Abnormal Psych Exam One - Chapter One

Psychological disorder

Psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not a typical or culturally expected response

phobia

A psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation

abnormal behavior

actions that are unexpected and often evaluated negatively because they differ from typical or usual behavior

psychopathology

Scientific study of psychological disorders

scientist-practitioner

Mental health professional expected to apply scientific methods to his or her work. A scientist-practitioner must know the latest research on diagnosis and treatment, must evaluate his or her methods for effectiveness, and may generate research to discover information about disorders and their treatment

presenting problem

Original complaint reported by the client to the therapist. The actual treated problem may be a modification derived from the presenting problem

clinical description

Details of the combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings of an individual that make up a particular disorder

prevalence

Number of people displaying a disorder in the total population at any given time (compare with incidence)

incidence

Number of new cases of a disorder appearing during a specific period (compare with prevalence)

course

Pattern of developmental and change of a disorder over time

prognosis

Predicted development of a disorder over time

etiology

Cause or source of a disorder

exorcism

Religious ritual that attributes disordered behavior to possession by demons and seeks to treat the individual by driving the demons from the body

psychosocial treatment

Treatment practices that focuses on social and cultural factors (such as family experience), as well as psychological influences. These approaches include cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal methods

moral therapy

Psychosocial approach in the 19th century involved treating patients as normally as possible in normal environments

mental hygiene movement

Mid 19th century effort to improve care of the mentally disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment

psychoanalysis

Assessment and therapy pioneered by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious processes and conflicts

behaviorism

Explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology

unconscious

Part of the psychic makeup that is outside the awareness of the person

catharsis

Rapid or sudden release of emotional tension thought to be an important factor in psychoanalytic therapy

psychoanalytic model

Complex and comprehensive theory originally advanced by Sigmund Freud that seeks to account for the development and structure of personality, as well as the origin of abnormal behavior, based primarily on inferred inner entities and forces

id

In psychoanalysis, the unconscious psychic entity present at birth representing basic drives

ego

In psychoanalysis, the psychic entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy id drives

superego

In psychoanalysis, the psychic entity representing the internalized moral standards of parents and society

intrapsychic conflicts

In psychoanalytic theory, a struggle among the id, ego, and superego

defense mechanisms

Common pattern of behavior, often an adaptive coping style when it occurs in moderation, observed in response to a particular situation. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that defense mechanisms are unconscious process originating in the ego

psychosexual stages of development

Psychoanalytic concept of the sequence of phases a person passes through during development. Each stage is named for the location on the body where id gratification is maximal at that time.

castration anxiety

In psychoanalysis, the fear in young boys that they will be mutilated genitally because of their lust for their mothers

neurosis

Obsolete psychodynamic term for a psychological disorder thought to reslult from an unvonscious conflict and the anxiety it causes

ego psychology

Psychoanalytic theory that emphasizes the role of the ego in development and attributes psychological disorders to failure of the ego to manage impulses and internal conflicts. Also known as self-psychology

self-psychology

See ego-psychology

object relations

Modern development in psychodynamic theory involving the study of how children incorporate the memories and values of people who are close and important to them

collective unconscious

Accumulated wisdom of a culture collected and remembered across generations, a psychodynamic concept introduced by Carl Jung

free association

Psychoanalytic therapy technique intended to explore threatening material repressed into the unconscious. The patient is instructed to say whatever comes to mind without censoring.

dream analysis

Psychoanalytic therapy method in which dream content is examined as symbolic of id impulses and intrapsychic conflicts.

psychoanalyst

Therapist who practices psychoanalysis after earning either an M.D. or a Ph.D. degree and receiving additional specialized postdoctoral training

transference

Psychoanalytic concept suggesting that clients may seek to relate to the therapist as they do to important authority figures, particularly their parents

psychodynamic psychotherapy

Contemporary version of psychoanalysis that still emphasizes unconscious processes and conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems.

self-actualizing

Process emphasized in humanistic psychology in which people strive to achieve their highest potential against difficult life experiences

person-centered therapy

Therapy method in which the client, rather than the counselor, primarily directs the course of discussion, seeking self-discovery and self-responsibility

unconditioned positive regard

Acceptance by the counselor of the client’s feelings and actions without judgment or condemnation.

behavioral model

Explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology

classical conditioning

Fundamental learning process first described by Ivan Pavlov. An event that automatically elicits a response is paired with another stimulus event that does not (a neutral stimulus). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that by itself can elicit the desired response.

extinction

Learning process in which a response maintained by reinforcement in operant conditioning or pairing in classical conditioning decreases when that reinforcement or pairing is removed; also the procedure of removing that reinforcement or pairing.

introspection

Early, nonscientific approach to the study of psychology involving systematic attempts to report thoughts and feelings that specific stimuli evoked

systematic desensitization

Behavioral therapy technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually relaxation.

behavior therapy

Array of therapeutic methods based on the principles of behavioral and cognitive science, as well as principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviors rather than inferred conflicts as legitimate targets for change.

reinforcement

In operant conditioning, consequences for behavior that strengthen it or increase its frequency. Positive reinforcement involves the contingent delivery of a desired consequence. Negative reinforcement is the contingent escape from an aversive consequence. Unwanted behaviors may result from reinforcement of those behaviors or the failure to reinforce desired behaviors.

shaping

In operant conditioning, the development of a new response by reinforcing successively more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and undesirable behaviors may be learned in this manner