Abnormal Psych Chap 1-4

Beck's Cognitive Therapy

cognitive therapy to treat depression and anxiety, help change and identify negative/self-critical thoughts

psychopathology

signs/symptoms of mental disorders (ie. depressed mood, panic attacks, etc.)

abnormal psychology

application of psychological science to the study of mental disorders

psychosis

person is considered to be out of contact with reality

syndrome

a group of symptoms that appear together and are assumed to represent a specific type of disorder

insanity

legal term saying the accused doesn't have to take responsibility for their actions due to mental illness

nervous breakdown

Incapacitating but unspecified type of mental disorder

subjective discomfort

places emphasis on the individual's experience of personal distress

statistical norms

how common or rare the behavior is in the general population

flourishing

people functioning at the highest level

culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

epidemiology

scientific study of the frequency and distribution of disorders within a population

incidence

number of new cases of a disorder that appears in a population during a specific period of time

prevalence

total number of active cases (both old and new) that are present in a population during a specific period of time

lifetime prevalence

total proportion of people in a given population who have been affected by the disorder at some point during their lives

sex

physical anatomy and male/female biological factors

gender

person's subjective sense of being

Comorbidity

presence of more than one condition within the same period of time

psychiatry

complete normal coursework plus specialized residency training in abnormal psych; have MD and can prescribe meds; also trained in psych intervention

clinical psychology

application of psychological science to the assessment and treatment of mental disorders

social work

requires masters degree in social work

professional counselors

master's degree with emphasis on providing direct service

PSR workers

work in crisis, residential, and case management programs for people with severe forms of disorder (ie. schizophrenia)

managed care

A health care system whose goals are to provide cost effective quality care.

experimental hypothesis

a prediction concerning how an independent variable will affect a dependent variable in an experiment

case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

null hypothesis

A prediction that there is no difference between groups or conditions, or a statement or an idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong.

harmful dysfunction

A concept used in one approach to the definition of mental disorder. A condition can be considered a mental disorder if it causes some harm to the person and if the condition results from the inability of some mental mechanism to perform its natural function

any definition of mental disorder should include elements that indicate both the presence of a dysfunction (i.e., the failure of a naturally designed mechanism) and a significant negative impact related to that dysfunction in terms of distress or impairment.

biological paradigm

looks for biological abnormalities that cause abnormal behavior

Reliability

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting

psychodynamic paradigm

asserts that abnormal behavior is caused by unconscious mental conflicts that have roots in early childhood experience

hysteria

characterized by unusual physical symptoms in the absence of physical impairment

psychoanalytic theory

A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior

ID

houses biological drives, such as hunger, and sex and aggression
- operate according to the pleasure principle: the impulses of the id seek immediate gratification and create discomfort or unrest until they are satisfied

ego

part of the personality that must deal with the realities of the world as it attempts to fulfill id impulses as well as perform other functions
- operates on the reality principle: resides in conscious awareness

Superego

equivalent to your conscience; contains societal standards of behavior, particularly rules that children learn in their preschool years from tying to be like their parents

defense mechanisms

the ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

denial

insistence that an experience, memory, or need did not occur or does not exist. For example, you completely block a painful experience from your memory

displacement

feelings or actions are transferred from one person or object to another that is less threatening. for example, you kick your dog when you are upset with your dog

projection

attributing one's own feelings or thoughts to other people. For example, you kick your dog when you are upset with your boss

rationalization

intellectually justifying a feeling or event. for example, after not getting the offer, you decide that a job you applied for was not the one you really wanted

reaction formation

converting a painful or unacceptable feeling into its opposites. for example, you "hate" a former lover, but underneath it all you still really love that person

repression

suppressing threatening material from consciousness but without denial. For example, you "forget" about an embarrassing experience

Sublimation

diverting id impulses into constructive and acceptable outlets. for example, you study hard to get good grades rather than giving in to desires for immediate pleasures

cognitive-behavioral paradigm

views abnormal behavior as a product of learning

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

learning through association, and involves US, UR, CS, and CR

operant conditioning (skinner)

asserts that behavior is a function of its consequences - behavior increases if its rewarded and decreases if it is punished

behaviorism

observable behavior that can be measured objectively

humanistic paradigm

argues that human behavior is the product of free will, the view that we control, choose, and are responsible for our actions

holistic approach

the idea that the whole is more than the sum of its parts

reductionist approach

attempts to understand problems by focusing on smaller and smaller units, suggesting that the smallest account is the "true" cause

