AP Psych Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

eustress

Stress that is positive and motivating.

distress

Stress that is negative and debilitating.

stressors

Certain life events which cause stress.

stress reactions

How we react to changes in our environment.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Describes the general response humans and other animals have to a stressful event through three stages: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion.

Alarm reaction

First stage of GAS in which heart rate increases and blood is diverted away from other bodily functions to muscles needed to react; body readies itself to meet the challenge through activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

resistance

Second stage of GAS where the body remains physiologically ready, hormones are released to maintain the state of readiness. If this lasts too long, the body can deplete its resources.

exhaustion

Our parasympathetic nervous system returns our physiological state to normal. We are more vulnerable to disease in this stage, especially if resources were depleted by an extended resistance stage.

hypertension

High blood pressure.

immune suppression

Decreasing the body’s ability to produce white blood cells to fight off infection.

Tend-and-befriend theory

Stress management technique in which people actively seek ways to tend to their own self-care needs and attend to the needs of their friends and family to create meaningful social connections.

emotion-focused coping

Specific stress management techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, and breathing techniques utilized, often combined with medication prescribed by clinical psychologists.

positive psychology

Field of study on how humans can flourish, maximize potential, achieve happiness, and improve quality of life; shares the optimistic focus of humanistic psychology but is committed to supporting its theories with empirical evidence from research studies.

happiness

Combination of hedonic pleasure (joy) and eudaimonic meaning (fulfillment); includes life satisfaction and positive affect.

subjective well-being

A sense of how satisfied a person is with their life overall.

virtues

Positive character traits identified through positive psychology.

wisdom

Being able to use the information known creatively, being open-minded and retaining curiosity.

courage

Persistence, integrity, and bravery.

humanity

Appreciation of, kindness toward, and interest in others.

justice

Striving to be a socially responsible citizen and actively improving the world.

temperance

Moderation that encourages self-control and discourages excess.

transcendence

Seeing beyond oneself and valuing one's connection with the world, including nature, beauty, and hope for the future.

well-being

Our perception of how effectively we function in our personal lives and in our groups.

gratitude

Expressing thankfulness verbally or in writing, associated with increased happiness and life satisfaction.

resilience

The ability to adapt effectively when faced with trauma and extreme stress, experiencing post-traumatic growth.

post-traumatic growth

The ability to construct a meaningful experience in response to a period of trauma.

dysfunction

A breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral processes, preventing an individual from functioning effectively in daily life.

distress

A state of emotional suffering, discomfort, or strain characterized by symptoms of anxiety, depression, and helplessness.

deviance

Unusual behaviors or feelings that are not shared by many members of the population.

International classification of mental disorders (ICD)

Classification for psychologists to determine whether or not someone has a psychological disorder.

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)

Provides a way for psychologists to diagnose their patients; contains the symptoms of everything currently considered to be a psychological disorder.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Potentially traumatic events occurring before age 18—such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction (e.g., parental divorce, substance abuse)—that disrupt safe, nurturing environments.

maladaptive learned associations

Harmful, conditioned connections between stimuli and responses that interfere with daily functioning and well-being.

sociocultural perspective

Examines how social groups, cultural norms, and environments shape individual behavior, thoughts, and attitudes.

racism

A system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on phenotypic properties (like skin color).

sexism

Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, based on their sex or gender.

ageism

Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination directed at individuals based on their age, most commonly targeting older adults.

discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior or actions toward a specific group or its members, usually stemming from prejudice.

Biological perspective

Another name for the biomedical model.

Biopsychosocial view

Problems likely result from the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

diathesis-stress model

Environmental stressors can provide circumstances under which a biological predisposition for illness can express itself.

stressors

Any external events, situations, or internal factors that trigger the body's stress response.

eclectic

Psychologists who do not subscribe strictly to one perspective or another.

psychoanalytic (psychodynamic) perspective

The cause of psychological disturbances is in unconscious conflicts often caused by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Humanistic perspective

The root of psychological disorders is in a person’s feelings, self-esteem, and self-concept.

Behavioral perspective

Psychological problems result from the individual's history of reinforcement.

Cognitive perspective

The source of psychological disorders is maladaptive learned associations (harmful, conditioned connections between stimuli and responses).

Sociocultural perspective

Social ills such as racism, sexism, ageism, and poverty, and the discrimination stemming from these prejudices lie at the heart of psychological disorders.

biological (biomedical) perspective

Psychological disorders are caused by biological factors such as hormonal or neurotransmitter imbalances or by differences in brain structure; may be associated with genetic abnormalities.

Autism spectrum disorder

Individuals seek out less social and emotional contact than do other children and are less likely to seek parental support when distressed; may be hypersensitive to sensory stimulation and engage in repetitive behaviors.

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Characterized by hyperfocus on interests while struggling to perform less interesting tasks; more commonly diagnosed in young boys.

