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MCAT PSYCH/SOC $ > 4. Personality, Attitudes, and Disorders > Flashcards

4. Personality, Attitudes, and Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

Personality theories: What is the psychoanalytical theory? Who is is associated with?

A

The psychoanalytical theory suggests that personality is shaped by a persons unconscious thoughts and memories. Unconscious thought is manifested through dreams, slips of the tongue, etc.
Sigmund Freud developed the psychoanalytical theory

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2
Q

Personality theories: What two instinctual drives motivate human behavior, according to the psychoanalytical theory?

A

The libido –> known as the “life instinct’ . Has the affinity for pleasure, survival, pain-avoidance.

The death instinct –> fuels more aggressive behavior caused by an unconscious longing to die or hurt.

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3
Q

Personality theories: psychoanalytical theory, explain the id, ego, and super-ego. Which is conscious?

A 
id = governed by the pleasure principle. The id seeks pleasure, avoidance of pain, it does not use logic. 
ego = governed by the reality principle. The ego uses logic to try satisfy the id in a realistic way. 
super-ego = strives for higher purpose. The super-ego suppresses the id and strives towards pride and avoidance of guilt.

the ego is the only semi-conscious property of psychoanalytical theory of thoughts.

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4
Q 
Personality theories: psychoanalytical theory believes in ego defense mechanisms to suppress anxiety. Explain...
repression 
denial
reaction formation 
projection 
displacement 
rationalization 
regression 
sublimation
A

repression: repress a bad memory to lack of recall
denial: refusal to acknowledge a bad memory
reaction formation: acting the opposite to how one really thinks (making fun of the girl you like)
projection: placing ones on bad thoughts onto someone else.
displacement: channeling anger or aggression towards a different object (punching your pillow)
rationalization: trying to rationalize poor behavior
regression: regress back to a less sophisticated behavior (throwing a tantrum)
sublimation: channeling bad thoughts or feelings into positive action (working out)

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5
Q

Personality theories: psychoanalytical theory, explain Freud’s psycho-sexual stages of development. (n=5)

A

Freud believed that adult behavior is governed by sexual energy developed from 5 stages.

  1. oral stage - pleasure through the mouth
  2. anal stage - pleasure through the ass
  3. phallic stage - pleasure through genitalia. Here children are attracted to their opposite sex parent.
  4. latent stage - sexuality subsides for a bit, children focus on school, friends, etc.
  5. genital stage - sexual desire resurfaces in adolescence
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6
Q

Personality theories: psycho-sexual stages, what is the Oedipus and Electra complex?

A

Oedipus complex = boys being sexually attracted to their moms
Electra = girls being sexually attracted to their dads

this occurs in the phallic stage

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7
Q

Personality theories: psychoanalytical theory, explain Erik Erikson’s stages of psycho-social development. (n=8)

A
  1. mistrust vs trust = child must learn who it trusts
  2. Autonomy vs shame = child must learn independent tasks
  3. Initiative vs guilt = child must learn to make decisions
  4. industry vs inferiority = teen must learn how to perceive the world
  5. identity vs role confusion = adolescent must learn who they are, whats their purpose.
  6. intimacy vs isolation = adult must learn to find intimate relationships
  7. generativity vs stagnation = adult must feel like helping the younger generations.
  8. integrity vs despair = adult either feels regret or happiness about their life.
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8
Q

Personality theories: Explain the age of the child / person through both Eriksons and Freuds theories of development

A

mistrust vs trust (oral) –> 1 years old
autonomy vs shame (anal) –> 1-3
initiative vs guilt (phallic) –> 3-6
industry vs inferiority (latent) –> 6-12
identity vs role confusion (genital) –> 12-18
intimacy vs isolation (genital) –> 18 - 35
generativity vs stagnation (genital) –> 35 - 60
integrity vs despair (genital) - 60+

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9
Q

Personality theories: What is psychoanalytical therapy?

A

In psychoanalytical theory, peoples personalities are governed by unconscious thoughts and feelings. Thus, psychoanalytical therapy helps manifest these unconscious beliefs. This is why its called “talk therapy”.

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10
Q

Personality theories: Explain humanistic theory. Who is associated with it?

A

Humanistic theory tries to focus on how humans are innately healthy and inherently good. People have a tendency to improve themselves.

Carl Rogers developed humanistic theory of personality

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11
Q

Personality theories, humanistic theory: What is the actualizing tendency and self-actualization?

