PSYC 370 - Dr. May: Exam 3 Textbook Vocab

attention only control group

A control group whose members meet regularly with a clinician but receive no "active" treatment.

Catharsis

The release of emotions.

common factors

A set of features that characterize many therapy orientations and that may be the source of the positive changes effected by psychological treatment.

control group

In psychotherapy research, the group that does not receive the treatment under investigation.

depth of a problem

The changeability of a condition or behavior. (The "deeper" the condition, the less changeable it is perceived to be.)

effect size

The size of the treatment effect (determined statistically).

effectiveness studies

Studies that emphasize external validity and the representativeness of the treatment that is administered. A treatment is considered effective to the extent that clients report clinically significant benefit from the treatment.

efficacy studies

Studies that place a premium on internal validity by controlling the types of clients in the study, by standardizing the treatments, and by randomly assigning patients to treatment or no- treatment groups. A treatment is considered efficacious to the extent that the average person receiving the treatment in clinical trials is demonstrated to be significantly less dysfunctional than the average person not receiving any treatment (e.g., those on a waiting list for treatment).

empirically supported treatments (ESTs)

Treatments for various psychological conditions that have been shown through careful empirical study to be either "well established" or "probably efficacious." A list of ESTs is updated and published periodically by the APA's Division of Clinical Psychology.

evidence-based treatments (EBTs)

Those interventions or techniques that have produced significant change in clients and patients in controlled trials.

evidence-based practice (EBP)

Treatments informed by a number of sources, including scientific evidence about the intervention, clinical expertise, and patient needs and preferences.

expert role

The therapist's demonstration of competence (i.e., knowledge and experience).

anal stage

The psychosexual stage that extends from about 6 months to 3 years of age, during which the child focuses on urination and defecation as means of satisfaction.

analysis of dreams

A psychoanalytic technique that attempts to shed light on unconscious material. Because dreams are regarded as heavily laden with unconscious wishes in symbolic form, the analysis of dreams is believed to provide important clues to these wishes.

brief psychotherapy

Psychotherapy of relatively brief duration that has grown in popularity due in large part to the cost-containment measures imposed by health care systems. Many brief therapies have retained a psychodynamic identity.

death instincts (Thanatos)

The innate drives that are responsible for all of the negative or destructive aspects of behavior.

defense mechanisms

Strategies used by the ego to stave off threats originating internally, from one's id or superego. (Also referred to as ego defenses.)

ego

The organized, rational component of the personality. The ego uses perception, learning, planning, and so forth to satisfy the needs of the organism while at the same time preserving its place in the world.

ego analysis

An alternative to traditional psychoanalysis that is characterized by relative deem- phases on the role of the unconscious and the exploration of childhood experience and relative emphases on the adaptive functions of the ego (e.g., perception, learning, memory) and the exploration of contemporary problems in living.

Fixation

The defense mechanism that occurs when the frustration and anxiety of the next psychosexual stage cause the individual to be arrested at his or her current level of psychosexual development.

free association

A cardinal rule of psychoanalysis in which patients are required to say anything and everything that comes to mind. Over time, free association is believed to shed light on unconscious thoughts and urges.

genital stage

The psychosexual stage that follows the onset of adolescence and ideally culminates in a mature expression of sexuality.

Id

The deep, inaccessible portion of the personality that contains the instinctual urges. The id is without order, logic, or morals and operates solely to gratify the instinctual urges.

Insight

In psychoanalytic psychotherapy, a complete understanding of the unconscious determinants of one's irrational and problematic thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

A brief, insight-oriented therapy that is psychodynamic in tone. IPT has been applied primarily to the treatment of depression and is considered a "well- established" empirically supported treatment (EVT) for this disorder.

Interpretation

A method in which the psychoanalyst reveals the unconscious meanings of the patient's thoughts and behaviors, thus helping the patient to achieve insight. Interpretation is the cornerstone of nearly every form of dynamic psychotherapy.

latency stage

The psychosexual stage that extends from about 5 to 12 years of age, during which the child is characterized by a lack of overt sexual activity (and perhaps even a negative orientation toward anything sexual).

latent content

The symbolic meaning of a dream's events.

life instincts (Eros)

The innate drives that are responsible for all of the positive or constructive aspects of behavior.

manifest content

What actually happens during a dream.

moral anxiety

Anxiety that arises from the concern that a person will act in a way that conflicts with the standards of his or her conscience.

neurotic anxiety

Anxiety that stems from the fear that a person's id impulses will be expressed unchecked, thus resulting in trouble.

Oedipus complex

The phase in which a child feels sexual attraction for the parent of the opposite sex and feelings of hostility toward the parent of the same sex. The superego emerges from the resolution of this complex.

oral stage

The psychosexual stage spanning about the first year of life, during which the mouth is the chief source of pleasure and satisfaction.

phallic stage

The psychosexual stage that extends from about 3 to 7 years of age, during which the sexual organs become the primary source of gratification.

pleasure principle

The rule of conduct by which one seeks pleasure and avoids pain. The id operates according to the pleasure principle.

primary process

The irrational and impulsive type of thinking that characterizes the id.