Anxiety disorders

Disorders characterized by a common symptom of anxiety.

Specific phobia

An intense, unwarranted fear of a situation or an object resulting in anxiety when encountered.

claustrophobia

Fear of enclosed spaces.

arachnophobia

Fear of spiders.

agoraphobia

Fear of open, public spaces; individuals may be afraid to leave their homes.

Social anxiety disorder

Fear of situations in which one could embarrass themselves in public.

Taijin kyofusho

Type of social anxiety involving concern that one’s body is displeasing to others, predominantly diagnosed in Japanese individuals.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Characterized by constant, low-level anxiety; individuals feel consistently nervous and out of sorts.

Panic disorder

Characterized by acute episodes of intense anxiety without apparent provocation.

Panic attacks

Episodes of increased anxiety; anticipation of further attacks often contributes to additional anxiety.

Ataque de nervios

Name used in the Caribbean for symptoms similar to panic attacks.

acrophobia

Fear of heights.

Psychodynamic theory for anxiety

Anxiety is a result of conflicts among the id, ego, and superego.

behaviorist theory for anxiety

Anxiety disorders are learned through classical conditioning, parent conditioning, or cognitive learning; associated with specific events.

Cognitive theory for anxiety

Anxiety arises from unhealthy and irrational thinking patterns.

Somatic symptom (and related disorders)

A psychological problem manifests as a physiological symptom; diagnosis decreasing in DSM as absence of medical causes does not imply a psychological issue.

Psychodynamic theory for somatic symptom disorders

Outward manifestations of unresolved unconscious conflicts.

Behavioral theory for somatic symptom disorders

Reinforcement for the behavior associated with somatic symptom disorders.

dissociation

A break or separation from memories and thoughts or even a sense of identity.

Dissociative amnesia

Inability to remember information without any identifiable physiological basis for memory disruption.

Dissociative identity disorder

Formerly known as multiple personality disorder; a condition where a person has several distinct personalities, typically arising from trauma or abuse.

Dissociative disorders

Disorders that may arise from extremely traumatic events that are repressed, leading to a split consciousness.

Major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)

Most common mood disorder; characterized by prolonged unhappiness, loss of appetite, fatigue, and lack of interest in pleasurable activities.

Persistent depressive disorder

Long-lasting depression that may not be as severe; can occur during certain times of the year (e.g., Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Psychodynamic theory for depression

Depression may result from anger directed inward or an overly punitive superego.

learning theory for depression

Depression may be reinforced by attention or sympathy received from others.

Cognitive theory for depression

Depression is caused by negative thoughts about oneself and the world, noticeable in people who make internal, global, and stable attributions for negative events.

Biological theory for depression

Linked to low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, often running in families.

Learned helplessness

A view that leads to depression, where prior experiences make individuals feel unable to control future outcomes.

Bipolar disorder

A mood disorder involving both manic and depressed episodes, with manic episodes characterized by elevated energy and potentially risky behaviors.

Bipolar I disorder

A form of bipolar disorder characterized by full-blown manic episodes.

Bipolar II disorder

A form of bipolar disorder involving at least one episode of hypomania, a less extreme level of mania than in Bipolar I.

mania

A state of abnormally elevated arousal, energy, and mood lasting at least one week.

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Characterized by disordered thinking, including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized behavior.

Disorganized thinking

A symptom of schizophrenia characterized by fragmented and incoherent thought processes.

Disorganized speech

A core symptom of schizophrenia marked by incoherent and illogical communication.

Disorganized motor behavior

Unusual, purposeless, or unpredictable physical actions characteristic of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

delusions

Beliefs without a basis in reality.

Delusions of persecution

The belief that others are out to get the individual.

Delusions of grandeur

The belief that one has greater power and influence than actually possessed.

hallucinations

Perceptions in the absence of any sensory stimulation.

Word salad

The name for the speech of schizophrenics; result of neologisms (own words) and nonsense words that rhyme (clang associations).

Flat affect

People with schizophrenia often evidence inappropriate responses, in this case, it is essentially no response at all.

catatonia

Remain motionless in strange postures for hours at a time, may move jerkily and quickly for no apparent reason, or alternate between the two.

Waxy flexibility

Schizophrenics in catatonia will allow their body to be moved into any alternative shape and will then hold that new pose.

Positive symptoms

Excess in behavior, thought, or mood (e.g. neologisms, hallucinations).

Negative symptoms

Deficits in behavior, thought, or mood (e.g. flat effect, catatonic stupor).

Catatonic stupor

A symptom of catatonia characterized by extreme immobility, motor inhibition, and reduced or absent responsiveness to external stimuli.

Dopamine hypothesis

Most common hypothesis for schizophrenia (biological theory); high levels of dopamine are associated with schizophrenia; evidenced by antipsychotic drugs which lower dopamine levels reducing disordered thought and behavior.