A

actualizing tendency –> the innate instinct of humans to maintain improve themselves
self-actualization –> the event of a person discovering their complete potential

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12
Q

Personality theories: humanistic theory believes that psychopathology develops from children holding incongruence between conscious introjected values and unconscious true values. What is the self concept? Explain humanistic therapy.

A

self concept is a child’s conscious, subjective beliefs about himself. This is influenced by introjected values of the caregiver. True values are unconscious.

humanistic therapy (person-centered therapy) attempts to make the an environment such that the client can accept their emotions and grow from their experiences. It tries to emphasize that we are inherently healthy.

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13
Q

Personality theories: What is behavioral theory?

A

BF Skinner proposed that people begin as a blank slate and are conditioned throughout life via operant and classical conditioning.

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14
Q

Personality theories: What is behavioral therapy?

A

behavioral therapy employs ABC. Identify antecedents and consequences of a behavior and then try condition yourself to react different.

e.g. exposing someone to a stressful antecedent but helping them remain calm (helps with panic disorder).

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15
Q

Personality theories: What is social cognitive theory?

A

The social-cognitive theory of personality tries to explain that the environment and ones cognition of the environment determine personality. This theory suggests that psychopathology comes from irrational beliefs or distortions of events and experiences.

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16
Q

Personality theories: Explain cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

A

CBT believes that the root of the problem is from irrational or dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs. Thus, extinction of old beliefs and re-learning of new ideas through conditioning and talking is performed.

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17
Q

Personality theories: Explain the trait perspective of personality.

A

Personality can be described through the outward projection of traits, or behavioral tendencies. Surface traits explain explicit behaviors while source traits explain underlying personality and motivation

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18
Q

Personality theories: Raymond Cattells created five global factors (source traits): extroversion, anxiety, receptivity, accommodation, and self-control. These were adapted in McCrae’s OCEAN (five-factor model) traits which are?

A

Openness to experience (receptivity): cautious vs curious
Conscientiousness (self-control): lazy vs hard-working
Extroversion (Extroversion): loner vs joiner
Agreeableness (Accommodation): Cold vs friendly
Neuroticism (anxiety): calm vs worrying

OCEAN vs REASA
McCrae vs Cattell
five-factor model vs global factors

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19
Q

Personality theories: What is the person-situation controversy?

A

Also known as trait versus state, it tries to figure out if a persons behavior to a given event is caused by their personality (trait) or by the unusal circumstances (state)

traits are stable predictable behavioral tendencies
states are transient responses to different situations

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20
Q

What is drive reduction theory? What is incentive theory?

A

These are both theories of motivation
drive-reduction theory explains how a physiological need will cause some arousal state that drives the person to engage in a behavior that will reduce the aroused state (e.g. hungry = stomach ache = eat)

incentive theory explains external stimuli for action. E.g. rewards for doing something.

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21
Q

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy?

A

Maslow’s Hierarchy explains how we are only motivated to satisfy higher-level needs once lower-level, more important needs have been met.

self actualization 
self-esteem
love and community 
safety and basic needs
physiological needs
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22
Q

t or f, Ghrelin stimulates hunger while Leptin inhibits hunger.

A

true, examples of drive-reduction theories

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23
Q

t or f, a psychological disorder is a set of behavioral or cognitive symptoms that are not in keeping with cultural norms. They are severe enough to cause personal distress and/or social impairment.

A

true

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24
Q

What is anxiety?

A

anxiety is an emotional state of unpleasant arousal. The feeling is intense, irrational, and uncontrollable.

25
Q

Anxiety disorders: explain panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder

A

panic disorder refers to someone is has experienced at least one panic attack and suffers from worrying about another one.

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) refers to someone who has chronic anxiety. They are constantly in an unpleasant aroused state, but never experience an overwhelming attack.

26
Q

What are obsessive compulsive disorders?

A

Similar to anxiety disorders (phobias in particular), a stimulus triggers a compulsive behavior in someone. If the person does not perform the behavior they feel very anxious or worse.

27
Q

t or f, OCD patients have obsessions, compulsions, or both.

A

true
obsessions = uncontrollable, repetitive thoughts
compulsions = repeated behaviors typically responding to an obsession

28
Q

trauma disorders: explain acute stress disorder.

A

Acute stress disorder is similar to PTSD, but symptoms last between 3 days and less than one month.

symptoms = feelings of fear, stress, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, panic, etc.

