chapter 12: abnormal psychology

abnormal psychology

the study of people who suffer from psychological disorders

insanity

is used to differentiate people who can be held entirely responsible for their crimes (the sane) and those who cannot be held fully responsible for their actions due to a psychological disorder

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

psychologists determine whether someone has a psychological disorder or not using this book

anxiety disorders

hare a common symptom of anxiety

specific phobia

an intense unwarranted fear of a situation or object

claustrophobia

the fear of enclosed spaces

arachnophobia

the fear of spiders

agoraphobia

the fear of open, public spaces

social anxiety disorder

the fear of a situation in which one could embarrass oneself in public

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

experiences constant, low-level anxiety; could constantly feel nervous and out of sorts

panic disorder

suffers from episodes of intense anxiety without anything starting it; panic attacks increase in frequency and people often suffer additional anxiety just from anticipating panic attacks

somatic symptom disorders

occur when a person manifests a psychological problem through a physiological symptom

conversion disorder

reports the existence of severe physical problems such as paralysis or blindness, and they will be unable to move their arms or see, but there will be no biological reason for such problems can be identified

hypochondriasis

complaining frequently about physical problems for which doctors are unable to find a cause

dissociative amnesia

when a person cannot remember things and no physiological basis for the disruption in memory can be identified

organic amnesia

biologically induced amnesia

dissociative identity disorder

when someone has several personalities rather than one integrated personality

mood or affective disorder

experiences extreme or inappropriate emotions

major depressive disorder

the most common mood disorder, is clinically diagnosed with this after one remains unhappy for more than two weeks in the absence of a clear reason

seasonal affective disorder

people experience depression during certain times of the year

Aaron Beck

a cognitive theorist, believes that depression results from unreasonably negative ideas that people have about themselves, their world, and their futures, called this the cognitive triad

attribution

an explanation of the cause

Martin Seligman

created the idea of learned helplessness

learned helplessness

when one’s prior experiences have caused that person to view themselves as unable to control aspects of the future that is controllable

bipolar disorder

involves both depressed and manic episodes, some sufferers can feel a sense of confidence, while others can feel anxious

schizophrenia

tends to strike people as they enter young adulthood, the fundamental symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized language, and/or unusual effects and motor behavior

delusions

beliefs that have no basis in reality

delusions of persecution

the belief that people are out to get you

delusions of grandeur

the belief that you enjoy greater power and influence than you do

hallucinations

perceptions in the absence of any sensory stimulation

neologisms

the term for when schizophrenics make up their own words

clang associations

the term for when schizophrenics could string together nonsense words that rhyme

inappropriate effect

when schizophrenics have an inappropriate response to a certain event

flat affect

when schizophrenics have no response to a certain event

catatonia

a motor problem

waxy flexibility

is when schizophrenics allow their bodies to be moved into any alternative shape and will hold that pos

positive symptoms

refer to excesses in behavior, thought, or mood such as neologisms and hallucinations

negative symptoms

correspond to deficits such as flat affect or catatonia

dopamine hypothesis

one of the most popular ideas about the cause of schizophrenic disorders

tardive dyskinesia

excessive use of these drugs can be negative and can cause muscle tremors and stiffness

double binds

when a person is given contradictory messages

diathesis-stress model

states that environmental stressors can provide the circumstances under which a biological predisposition for illness can express itself; often applied to schizophrenia but can be applied to various psychological and physical disorders

antisocial personality disorder

when you have little regard for other people’s feelings and view the world as a hostile place where people need to look out for themselves

dependent personality disorder

rely too much on the attention and help of others

paranoid personality disorder

feel persecuted

narcissistic personality disorder

involves seeing oneself as the center of the universe

histrionic personality disorder

connotes overly dramatic behavior

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

are overly concerned with certain thoughts and performing certain behaviors

OCD

when persistent, unwanted thoughts cause someone to feel the need to engage in a particular action

PTSD

usually involves flashbacks or nightmares following a person’s involvement in or observation of an extremely troubling event such as a war or natural disaster

paraphilia

the sexual attraction to an object, person, or activity that isn’t normally seen as sexual

pedophilia

attraction to children

zoophilia

attraction to animals

fetishism

attraction to objects

voyeur

someone who is sexually aroused by others engaging in sexual behavior

masochist

someone who is aroused by having pain inflicted upon themselves

sadist

someone who is aroused by inflicting pain on someone else

substance-related/addictive disorders

a diagnosis made when the use of such substances or behaviors regularly negatively affects a person’s life

autism spectrum disorder

when people seek out less social and emotional contact than other children and are less likely to speak out for parental support when distressed

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

when someone has difficulty paying attention or sitting still

Alzheimer’s disease

a form of dementia, which is a deterioration of cognitive abilities, seen mostly in memory

David Rosenhan

conducted a study in 1978 in which he and a number of associates sought admission to a number of mental hospitals