Equifinality

there are many routes to the same destination (disorder)

Multifinality

the same event can lead to different outcomes

reciprocal causality

mutual influences where "cause" and "effect" sometimes is a matter of perspective

Diathesis-stress model

common way of simplifying how multiple influences produce abnormal behavior

diathesis

predisposition toward developing a disorder

stress

a difficult experience

risk factors

Actions or behaviors that represent a potential health threat (ie. contribute to mental disorders)

correlational study

the relation between two factors is studied systematically

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1) \-- measures how strongly two factors are related

reverse causality

indicates that causation could be operating in the opposite direction

third variable problem

indicates that a correlation between any two variables might be explained by their joint relation with some unmeasured factor - third variable

developmental psychopathology

approach to abnormal psychology that emphasizes how abnormal behavior develops and changes over time

developmental norms

age-graded averages to understanding influences on abnormal behavior

premorbid history

a pattern of behavior that precedes the onset of the disorder

prognosis

a prediction of the course of a disease

neuron

basic building block of the nervous system (brain)

Dendrites

Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information.

Axon

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

axon terminal

the end of an axon

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

reuptake

the process where some neurotransmitters are captured in the synapse and returns the chemical substances to the axon terminal where the neurotransmitter is reused

dualism

the idea that the mind and body are separate \-- THIS IS FALSE

limbic system

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with regulating emotion and language

Hypothalamus

for basic biological urges (ie. Drinking, eating, sexual activity); directs functioning of autonomic nervous system

lateralized

one hemisphere serves as a specialized role as the site of specific cognitive and emotional activities

Psychophysiology

the study of changes in the functioning of the body that result from psychological experiences

endocrine system

Consists of glands that control many of the body's activities by producing hormones.

hormones

chemical substances that affect the functioning of distant body systems and sometimes act as neuromodulators

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

- made of the brain and spinal cord

behavior genetics

the study of broad genetic influences on normal and abnormal behavior, focusing on whether genes are more or less important in development

genotype

individual's actual genetic structure; can't be changed by experience

phenotype

the expression of a given genotype; can be affected by the environment

alleles

different versions of a gene

genes

ultramicroscopic units of DNA that carry information about heredity

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

probands

Index cases. In behavior genetic studies, probands are family members who have a disorder, and the relatives of the index cases are examined for concordance.

Monozygotic Twins (MZ)

identical; twins have identical genotypes since one egg is fertilized by one sperm (twins share 100% of their genes)

concordance rate

indicates the percentage of twin pairs or other pairs of relatives who exhibit the same disorder \-- a twin pair is concordant when both twins either have the same disorder or are free from the disorder; twin pair is discordant if one twin has the disorder and the other doesn't

shared environment

those environmental factors that are experienced by all relevant members of a household \-- high concordance rates point to the influence of the shared environment or the experiences the twins have in common (ie. growing up in poverty)

non-shared environment

those environmental factors that are not experienced by all relevant members of a household \-- low concordance rates point to the influence of the non shared environment, or experiences unique to one twin (ie. Abusive boyfriend/girlfriend)

gene-environment interaction

genetic predispositions and environmental experiences combining to produce more than their separate influences

gene-environment correlation

the fact that our experience is correlated with our genetic makeup (ie. Thrill seeking or "anxious" genes and anxious upbringing)

occurs when an individual selects environments based on genetically influenced traits. For example, students with greater intellectual abilities may select classes that are more challenging, which further increases their knowledge.

epigenetics

how environment/behavior can change how genes are expressed

evolutionary psychology

the application of the principle of evolution to understanding the animal and human mind

natural selection

the process in which successful, inherited adaptions to environmental problems become more common over successive generations

sexual selection

improves inclusive fitness through increased access to mates and mating
—\> can be increased by successful intersexual competition (ie. dominant male limits mating opportunities of other males

attachment theory

human infants develop selective bonds with caregivers more slowly during the first year of life — these bonds, together with displays of distress when separated, keep infant and parent in close proximity

dominance

the hierarchical ordering of a social group into more and less privileged members

anxious attachments

parent-child relationships that are a product of inconsistent and unresponsive parenting during the first year of life