Psychology Chapter 10, 13, 15, 16

Pg. 441-452 (10) Pg. 655-697 (15) Pg. 549 - 597 (13) Pg. 703 - 741 (16)

Subjective Stress

The psychological impact of a potentially stressful event from the perspective of the individual experiencing it

Stress Response

A coordinated series of physiological changes that prepare you for “fight or flight”; that is, to confront the stressor, or flee

General Adaptation Syndrome

A sequence of physiological reactions in response to stressors: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis

An interconnected set of structures and hormone pathways regulating stress response

Immune System

A set of bodily processes that protects against germs, microorganisms, and other foreign substances that enter the body and can cause disease

Fight or Flight Response

A behavioral pattern in which an organism facing a threat does one of two things: attack or flee

Tend and Befriend

A coping strategy identified particularly in women in which the response to threat involves taking action to help others (tending) while maintaining a close support network (befriending)

Social Support

Loving care and personal assistance from friends and family, particularly as provided during times of stress

Personality

The relatively consistent, observable patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving that distinguish people from one another, and the inner psychological systems that explain these patterns

Personality Theory

A comprehensive scientific model of human nature and individual differences

Personality Structures

Those elements of personality that remain consistent over significant periods of time

Personality Processes

Individuals’ distinctive patterns of change in psychological experience and behavior that occur from one moment to the next

Personality Assessment

A structured procedure for learning about an individual’s distinctive psychological qualities

Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud’s theory of personality, also called psychodynamic theory

Id

In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the personality structure that motivates people to satisfy basic bodily needs

Ego

In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the mental system that balances the demands of the id with the opportunities and constraints of the real world

Superego

In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the personality structure that represents society’s moral and ethical rules

Levels of Consciousness

Variations in the degree to which people are aware, and can become aware, of the contents of their minds

Conscious

In Freud’s analysis of levels of consciousness, the regions of mind containing the mental contents of which you are aware at any given moment

Preconscious

In Freud’s analysis of levels of consciousness, regions of mind containing ideas you can easily bring to awareness

Unconscious

In Freud’s analysis of levels of consciousness, regions of mind containing ideas you are not aware of and generally cannot become aware of even if you wanted to

Psychodynamic Processes

In Freud’s theory, changes in mental energy that occur as energy flows from one personality structure to another, or is directed to desired objects

Terror Management Theory

A theory proposing that death is so terrifying that thinking about it increases feelings of identification with institutions (e.g., religions, nations) that will survive one’s death

Psychosexual Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, a period during which the child focuses on obtaining sensual gratification through a particular part of the body

Oral Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, the developmental stage (ages 0 to 18 months) during which children seek gratification through the mouth

Anal Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, the developmental stage (18 months to 3½ years) during which children experience gratification from the release of tension resulting from the control and elimination of feces

Phallic Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, the developmental stage (3½ to 6 years) during which the source of gratification is the genitals

Latency Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, the developmental stage during which sexual desires are repressed into the unconscious until puberty

Genital Stage

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, the developmental stage that starts at puberty, signaling the reawakening of sexual desire

Fixation

In Freud’s theory of psychological development, a disruption in development occurring when an individual experiences either too little or too much gratification at a psychosexual stage

Defense Mechanism

A mental strategy that, in psychoanalytic theory, is devised by the ego to protect against anxiety

Repression

A defense mechanism in which traumatic memories are kept in the unconscious, thereby blocked from awareness

Sublimation

A defense mechanism in which an instinct toward sex or aggression is redirected to the service of a socially acceptable goal

Free Association Method

A method of both personality assessment and therapy devised by Freud in which psychologists encourage people to let their thoughts flow freely and say whatever comes to mind

Projective Test

Personality assessment tool in which items are ambiguous and psychologists are interested in the way test takers interpret the ambiguity, “projecting” elements of their own personality onto the test

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test in which the test items are symmetrical blobs of ink that test takers are asked to interpret

Neo - Freudian Personality Theories

Theories of personality inspired by Freud that attempted to overcome limitations in his work

Collective Unconscious

Jung’s concept of a storehouse of mental images, symbols, and ideas that all humans inherit thanks to evolution

Humanistic Theory

An approach to personality that focuses on people’s thoughts and feelings about themselves and the ways that interpersonal relationships shape these feelings

Self

In humanistic theories, such as that of Rogers, an organized set of self-perceptions of our personal qualities; people’s conceptions of who they are

Actual Self

People’s perceptions of psychological qualities they possess currently, in the present

Ideal Self

People’s perceptions of psychological qualities that they optimally would possess in the future

Self Actualization

A motivation to realize one’s inner potential

Condition of Worth

In Rogers’s theory of personality, a behavioral requirement imposed by others, such as parents, as a condition for being fully valued, loved, and respected

Unconditioned Positive Regard

A display of respect and acceptance toward others that is consistent and not dependent on their meeting behavioral requirements

Q - Sort

An assessment procedure in which people categorize words and phrases according to how well or poorly the descriptions fit them

Self-Esteem

A person’s overall sense of self-worth

Trait

In personality psychology, a person’s typical style of behavior and emotion

Trait Theories

Theoretical approaches that try to identify, describe, and measure people’s personality traits

Lexical Approach

A perspective on the task of identifying personality traits which presumes that all significant individual differences among people will be represented by naturally occurring words in everyday language

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique that identifies patterns in large sets of correlations

Big Five

A set of personality traits that is found consistently when researchers analyze, via factor analysis, people’s descriptions of personality

Social Cognitive Theory

A theoretical approach to personality in which the core of personality consists of personal knowledge, beliefs, and skills acquired through social interaction

Personal Agency

People’s capacity to influence their motivation, behavior, and life outcomes by setting goals and developing skills