Projection

The defense mechanism that occurs when a person attributes his or her unconscious feelings to someone else.

psychic determinism

A major assumption of Freudian theory that holds that everything one does has meaning and is goal directed.

psychosexual stages

A series of developmental stages posited by Freud, each of which is marked by the involvement of a particular erogenous zone of the body.

reaction formation

The defense mechanism that occurs when an unconscious impulse is consciously expressed by its behavioral opposite.

reality anxiety

Anxiety that arises from the presence of a real danger in the outside world.

reality principle

The rule of conduct by which one defers the gratification of instinctual urges until a suitable object and mode of satisfaction are discovered. The ego operates according to the reality principle.

Regression

The defense mechanism that occurs when extensive frustration causes a person to return to a stage that once provided a great deal of gratification.

Repression

The most basic defense mechanism. Repression serves to keep highly threatening sexual or aggressive material out of conscious awareness, often involuntarily.

Resistance

Any attempt by the patient to ward off the therapist's efforts to dissolve his or her neurotic methods for resolving problems. Any client action or behavior that prevents insight or prevents bringing unconscious material into consciousness.

secondary process

The rational and self- preservative type of thinking that characterizes the ego.

Superego

The component of the personality that represents the ideals and values of society as they are conveyed to the child through the words and deeds of his or her parents. The role of the superego is to block unacceptable id impulses and to pressure the ego to serve the ends of morality rather than those of expediency.

talking cure

Discovered by Breuer, the use of techniques that encourage patient talking as a way of addressing and alleviating neurotic symptoms.

therapeutic alliance

The bond between patient and therapist. A strong therapeutic alliance is believed to contribute significantly to a positive therapeutic outcome.

Transference

A key phenomenon in psycho- analytic therapy in which the patient reacts to the therapist as if the therapist represented an important figure from the patient's past.

Unconscious

The portion of the mind that is not accessible to awareness.

unconscious motivation

Motivation that resides outside conscious awareness. Freud posited the existence of unconscious motivation and asserted that it was responsible, in large part, for disturbed behavior.

working-through process

A careful and repeated examination of how one's conflicts and defenses have operated in many areas of one's life. It is through this process that an insight achieves true, full meaning for the patient.

client-centered therapy

A psychotherapy developed by Carl Rogers that emphasizes the importance of the client's perceptions of his or her experience and recognizes an inherent human tendency toward developing one's capacities. This therapy orientation seeks to facilitate the client's growth potential.

Congruence

One of the three therapist characteristics considered essential for client-centered work (also referred to as genuineness). Congruence refers to the honest expression by the therapist of the behaviors, feelings, and attitudes that have been stimulated by the client.

de-reflection

A technique described by Frankl in which the client is instructed to ignore a trouble- some behavior or symptom in order to divert his or her attention to more constructive thoughts or activities.

Emotion-Focused Therapy

A psychotherapy that integrates the client-centered and Gestalt psychotherapy traditions. At the heart of EFT is the theoretical proposition that emotions are fundamentally adaptive and that emotions give our life experience its value, meaning, and direction.

Empathy

One of the three therapist characteristics considered essential for client-centered work. Empathy refers to sensitivity to the needs, feelings, and circumstances of clients so that they feel understood.

existential psychology

An orientation to psychology that views people as engaged in a search for meaning.

Gestalt games

"Games" developed by the Gestaltists to emphasize the "rules" of Gestalt therapy. Often, these games may involve making prescribed verbalizations or engaging in various role-plays.

growth potential

A capacity for competence that all individuals possess. The goal of client-centered therapy is to release this capacity.

Humanism

An approach to psychology that views individuals as unified, whole, and unique beings who exercise free choice and strive to develop their inner potentials.

Logotherapy

(Literally, "the therapy of meaning.") A widely known form of existential therapy developed by Victor Frankl that encourages the client (a) to find meaning in what appears to be a callous, uncaring, and meaningless world and (b) to develop a sense of responsibility for his or her life.

moral precepts

In Gestalt therapy, rules for patients to live by (e.g., live now, express directly, reject all "shoulds" and "oughts" that are not your own, take complete responsibility for your actions).

paradoxical intention

A technique described by Frankl in which the client is told to consciously attempt to perform the very behavior or response that is the object of anxiety or concern. The paradox is that the person will usually be unable to do what he or she fears doing when he or she tries to do it intentionally.

person-centered approach

The client-centered approach when it is applied to problems or situations outside of the therapy room (e.g., volunteer training, the training of medical professionals).

phenomenal self

The part of the phenomenal field that the person experiences as "me." According to phenomenological theory, humans have a basic urge to preserve and enhance the phenomenal self.

Phenomenology

A philosophical/theoretical approach that asserts that an individual's behavior is completely determined by his or her phenomenal field, or everything that is experienced by the person at any given point in time.

process-experiential therapy

A relatively new treatment approach that integrates the client- centered and Gestalt therapy traditions.

