PSYC 372 Exam 1 Terms

Symptom

subjective complaints as reported by the client

Sign

• objective observations made by the clinician which indicate abnormality/disorder

• Can be directly (client avoiding eye contact) or indirectly (client’s score on severity rating form) observed

Diagnosis

a label given by a professional

Disorder

the concept of a given cluster of mental health problems

Epidemiology

study of distribution of health issues in a given population

Lifetime Prevalence

percentage of people who experience a condition at any point in life (47%)

Culture

set of customs, beliefs, and norms shared amongst a group

Case Study

can prove existence of something interesting and provide lots of detail, but CANNOT generalize

DSM-5

the medical model of mental disorders is a tool for communicating about mental health problems

Punishment

violating established rules and expectations of society/religion, needs reprimanding

Glorification

being blessed with deep insight, connection to Gods, etc. Should be treated with praise

Healing

i.e., those behaving abnormally are ill, sick, or incapacitated in some way, and therefore need help and care from some sort of expert

Mass Madness

large-scale mental health phenomenon wherein individuals have shared abnormal thoughts and/or behaviors

Illness

subjective understanding of symptoms, shaped by one's culture

• (e.g., “you have a cold—you need some ginger ale and lots of soup”)

Disease

framing of an illness in a particular theoretical light based on the professional's training

• (e.g., when a client reports pain in upper back and shoulders, a chiropractor sees spine misalignment, a physician sees slipped/degenerative discs, a psychologist sees stress/anxiety, and a physical therapist sees lacking exercise and poor posture)

Sickness

the ill response of a social group to some sort of maco-level force causing them misery

• (e.g., through their victimization, oppression, prejudice, disadvantage, etc.)

Tautological Fallacy

saying the same thing twice (it is what it is)

Nominal Fallacy

Assuming that because something has been labeled, it has been explained and the cause is identified

Reification Fallacy

logic where an abstract concept is identified, named, and mistreated as existent in the tangible world

Etiology

the causes, risks, influences, and predictors for a human problem

Necessary Cause

a factor must be present for the disorder to occur

if Disorder Y occurs, Factor X preceded it

Sufficient Cause

if a factor occurs, the disorder will follow

if factor X occurs, Disorder Y will follow

Contributory Cause

if a factor occurs, the probability of a disorder increases

if Factor X occurs, probability of Disorder Y goes up, aka “risk factors”

Distal Cause

contributors to the disorder which were in the past (child abuse, early loss, etc)

Proximal Cause

contributors to the disorder in current timeframe (divorce, stress, etc)

Resilience

state of NOT becoming disordered after major stressors

Protective Factors

variables which increase probability of resilience (social support, high IQ)

Biopsychosocial Model

the best attempt in the field of psychopathology to approach the etiology and treatment of mental disorders through a multi-systems approach, utilizing research from various areas of science, and addressing all levels of analysis

Moderator

Variable B influences the strength or direction of the A --> C relationship

sex(B) moderates impact of traumas(A) on distress level(C)

Mediator

Variable B is influences by A, which then influences C

death of a spouse(A) leads to lower social support(B) leading to depression(C)

Stress Diathesis Model

models the likelihood of a disorder occurring based on one's combo of stress level and diathesis level

Over-diagnosis

a recently stretched diagnostic definition led to inflated prevalence estimates

Greenberg's Noble Lie

that diagnostic labels of mental disorders and their classifications are valid, truthful, and accurate ways for clients to understand their woes; truth=social constructs

true

the clinician made the right decision

false

the clinician made the wrong decision

positive

the clinician deemed the disorder as present

negative

the clinician deemed the disorder as absent

Reliability

the degree to which the test yields true scores

Validity

degree to which the test yields meaningful data

standardization

degree to which the test is administered identically

objective tests

specific forms of responses (clear/exact stimuli, quantitative scoring)

projective tests

responses to ambiguous stimuli (ink blots, qualitative)

Psychoanalysis

Freud's focus is the unconscious, and making its content explicit

-Free association, Analysis of dreams, Analysis of resistance, Analysis of transference

Psychodynamic

exploring emotions, examining avoidances, identifying recurring patterns, discussing past experiences, focusing on relationships

Interpersonal

Focused on relationships and interpersonal transactions, use of transference and attachment notions

Humanistic

focused on self-actualization and underlying positive drive in humans (genuineness, empathy, unconditional positive good)

Existential

focused on utilizing the framework of existence and being as unifying as the human condition (death, isolation, freedom)

Community and Family Systems

focused on placing psych. problems into their larger contexts (marriage, family, school)

Cognitive/CBT

tries to change a client's maladaptive thought processes, which in turn affect emotions and behaviors

Eclectism

an eclectic theoretical orientation involves borrowing and combining techniques and concepts from various approaches

Integrationism

an integrative theoretical orientation combines 2-3 specific approaches together

cognitive + Behavioral = cbt

Regression to the Mean

when an extreme data point is followed later by a more average data point within the same case, moving closer to the average/mean

Efficacy

determined via randomized clinical trials in which therapy is compared to placebo

Empirically-Supported Treatments (EST)

data from tightly designed experimental studies (focused on specific symptom efficacy)

Effectiveness

determined via various study designs with a focus on external validity/generalizability

Evidence-Based Practices (EBP)

broader data including case studies, correlational studies etc. (focused on general effectiveness)

Therapist

not a legally protected term, can be used by anyone

Therapy

Collaborative exploration with an unbiased helper seeking improvement

Prevalence

Number of cases in a population with a condition, usually shown as percentage

• Ex: “About 10% of the world is left-handed”

Point Prevalence

Percentage of cases at a specific point in time (Always the smallest prevalence estimate)

Period Prevalence

Percentage who experienced the condition at any point during a certain period

• Ex: “Approximately 10% of college students experience depression in their first year of school

Incidence

rate of new cases of a condition within a population within a certain amount of time
(e.g., “There are approximately 10 new cases of bubonic plague in the US each year.”)