Psych 10.2 & 12.2

Hippocrates

Father of medicine (believed that mental illness came from body imbalence)

Psychopathology

the study of abnormal behavior

psychological disorder

deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

maladaptive

anything that does not allow a person to function within or adapt to the stresses and everyday demands of life

biological

Model explains behavior as caused by biological changes in the chemical, structural, or genetic systems of the body.

Behaviorists

abnormal behavior is learned

Cognitive theorists

abnormal behavior comes from irrational beliefs and illogical patterns of thought

cultural relativism

Considering unique characteristics of the culture where the behavior takes place

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

diagnostic system containing the American Psychiatric Association (APA) criteria for mental disorders

Deppression

One of the most common psychological disorders worldwide

anxiety

excessive or unrealistic fearfulness

phobia

irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity

agoraphobia

An abnormal fear of open or public places

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder in which repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) designed to fend off those thoughts interfere significantly with an individual's functioning

panic disorder

When panic attack occur frequently enough to cause the person difficulty in adjusting to daily life

generalized anxiety disorder

a disorder marked by persistent and excessive feelings of dread and worry about numerous events and activities

dissociative amnesia

loss of memory for personal information, either partial or complete

dissociative fatigue

traveling away from familiar surroundings with amnesia for the trip and possible amnesia for personal information

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

disorder occurring when a person seems to have two or more distinct personalities within one body

affect

An emotional reaction

major depressive disorder

severe depression that comes on suddenly and seems to have no external cause, or is too severe for current circumstances

Bipolar disorder

severe mood swings between major depressive episodes and manic episodes

Mania

When an individual has excessive excitement, energy, and elation

Schizophrenia

a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions

psychotic

when someone does not have the ability to perceive what is real and what is fantasy

positive symptoms

symptoms of schizophrenia that are excesses of behavior or occur in addition to normal behavior; hallucinations, delusions, and distorted thinking

negative symptoms

Schizophrenic symptoms that involve behavioral deficits, such as flattened emotions, social withdrawal, apathy, impaired attention, and poverty of speech.

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Delusions

false beliefs held by a person who refuses to accept evidence of their falseness

personality disorder

a disorder in which a person adopts a persistent, and maladaptive pattern of behavior that interferes with normal social interactions

antisocial personality disorder

A disorder in which a person has no morals

boderline personality disorder

maladaptive personality pattern in which the person is moody, unstable, lacks a clear sense of identity, and often clings to others

seasonal affective disorder

Controversial disorder in which a person experiences depression during winter months and improved mood during spring.

Lowball

technique for getting a commitment from a person and then raising the cost of that commitment

Groupthink

kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the problem with which the group is concerned

compliance

changing one's behavior as a result of other people directing or asking for the change

Aggression

behavior whose purpose is to harm another

stereotype

a set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a particular social category

Obedience

change of an individual's behavior to comply with a demand by an authority figure

alturism

prosocial behavior that is done with no expectation of reward and may involve the risk of harm to oneself

Attribution

the process of explaining one's own behavior and the behavior of others

Cult

any group of people with a particular religious or philosophical set of beliefs and identity

prejudice

A negative attitude toward an entire category of people

Compassionate

Type of love consisting of intimacy and passion

Persuasion

the process by which one person tries to change the belief, opinion, position, or course of action of another person through argument, pleading, or explanation

Proximity

physical or geographical nearness

Conformity

changing one's own behavior to match that of other people

Attitude

a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain person, object, idea, or situation

Discrimination

treating people differently because of prejudice toward the social group to which they belong

Romantic

Type of love consisting of intimacy and commitment