29
Q

trauma disorders: explain adjustment disorder.

A

adjustment disorder is a less severe form of PTSD that is caused by a stressor not a trauma. these last less than 6th months after the stressor is removed.

30
Q

What are somatic symptom disorders?

A

Somatic symptom disorders are instances when a patient

becomes distressed or less functional due to a persistent physical symptom that may mimic physical disease but is not.

31
Q

Somatic disorders: Explain somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder.

A

somatic symptom disorder –> one or more somatic symptoms causing distress or reduced function.

illness anxiety disorder –> the somatic aspect of the illness is not central to the disorder. The person feels intense anxiety and reduced function due to the fear of oncoming illness.

32
Q

Somatic disorders: Explain conversion disorder.

A

conversion disorder is essentially the conversion of psychological anxiety or distress into physical symptoms.

people with conversion disorder experience changes in sensory or motor function that has no discernible physical cause.

33
Q

Somatic disorders: What is factitious disorder (Munchhausen Syndrome)?

A

factitious disorder may be imposed on self or imposed on another (separate disorders).

factitious disorder (self) = people hurting themselves on purpose or falsifying evidence that makes it look like they are hurt. 
factitious disorder (another) = hurting someone else and presenting them with their symptoms
34
Q

: what is a manic episode? What is a hypo-manic episode?

A

manic episode = lasting for at least one week, a person has a sustained elevated mood, feeling grandiose about ones self. These people are energetic and feel the need to have goal-orientated activity while lacking the focus to do so. Often they lack consequential thinking.

hypomanic episode is a manic episode that lasts 4 days. Most symptoms are similar but impair the individual to a lesser extent.

35
Q

what is a mixed episode?

A

A mixed episode occurs when someone has experienced major depressive and major manic episodes nearly every day in a week.

36
Q

bipolar disorders: What is a major depressive episode?

A

A person for at least two weeks has felt low energy, unusually unhappy, low motivation, etc.

37
Q

What are bipolar 1 and bipolar 2 disorders?

A

bipolar 1 disorder explains mania. It is diagnosed if someone has experienced either a manic episode OR a mixed episode.

bipolar 2 disorder explains depression. It is diagnosed if a person has experienced a major depressive episode AND a hypomanic episode.

38
Q

bipolar disorders: What is cyclothymic disorder?

A

A less aggressive form of bipolar disorder in which the mood swings are less extreme.

39
Q

depressive disorders: What are major depressive disorder and dysthmia (persistent depressive disorder)?

A 
MDD = A person experiences major depressive episodes but is not bi-polar. 
dysthmia = persistent low levels of depression but no episodes.
40
Q

schizophrenia spectrum disorders can typically only be diagnosed if a negative symptom is also present. What is avolition and alogia

A

negative symptom = behavior is reduced

avolition = reduced motivation or purpose
alogia = reduced speech
41
Q

schizophrenia disorders: explain delusional disorder.

A

Delusional disorder is diagnosed if someone holds onto an unplausable delusion and does not let it go in the face of evidence that shows its not true.

A delusion is an unrealistic belief about ones self or the way the world works.

42
Q

schizophrenia disorders: explain brief psychotic disorder.

A

brief psychotic disorder occurs when someone experiences positive schizophrenic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought) for 1 day to 1 month. NO negative symptoms are felt and all positive symptoms disappear after maximum one month.

43
Q

schizophrenia disorders: Explain the difference between schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder.

A

schizophreniform disorder: middle spectrum schizophrenia. One positive symptom is felt with maybe a negative symptom. lasts at least one month

schizophrenia: full blown positive and negative symptoms lasting more than 6 months

schizoaffective disorder: psychotic symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia combined with bipolar symptoms

44
Q

What is dissociative identity disorder?

A

This is multiple personality disorder. Here a person has two or more different identities that they live by which are provoked in different environments. The identities may or may not be aware of each others existence.

45
Q

What is dissociative amnesia?

A

dissociative amnesia occurs when someone has random forgetfulness of a specific events or larger periods of time that is not normal. Here the person is in a dissociative state (split consciousness) and thus cannot remember the event they are at.

Sometimes during this, they experience dissociative fugue - a journey or adventure unknown to them

46
Q

What is the difference between depersonalization and derealization disorder?

A

depersonalization = person feels out of body experiences. They feel split from themselves.

derealization = person thinks objects and external world items are non-real

in both cases, the person is aware of their irrationality which causes distress.

