PSY200 - Test 4

Sex

Refers to biology

Gender

Refers to psychology, sociology, and culture

Primary sexual characteristics

Refers to the genitals & reproductive organs themselves

Secondary sexual characteristics

Refers to the differences in body shape, hair placement, muscle development, etc. between the sexes

Five dimensions of sex

• Genetic sex - most accurate determination; 23rd chromosome pair instructs the developed fetus which set of hormones to produce which in turn, determines the the development of the sexual anatomy

  • females XX pair; males XY pair

• Hormonal sex - the genetics instruct the fetus in which set of hormones to produce, & the hormones determine sexual anatomy (unless something goes very wrong!)

  • both sexes have a full set of all human hormones & sex is determined by which group is most prevalent. Males have extra androgens & females have extra estrogens

• Gonad sex - male gonads are the testes. Females gonads are the ovaries in both sexes

• Genital sex - internal genitals means a pink blanket & external means a blue one! used mostly for babies

• Gender - not scientific; your own gender identity can be used in sex determination

Male hormone(s)

Androgens

Female hormone(s)

Estrogens

Intersexual

“Person of dual or ambiguous sexual anatomy”

Gender role

Social & cultural attitudes & expectations related to an individual’s sex

Gender identity

Your own personal attitudes & expectations related to your sex

Gender stereotype

Gender roles which you are more/less completely divorced from reality e.g. men can’t commit or women are emotional

Sandra Bem’s concept of Androgeny

A person who is androgynous, refers to the ability to pick & choose characteristics you want, regardless of gender-role stereotyping

• androgen insensitivity - describes a genetic male who, due to insensitivity to his own sex hormones, develops a female, or partially female, sexual anatomy

• androgenital syndrome - refers to a genetic female who, due to oversensitivity to her own sex hormones, develops a male, or partially male, sexual anatomy

Typical order of the human sexual response

Excitement (flirting) → plateau (sex) → Orgasm → Resolution

Paraphilias

Greek for “different love.” Refers to abnormal sexual behaviors. Needs to be an element of harm/compulsivity

Pedophilia

Sexual attraction to children

Ephebophilia

Sexual attraction to biologically mature but socially underage people (more of a power issue)

Exhibitionism

Unwanted sexual display; compulsive action

Voyeurism

Unwanted sexual viewing; is abnormal in that it is done from hiding & directed toward unwilling victim

Frotteurism

Rubbing against people in public; frotteurists gain sexual pleasure by standing too close , “accidently” touching, brushing, or rubbing against someone in a public space

Fetishism

Sexual pleasure from objects; fetishists desire sexual pleasure from inanimate objects

Transvestic fetishism

Males fetishist who gains sexual pleasure from wearing women’s clothing, typically lingerie

Masochism

Sexual pleasure from being hurt; compulsive action

Sadism

Sexual pleasure from hurting others; compulsive action

Personality

“Unique and relatively stable patterns of thinking, emotions, and behavior.”

Self Concept

Stories we tell ourselves about ourselves; a person’s perception of their personality

Temperament

“The biological (or inherited) component of personality.”

Personality Type

“Outdated, overly simplified approach to classifying personas who share similar traits into ‘types’ e.g. type A or type B people”

Personality Trait

“A stable, enduring quality that a person exhibits in most situations”

Behaviorist Approach

You do what you’ve learned to do

Humanist Approach

Private, subjective experience, free will, etc.

Psychodynamic Approach

Looks for hidden (unconscious) conflicts & desires

Cardinal Traits

So basic that everything about you can be traced to this single trait, rare e.g. batman fighting justice

Central Traits

Important, stable traits that characterize your personality

Secondary Traits

Unimportant, changeable characteristics like dress style, music taste, favorite color, etc.

Costa and McCrae’s “Big 5” Personality Traits

• Extraversion - how outgoing you are

• Agreeableness - kindness, caringness friendly

• Conscientiousness - organization; sense of structure

• Neuroticism - worry/anxiety

• Openness - willingness to try new things, meet new people; easily bored

Psychodynamic Personality Theory Id

Selfish, demanding “pleasure principle,” biological, fully unconscious

Superego

Guilt & shame “conscience” from parents; also unconscious

Ego

Reality principle “sense of self” only conscious component

Abnormal

• Statistical - if the behavior is rare enough

• Social conformity - if it’s not how a person is expected to act

• Subjective discomfort - if a person states that they are unhappy

• Maladaptive behavior - the “core feature” if the behavior makes it difficult or impossible for a person to function

Psychological Disorders and their primary symptoms

• Organic - if there is known biological brain dysfunction, as from a head injury, poison, drugs & certain diseases

• Substance use disorders - social, legal, financial or other problems which center around use of a substance, i.e. addiction

  • certain drugs (alcohol, meth, ecstasy) can do permanent damage, which would be an organic disorder

• Paraphylic dysphoria - serious dysfunction related to sexual issues

• Gender dysphoria - unhappiness to the level of depression related to your gender identity

• Personality d/o - these are ongoing patterns of unhealthy and/or destructive behaviors that are not actually severe enough to be classed as true “disorders”

• Dissociative d/o - disorders in which the individual “dissociates” from themselves

  • ranging from temporary amnesia to full-blown Multiple Personality Disorder, blocking traumatic events

• Somatic d/o - disorders in which a physical symptom is manifested, but for which there is no actual physical cause

• Anxiety d/o - disorders in which the core feature is anxiety, fear, “nervousness,” (2nd most common)

  • generalized anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia (anxiety on perceiving environment is not safe around them and unable to escape), obsessive compulsive disorder, etc.

• Depressive d/o - disorders in which the core feature is an unnaturally depressed mood (most common)

  • depression, dysthymia

• Schizophrenic spectrum d/o - core feature is confusing fantasy with reality

  • hallucinations - sensory experience not based in reality

  • delusions - elaborate, complex beliefs with no basis in reality

Personality Disorders and their primary symptoms

• Dependent - needy person

• Histrionic - “drama queen;” people who stir up chaos to get attention

• Narcissistic - compulsive liars; still wants attention & approval; crave power

• Antisocial - person who actively works against morality, decency, and social norms. They lie, all about their own benefit

• Obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) - can’t actually accomplish anything b/c they get so caught up with their routines

• Schitzoid - person who doesn’t want to go to party; don’t socialize & don’t want friends (completely in males only!)

• Avoidant - like schitzoid but wants friends but they’re not hurting anyone

• Paranoid (PPD) - untrusting; mean-spirited; not delusional

• Schitzotypal - people who act really really weird; not hallucinating or delusional, think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory; can’t act normal

• Borderline - So crazy but like crazy schizophrenic individual; obsessed with attention & approval; need you to like them but they’re unlikeable

Main risks factors in developing a psychological disorder

• Biological

• Psychological

• Family factors

• Social conditions

Psychotherapy

“Any psychological technique used to facilitate positive changes in a person’s personality, behavior and/or adjustment

Insight vs. Action Therapy

• Insight is about increasing knowledge

• Action is more about wanting to makes changes

Directive vs. Nondirective Therapy

• Directive gives you things to do; don’t tell the patient what to desire; patient sets goal and instructions are set to reach goal/decisions

• Nondirective don’t give you homework

  • can go too far in either direction

Who first created the idea of Psychotherapy, and what was he treating?

Freud first created the idea of psychotherapy. He was treating what was called “hysteria”