Self Referent Cognitions

Thoughts people have about themselves as they interact with the world and reflect on their experiences

Self - Efficacy Beliefs

Judgments about one’s own capabilities for performance

Skills

Abilities that develop through experience, including interpersonal skills

Affective Systems

In social-cognitive theory, psychological systems that generate moods and emotional states

Modeling

A form of learning in which knowledge and skills are acquired by observing others; also known as observational learning

Self - Regulation

People’s efforts to control their own behavior and emotions

Explicit Measure

An assessment of psychological qualities (e.g., personality characteristics) in which test items directly inquire about the psychological quality of interest, and people’s responses are interpreted as a direct index of those qualities

Implicit Measure

An assessment of psychological qualities (e.g., personality characteristics) that does not rely on test takers’ direct reports of their qualities; instead, measures such as length of time taken to answer a question provide information about psychological qualities

If, Then, Profile Method

A method for assessing behavior in which researchers chart variations in behavior that occur when people encounter different situations

Psychological Disorders

Prolonged experiences of psychological distress or poor psychological functioning that interfere with a person’s everyday life; mental disorders

Clinical Psychologists

Professionals trained not only in principles of psychological science, but also in the application of those principles to the diagnosis of, and provision of therapy for, psychological disorders

Counseling Psychologists

Professionals whose training and professional activities are similar to those of clinical psychologists, but with particular emphasis on the provision of advice regarding not only mental health, but also personal and vocational development

Psychiatrists

Physicians trained in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, with particular emphasis on the biological basis of disorders and the use of drugs to combat them

Medical Model of Psychological Disorders

Framework for thinking about the causes of, and treatments for, psychological disorders in a way that mimics thinking about physical illnesses

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Reference book that comprehensively lists and classifies mental disorders, specifying diagnostic criteria

Comorbidity

The presence of symptoms of two or more disorders in any one individual

DSM - 5

The current edition of the DSM manual, published in 2013 with substantial changes in content

Psychological Therapies (Psychotherapies)

Interactions between a therapist and client(s) in which the therapist speaks with the client, with a goal of improving emotional state, thinking, and behavioral skills

Biological Therapies

In the treatment of psychological disorders, interventions that directly alter the biochemistry or anatomy of the nervous system

Drug Therapies

In the treatment of psychological disorders, treatment with pharmaceuticals that alter the biochemistry of the brain to improve emotional state and thinking abilities

Psychotherapists

Professionals who provide psychological therapies

Psychoanalysis

The psychotherapy strategy originally developed by Sigmund Freud; a type of insight therapy

Insight Therapy

A type of psychotherapy in which therapists help clients identify and understand the root causes of their psychological symptoms

Free Association Method

A method of both personality assessment and therapy devised by Freud in which psychologists encourage people to let their thoughts flow freely and say whatever comes to mind

Transference

A psychoanalytic process in which a patient unintentionally responds emotionally to a therapist as if the therapist were a significant figure from the patient’s past, such as a paren

Behavior Therapy

A therapy strategy grounded in research on learning, in which therapists aim to directly alter clients’ patterns of behavior by teaching more adaptive ways of behaving

Token Economy

A behavior therapy technique in which therapists reward desirable behavior with tokens that serve as reinforcers, making the behavior more likely to reoccur

Exposure Therapy

A behavior therapy technique in which therapists combat the emotions of fear and anxiety by bringing clients into direct contact with an object or situation that arouses their fear, while ensuring that no harm occurs

Extinguishing (of Emotion)

In exposure therapy, the reduction in emotional response that occurs when an anticipated emotionally arousing consequence does not occur

Systematic Desensitization

An exposure therapy that reduces fear by exposing clients to feared objects in a slow, gradual manner

Cognitive Therapy

A psychological therapy in which therapists try to improve mental health by changing the way in which clients think, reducing negative, self-defeating thoughts

Irrational Beliefs

Demanding, dogmatic thoughts that distort reality illogically and cause people to experience negative emotions

Beck’s Cognitive Therapy

A therapy method for changing negative, irrational thoughts by increasing clients’ awareness of their automatic thoughts, challenging those thoughts, and suggesting positive alternative ones

Automatic Thoughts

Thoughts that spring to mind rapidly and unintentionally

Humanistic Therapy

A psychological therapy in which therapists provide clients with supportive interpersonal relationships; the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is key to the client’s growth and change

Empathetic Understanding

In humanistic therapy, the therapist’s understanding of the client’s psychological life from the perspective of the client

Reflection

In psychotherapy, an active-listening technique in which the therapist recurringly summarizes statements made by the client, “reflecting” the content back to the client

Group Therapy

Any type of psychological therapy in which a therapist meets with two or more clients together

Eclectic Therapy (Integrative Psychotherapy)

Therapy that draws upon any therapeutic method available, with the therapist combining the methods of different therapy schools in designing an optimal approach for therapy in general or an individual client

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Pharmaceuticals designed to alleviate depression by increasing serotonin activity through interference with the biochemical process known as reabsorption or reuptake

Blood Brain Barrier

A set of biological mechanisms in the circulatory system that prevents most substances in the bloodstream from entering brain tissue

Psychoactive Substances

Chemical substances small enough to cross the blood–brain barrier that affect psychological processes of perception, thinking, or emotion

Placebo Effect

In drug therapies, any medical benefit not caused by biologically active properties of the drug, but by the patient’s expectation that the drug will help him

Electroconvulsive Therapy

A biological therapy for severe depression in which electrical currents are delivered to the brain

Lobotomy

An outmoded surgical procedure for treating mental disorders in which a surgeon would damage brain tissue in the frontal cortex

Empirically Supported Therapies

Treatments whose effectiveness is established in carefully controlled experimental research