Self

The awareness of one's being and functioning as separate and distinct from all else.

self-actualization

The basic human tendency toward maintaining and enhancing the self.

unconditional positive regard

One of the three therapist characteristics considered essential for client-centered work. Unconditional positive regard refers to complete acceptance of and respect for the client as a human being, without conditions or requirements.

anxiety hierarchy

In systematic desensitization, a list of situations that precipitate anxiety reactions, ordered from lowest to highest severity. Often, items may be organized according to their spatial or temporal distance from the feared stimulus.

assertiveness training

Using behavioral rehearsal and other techniques to train people to express their needs effectively without infringing on the rights of others.

aversion therapy

A controversial type of treatment in which an undesired behavior is followed consistently by an unpleasant consequence, thus decreasing the strength of the behavior over time.

behavioral rehearsal

A general technique for expanding the patient's repertoire of coping behaviors. Successful behavioral rehearsal involves explaining to the patient the necessity of acquiring the new behaviors, selecting the target situations, conducting the rehearsal, and providing feedback, and having the patient apply the newly acquired skills in real-life situations.

behavior therapy

A framework for treating disorders that is based on the principles of conditioning or learning. The behavioral approach is scientific in nature and deemphasizes the role of inferred (i.e., unobservable) variables on behavior.

cognitive-behavioral therapy

A therapy framework that emphasizes the role of thinking in the etiology and maintenance of problems. Cognitive-behavioral techniques attempt to modify the patterns of thinking that are believed to contribute to a patient's problems and may also employ the principles of conditioning and learning to modify problematic behaviors.

cognitive therapy

A mode of therapy pioneered by Aaron Beck that focuses on the connection between thinking patterns, emotions, and behavior and uses both cognitive and behavioral techniques to modify the dysfunctional thinking patterns that characterize a disorder. Cognitive therapy is active, structured, and time limited and has been adapted for the treatment of several disorders.

contingency contracting

A contingency management technique in which the therapist and patient draw up a contract that specifies the behaviors that are desired and undesired as well as the consequences of engaging or failing to engage in these behaviors.

contingency management

Any one of a variety of operant conditioning techniques that attempts to control a behavior by manipulating its consequences.

Counterconditioning

The principle of substituting relaxation for an anxiety response.

covert sensitization

A form of aversion therapy in which patients are directed to imagine them- selves engaging in an undesired behavior and then are instructed to imagine extremely aversive events occurring once they have the undesired behavior clearly in mind.

dialectical behavior therapy

A cognitive- behavioral therapy developed by Marsha Linehan for borderline personality disorder and related conditions that teaches skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and inter- personal effectiveness.

exposure plus response prevention

A behavioral technique often used for the treatment of OCD. In this technique, the patient is exposed to the situation that spurs his or her obsession (e.g., touching a doorknob) and is prevented from engaging in the compulsive behavior that relieves the obsession (e.g., repeated hand washing). Ultimately, the patient will habituate to his or her obsession, and the compulsive behavior will be extinguished.

exposure therapy

A behavioral technique for reducing anxiety in which patients expose them- selves (in real life or in fantasy) to stimuli or situations that are feared or avoided. To be effective, the exposure must provoke anxiety, must be of sufficient duration, and must be repeated until all anxiety is eliminated.

Extinction

The elimination of an undesired response (e.g., behavioral, emotional).

Habituation

The elimination of a response that comes about from the repeated and/or prolonged presentation of the provoking stimulus.

interoceptive cues

Internal physiological stimuli (e.g., dizziness or nausea).

Modeling

Also known as observational learning, the learning of a new skill or set of behaviors by observing another person perform these skills/ behaviors.

Overcorrection

A form of aversion therapy in which the client is made to "overcorrect" for the consequences of his or her undesired behavior.

Premack principle

Also known as "Grandma's rule," the contingency management technique in which a behavior is reinforced by allowing the individual to engage in a more attractive activity once the target behavior is completed.

rational-emotive therapy (RET)

A therapy pioneered by Albert Ellis in which patients are forced to confront and correct their own illogical thinking. In Ellis's system, a person's beliefs about events, rather than the events themselves, deter- mine the problematic emotional or behavioral consequences.

rational restructuring

An eclectic set of techniques that teaches individuals to examine their assumptions about situations or the world in general and alter their ideas to be more realistic or rational.

Relaxation

A state of lowered anxiety, stress, and physiological arousal. Relaxation may be induced by tensing and then relaxing various muscle groups or via breathing exercises, imagery exercises, or hypnosis.

response cost

A form of aversion therapy in which positive reinforcers are removed following an undesired behavior.

Shaping

A contingency management technique in which a behavior is developed by first rewarding any behavior that approximates it and then by selectively reinforcing behaviors that more and more resemble the target behavior.

stress-inoculation training (SIT)

A technique developed by Donald Meichenbaum that attempts to prevent problems by "inoculating" patients to ongoing and future stressors. SIT involves educating patients about how certain appraisal patterns lead to stress, teaching them to identify and cope with potential stressors, rehearsing these coping skills in the therapy setting, and consolidating these skills by applying them across a range of real-life, stressful situations.

successive approximation

Another term for shaping.