyday demands, think and process information.

Levels of functioning

How well an individual independently performs in their environment and meets the ordinary demands of everyday life.

Adaptive behaviour

Behaviour that enables an individual to adjust to their environment appropriately and effectively.

Maladaptive behaviour

Behaviour that is detrimental to, or interferes with, an individual's ability to successfully adjust to their environment.

Adaptive coping

Coping strategies that effectively manage stress, including regulating emotions, problem solving, seeking support and changing thoughts or expectations.

Maladaptive coping

Coping strategies that interfere with effective adjustment, including risk-taking, procrastination and self-criticism.

Resilience

The ability to cope with change, uncertainty or adversity.

Mental wellbeing continuum

A model that conceptualises mental wellbeing as existing along a continuum, with an individual's position changing over time due to internal and external factors.

Biopsychosocial model

A holistic framework explaining mental wellbeing through the interaction of biological, psychological and social factors.

Biological factors

Internal, genetic and/or physiological factors that can influence mental wellbeing.

Psychological factors

Internal factors relating to mental processes, including cognition, emotions, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes.

Social factors

External factors relating to an individual's relationships, interactions and environment.

Stress

A psychological and physiological state of arousal experienced when an event challenges an individual's ability to cope.

Anxiety

An emotion characterised by apprehension and worry about a threat or future misfortune; it is generally future-oriented and focused on a diffuse threat.

Specific phobia

A persistent, intense and irrational fear of a particular object or event that impairs functioning.

Protective factors

Influences that enable an individual to promote and maintain high levels of mental wellbeing.

Adequate nutrition and hydration

A biological protective factor involving consuming diverse nutrients and sufficient water to support physical and mental wellbeing.

Adequate sleep

A biological protective factor that contributes to positive mood, cognition and mental wellbeing.

Cognitive behavioural strategies

Psychological techniques based on the idea that thoughts influence feelings and behaviour, so changing dysfunctional thoughts and behaviours can improve mental wellbeing.

Mindfulness meditation

A practice involving focusing attention on breathing and accepting thoughts, feelings and sensations as they arise without judgement.

Social support

Assistance, care or comfort provided by people in an individual's social networks when facing stressful situations.

Authentic support

Genuine or sincere assistance, care or comfort provided by others.

Energising support

Support that helps an individual feel revitalised and provides energy to cope with stressors.

Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB)

A holistic and multidimensional framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that recognises wellbeing through interconnected relationships between body, mind and emotions, family and kinship, community, culture, Country, and spirituality and ancestors.

SEWB domains

The interconnected domains of mind and emotions, body and behaviours, family and kinship, community, culture, Country and land, and spirituality and ancestors.

Determinants of health

Overarching social, political, historical and cultural factors that influence individual and community wellbeing.

Culture

The collectively shared values, principles, customs and traditions of a group of people.

Cultural determinants of health

Factors that shape the environment in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live and influence cultural continuity and self-determination.

Cultural continuity

The passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions and values from generation to generation.

Self-determination

The right for individuals to participate in decision-making that affects their lives.

Cultural protective factors

Factors that promote wellbeing through culture, including self-determination, reconciliation, freedom from discrimination, custodianship of Country, reclamation of language and cultural practices, and protection of traditional knowledge.

GABA

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that decreases the likelihood that the postsynaptic neuron will fire.

GABA dysfunction

Insufficient neural transmission or reception of GABA, which can increase the likelihood that a stress response is triggered.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

The long-lasting, experience-dependent strengthening of synaptic connections through repeated coactivation or high-intensity stimulation of neurons.

Classical conditioning

Learning through association in which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a fear response.

Neutral stimulus (NS)

A stimulus that initially does not produce the relevant fear response.

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally produces a fear response without prior learning.

Unconditioned response (UCR)

The naturally occurring fear response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits a conditioned response.

Conditioned response (CR)

A learned response elicited by a previously neutral stimulus after conditioning.

Operant conditioning

Learning in which the consequences of behaviour influence the likelihood that the behaviour will occur again.

Negative reinforcement

An increase in behaviour caused by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus.

Positive punishment

A decrease in behaviour caused by adding an unpleasant consequence.

Cognitive bias

A systematic error in thinking that can lead to incorrect or irrational conclusions.

Memory bias

A cognitive bias in which traumatic events are recalled inaccurately or exaggerated.

Catastrophic thinking

A cognitive bias in which the potential dangers of an object or event are repeatedly overestimated.

Environmental trigger

A stimulus or experience that evokes an extreme stress response and can contribute to the development of a phobia.

Stigma

Feelings of shame or negative judgement associated with being different from others.

GABA agonist

A substance that mimics or enhances the effects of GABA in the nervous system.

Benzodiazepine

A class of anti-anxiety medication; short-acting benzodiazepines provide short-term reductions in feelings of anxiety and act as GABA agonists.

Breathing retraining

An anxiety-management strategy involving conscious control of breathing to slow breathing and decrease the physiological stress response.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

A psychotherapy involving strategies that target maladaptive thoughts and undesirable behaviours.

Cognitive therapy

The component of CBT that identifies maladaptive thoughts and replaces them with more adaptive thoughts.

Behavioural therapy

The component of CBT that identifies maladaptive behaviours and develops more positive behaviours.

Systematic desensitisation

A behaviour therapy involving gradual exposure to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimuli while replacing the fear response with a relaxation response.

Fear hierarchy

A ranked list of fear-inducing stimuli arranged from least to most anxiety-inducing.

Psychoeducation

The provision of information to increase understanding of a disorder and possible treatment options.

Avoidance behaviour

Behaviour involving avoiding contact or exposure to a feared object or situation.