AP Psychology - Unit 5.3-5.5 Vocabulary

Dysfunction

Required factor for identifying disorders; interferes with functioning and is disturbing everyday life (maladaptive)

Distress

Factor for identifying disorders; troubling/upsetting to self/others

Deviant

Factor for identifying disorders; differs from society’s norms

Diagnosis

The process of identifying and labeling a mental disorder based on specific criteria (consequences: cultural/societal norms, stigma, racism, sexism, ageism, discrimination)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

Widely used system in the U.S. for classifying psychological disorders from the APA

International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD)

System used worldwide for all diseases and health conditions from WHO

Eclectic approach

An approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

Biopsychosocial model

Model that assumes that biological, social-cultural, and psychological factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders

Diathesis-stress model

Model that assumes psychological disorders develop due to a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) in combination with stressful life experiences (stress)

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Central nervous system abnormalities (usually in the brain) that start in childhood and alter thinking and behavior (as in intellectual limitations or a psychological disorder)

Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

A psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by limitations in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

Schizophrenic spectrum disorders

A group of psychotic disorders characterized by significant disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior, leading to a disconnection from reality

Acute schizophrenia

A form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age; frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event (reactive), and from which recovery is much more likely (mostly positive symptoms)

Chronic schizophrenia

A form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood (process); as people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten (mostly negative symptoms)

Schizophrenic positive symptoms

Presence of inappropriate behaviors (disorganized speech, inappropriate emotions, delusions, hallucinations)

Schizophrenic negative symptoms

Absence of appropriate behaviors (toneless voice, expressionless face, rigid body, social withdrawal)

Delusion

A false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

Hallucinations

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

Word salad

Correct words, wrong communication

Catatonia

Neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by psychomotor and behavioral abnormalities (no movement at all, then agitated)

Catatonic stupor

A state of marked immobility, minimal or absent responsiveness to stimuli, and reduced spontaneous movement (specific symptom of catatonia)

Flat affect

No emotion

Dopamine hypothesis

States that schizophrenia is linked to overactivity or excess dopamine in the brain

Depressive disorders

A group of disorders characterized by an enduring sad, empty, or irritable mood, along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function

Major depressive disorder

A disorder in which a person experiences five or more symptoms lasting two or more weeks, in the absence of drug use or a medical condition, at least one of which must be either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure

Persistent depressive disorder

A disorder in which people experience a depressed mood on more days than not for at least 2 years (formerly called dysthymia)

Bipolar disorders

A group of disorders in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depressive disorder)

Bipolar I disorder

The most severe form, in which people experience a euphoric, talkative, highly energetic, and overly ambitious state that lasts a week or longer followed by depressive episodes

Bipolar II disorder

A less severe form of bipolar in which people move between depression and a milder hypomania

Anxiety disorders

A group of disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety and related maladaptive behaviors

Specific phobia

An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

Agoraphobia

Fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one may experience a loss of control and panic

Panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack

Ataque de nervios

A panic disorder experienced mainly by people of Caribbean or Iberian descent; often deals with loss of family member

Social anxiety disorder

Intense fear and avoidance of social situations (fear of embarrassing yourself)

Taijin kyofusho

An anxiety disorder experienced mainly by Japanese people; fear of others judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing (fear of embarrassing others)

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

Disorders characterized by recurring, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that cause significant anxiety and are often accompanied by repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) to relieve the anxiety

Obsessions

Irrational thoughts

Compulsions

Irrational behaviors

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

A disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

Hoarding disorder

A persistent difficulty parting with possessions, regardless of their value

Dissociative disorders

A controversial, rare group of disorders characterized by a disruption of or discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior

Dissociative amnesia

A disorder in which people with intact brains reportedly experience memory gaps; people may report not remembering trauma-related specific events, people, places, or aspects of their identity and life history

Fugue

Person experiences a sudden, apparently purposeful travel away from home, work, or significant others, or bewildered wandering, along with the amnesia

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternative personalities (formerly called multiple personality disorder)

Trauma and stressor-related disorders

A group of mental health conditions resulting from traumatic or stressful experiences

Post-traumatic stress disorder

A disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

Feeding and eating disorders

A group of disorders characterized by altered consumption or absorption of food that impairs health or psychological functioning (feeding disorders typically occur in infants and young children, whereas eating disorders affect people who self-feed)