47
Q

Personality disorders: Explain group A, group B, and group C disorders, in general.

A

Cluster A focuses on personality disorders that are cold, irrational, and suspicious

  • paranoid
  • schizoid
  • schizotypal

Cluster B focuses on personality disorders that are emotional and attention seeking

  • antisocial
  • borderline
  • histrionic
  • narcisstic

Cluster C focuses on personality disorders that are anxious or controlling

  • avoidant
  • dependent
  • OCD
48
Q

Cluster A focuses on personality disorders that are cold, irrational, and suspicious. Explain…

  • paranoid
  • schizoid
  • schizotypal
A

paranoid - someone who is constantly anxious or worrying. They mistrust everyone.
schizoid - this is a person who lacks emotion and prefers being alone. They seem unaffected emotionally.
schizotypal - this is essentially pre-schizophrenia. The person has strange beliefs and prefers being alone.

49
Q

Cluster B focuses on personality disorders that are emotional and attention seeking. Explain…

  • antisocial
  • borderline
  • histrionic
  • narcissistic
A

antisocial - someone who has a tendency of aggressive and rule-breaking behavior. These people disregard other peoples rights and often break laws.
borderline - someone who suffers from impulsivity and no control over emotions. These people have mood swings and can act aggressively. They have an unstable sense of self.
histrionic - need to be the center of attention. Emotion is dramatic but shallow and shifting.
narcissistic - the person is entitled and feels grandiose about themselves. They do not show empathy and may exploit others.

50
Q

Cluster C focuses on personality disorders that are anxious or controlling. Explain…

  • avoidant
  • dependent
  • OCD
A

avoidant - these people feel inadequate or inferior and thus avoid interpersonal contact in fear of criticism.
dependent - these people have learned helplessness, believing that they are unable to be independent. They are often used by who they are dependent on.
OCD - these people may not have specific obsessions or compulsions but they are perfectionists who are often rigid and stubborn. They have a need for control, resisting authority.

51
Q

Why is schizophrenia thought to be driven by the stress-diathesis theory?

A

The stress-diathesis theory explains that certain things are genetic, but stress induces their manifestation. It is believed that schizophrenia is genetic but stress brings is out in adolescence.

52
Q

What is Parkinson’s disease?

A

A movement disorder caused by a lack of dopamine in the basal nuclei and substantia nigra. Depression can sometimes be linked with Parkinson’s disease.

53
Q

t or f, attitudes are a persons feelings or beliefs about other people or events which can influence behavior.

A

true, however, behaviors do not always match attitudes

i believe in a healthy lifestyle (attitude) but I eat ice-cream and chocolate most nights.

54
Q

What is the principle of aggregation?

A

the principle of aggregation states that attitudes reflect a persons average behavior and not specific instances.

55
Q

When do peoples attitudes predict behavior accurately?

A

when there is less social influence to conform
when we observe many instances (law of aggregation)
when people are forced to self-reflect (then they align with their self-image)

56
Q

Role-playing: what was Zimbardo’s experiment.

A

Zimbardo did a prison study on Stanford students who had to role play convicts or police officers. This demonstrated that behavior can change someones attitudes through role play (police officers had power complexes, etc).

57
Q

Zimbardo demonstrated that actions and behaviors can retro-actively effect attitudes. Explain public declarations, justification of effort, and foot in the door technique.

A

public declarations –> people are more likely to defend things they say out-loud to others. If they defend enough, their attitudes about it may change.
justification of effort –> if people put a certain amount of effort into something they now place priority in it to justify the time, effort, or money dedicated to it.
the foot in the door technique utilizes justification of effort. Entice small actions, when asking for larger actions people do it, to justify the small actions.

58
Q

What is cognitive dissonance theory?

A

Cognitive dissonance is an incongruence felt when we hold two contradicting beliefs in our head or our actions do not match our attitudes. To remedy this, we may change our beliefs in accordance with our actions.

59
Q

t or f, in situations where there is insufficient justification of an action, cognitive dissonance theory suggests that there will be some cognitive tension needing to be resolved. Thus, beliefs or attitudes may change to justify the action.

A

True

e.g. a woman has two men wanting her, one charming one strong. She will have dissonance after choosing either man. Thus if she chooses the charming man, her attitudes will change her beliefs to suggest that charm is more important than strength (even if she did not believe this at the start).

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