Anorexia nervosa

An eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight, and has an inaccurate self-perception; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise

Bulimia nervosa

An eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss-promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

Personality disorders

A group of disorders characterized by enduring inner experiences or behavior patterns that differ from someone’s cultural norms and expectations, are pervasive and inflexible, begin in adolescence or early adulthood, are stable over time, and cause distress or impairment

Cluster A personality disorders

Personality disorders that are in the odd, eccentric, and weird cluster

Paranoid personality disorder

A pervasive pattern of distrust and suspicion of others, where individuals misinterpret others’ intentions as malicious, even without sufficient basis (A)

Schizoid personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings (A)

Schizotypal personality disorder

A persistent pattern of discomfort in close relationships, along with cognitive or perceptual distortions, and eccentric behaviors (A)

Cluster B personality disorders

Personality disorders that are in the dramatic, emotional, erratic, and wild cluster

Antisocial personality disorder

A personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist (B)

Histrionic personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality, attention-seeking behavior, and dramatic, overly expressive behavior (B)

Narcissistic personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy (B)

Borderline personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood, as well as marked impulsivity (B)

Cluster C personality disorders

Personality disorders that are in the anxious, fearful, and worried cluster

Avoidant personality disorder

A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation (C)

Dependent personality disorder

A personality disorder characterized by an excessive need to be taken care of, often manifesting as clinging behavior or a fear of separation (C)

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

A disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control (C)

Meta-analytic studies

Synthesize data from multiple studies to determine the overall effectiveness of a treatment

Psychotherapy

Treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

Therapeutic alliance

A bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to overcome the client’s problem

Cultural humility

Recognizing that cultural biases exist and being willing to learn from patients

Psychotropic medication therapy

The use of medication (psychotropic drugs) to treat disorders by altering brain chemistry, often in conjunction with other therapies

Deinstitutionalization

The process, begun in the late twentieth century, of moving people with psychological disorders out of institutional facilities

APA Standards and Ethical Principles

Core ethical principles that guide psychologists’ conduct: nonmaleficence, fidelity, integrity, respect for people’s rights and dignity

Nonmaleficence

Do no harm

Fidelity

Establish relationships of trust

Integrity

Promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness

Respect for people’s rights and dignity

Respect the dignity and worth of all people and the rights to privacy/confidentiality

Psychodynamic therapy

Therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

Free association

In psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Dream analysis

A therapeutic technique that involves interpreting the content and meaning of dreams to understand a person’s unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts

Cognitive therapy

Therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions

Cognitive restructuring

Identify negative beliefs and challenge them, then develop alternative thoughts and practice them

Fear hierarchies

A ranked list of feared situations or objects, from least to most anxiety-provoking; used in systematic desensitization

Cognitive triad

A set of three negative beliefs that are thought to characterize depression; these beliefs concern self, world, and future

Applied behavior analysis

Taking principles of conditioning and applying them to help patients

Exposure therapy

A behavioral technique that treats anxieties by exposing people (in imaginary or actual situations) to the things they fear and avoid

Systematic desensitization

A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli; commonly used to treat specific phobias

Aversion therapy

Associating an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior

Token economy

An operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange tokens for privileges or treats

Biofeedback

A technique that helps individuals gain voluntary control over certain physiological functions that are typically considered involuntary (feedback about your biology)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

A popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

A type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that was developed to treat indivduals with borderline personality disorder (BPD); helps patients learn to accept emotions and change thoughts

Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

A confrontational cognitive therapy, developed by Albert Ellis, that vigorously challenges people’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions; therapist yells “stop”

Humanistic therapy

A type of therapy that focuses on a person’s inherent potential for growth and self-actualization

Person-centered therapy

A humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth

Active listening

Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and seeks clarification; feature of Rogers’ person-centered therapy

Unconditional positive regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

Group therapy

Therapy conducted with groups rather than individuals, providing benefits from group interaction

Individual therapy

A one-on-one therapeutic approach where a therapist helps a client explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to address mental health concerns

Effective uses of hypnosis

Pain/anxiety; research does not support its use to retrieve accurate memories or age regression