ab psych test Flashcards
The four D’s
deviance
distress
dysfunction
danger
Deviance
Differing markedly
from a particular
society’s “norms
Distress
Often troubling to
the individual
Dysfunction
lack of control over ones experience
Danger
To oneself or
others; careless,
hostile, confused
Ancient/prehistoric views on abnormal behavior
Result of evil spirits—magical, sinister
beings
* Battle between external forces of good and evil
Trephination
use of stone instruments to
cut away a section of the skull to release evil spirits
The biological model
Emphasizes physiology
Illness brought about by malfunctioning parts of the organism
Points especially to problems in brain anatomy or brain chemistry
How do biological theorists explain
abnormal behavior?
Connections found among some psychological disorders and specific brain structures
Glutamate
Most abundant CNS excitatory
neurotransmitter; active in
learning/memory; implicated in
schizophrenia
Acetylcholine
Activates skeletal muscles; in
brain, involved in learning,
arousal, attention, memory,
motivation
Dopamine
Movement control; reinforcing
effects of food, sex, and
abused drugs; schizophrenia
and Parkinson’s disease
Serotonin
Mood, sleep/arousal, aggression,
depression, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, alcoholism
Gamma-amino-butyric acid
(GABA)
Predominant inhibitory
neurotransmitter; respond to alcohol
and benzodiazepines
(tranquilizers); deficiency is one
cause of epilepsy
Norepinephrine
A hormone released during stress.
Functions as a neurotransmitter in
the brain to increase arousal and
attentiveness to events in the
environment; involved in depression
Neuroplasticity
The ability of neural
networks in the brain to
Change through growth and reorganization
Compensate for injury
and disease
Adjust their activities in
response to new
situations or changes in
the environment
throughout the
lifespan
Three leading biological treatments today
Psychotropic medications-drugs
brain stimulation
psychosurgery
Drug therapy
1950’s: advent of psychotropic medication
antianxiety drugs, antidepressant drugs, antibipolar drugs, antipsychotic drugs
chemical activity
abnormal activity in the endocrine system is also related to mental disorders
ex- abnormal secretions of cortisol is linked to anxiety and mood disorders
strengths of the biological model
considerable respect in the field
Constantly produces valuable new
information
treatments bring great relief
weaknesses of the biological model
Limits understanding of abnormal
function by excluding nonbiological
factors
May produce significant undesirable
effects
psychodynamic model
Behavior is determined largely by
underlying, unconscious, dynamic
(interacting), psychological forces (Freud)
Id
pleasure principal
ego
ego defense
superego
morality
strengths of the psychodynamic model
First to recognize the importance of
psychological theories and systematic
treatment for abnormality
Saw abnormal functioning nested in
the same processes as normal
functioning
May be helpful to persons with long-
term, complex disorders
weakness of the psychodynamic model
Difficult to research
Non-observable concepts
Inaccessible to human subjects (unconscious)
The cognitive-behavioral model
Focuses on maladaptive
behaviors and/or cognitions in
understanding and treating psychological abnormality
Shares key principles
between behavioral and
cognitive perspectives
behavioral dimensions
Using conditioning
Classical conditioning
modeling
operant conditioning
Therapists, as teachers, seek to help replace problematic behaviors with more appropriate behaviors
cognitive dimensions
Focuses on maladaptive thinking processes
Inaccurate/disturbing assumptions and attitudes
Illogical thinking
Therapists help clients recognize, challenge, and change problematic thinking
Guide clients to new ways of thinking in daily life
Cognitive-behavioral interplay
Behavioral and cognitive components are interwoven in most contemporary theories and therapies
strengths for cognitive behavioral model
Powerful force in clinical field; broad
appeal
Clinically useful
Uniquely human process focus
Theories lend themselves to research
Therapies are effective in treating
several disorders
weakness for the cognitive behavioral model
The precise role of cognition in
abnormality has yet to be determined
Cognitive-behavioral therapies are not effective with everyone
Focusing primarily on clients’ current
experiences and functioning may limit needed attention to the influence of early life experiences and
relationships
Other key dimensions in life are not
addressed
humanistic-existential model
Emphasize self-actualization, fulfilling personal potential
the sociocultural model
Abnormal behavior includes social and cultural forces that influence an
individual
Includes two major perspectives
Family-social perspective
Multicultural (culturally diverse) perspective
Family-Social Perspective
Psychological problems emerge from and are best treated in family and
social settings
Perspective helped spur growth of several treatment approaches
Multicultural Perspective
Behavior and treatment are best understood in the context of culture and external pressures
Increasing interest in understanding persons through the lens of intersectionality
Members of ethnic and racial minority group…
Tend to show less improvement in clinical treatment
Make less use of mental health services
Stop therapy sooner than members of majority groups
Therapist effectiveness enhanced by:
Greater sensitivity to cultural issues
Inclusion of cultural morals and models
Culture-sensitive therapies, gender-sensitive therapies
strengths of the sociocultural model
Added to clinical understanding and
treatment of abnormality
Increased awareness of clinical and
social roles
Have been clinically successful when
other treatments have failed
weaknesses of the sociocultural model
Research is difficult to interpret.
Models are unable to predict
abnormality in specific individuals.
The Developmental Psychopathology Perspective
Many theorists suggest abnormal behavioral theories should include
multiple causes at a time.
Uses an integrative framework to understand how variables and principles from the
various models may collectively account for adaptive and maladaptive human functioning
Three main psychological assesments
clinical interviews
clinical observations
clinical tests
Clinical Interview Limitations
-Validity, reliability,
standardization challenges
-Interviewer bias or
mistakes in judgment
-Some researchers believe
that interviewing should be
discarded as a tool of
clinical assessment.
Accuracy of the assessment measure
most important characteristic of a test
validity
Standardization
Standardizing a technique involves setting up common steps to be followed whenever it
is administered
Symptom questionnaires
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
Personality tests
MMPI-3
MCMI-IV (personality disorders)
Projective tests
Rorschach inkblots
TAT ambiguous pictures
Sentence completion test
Comorbidity
the presence of one or more conditions simultaneously
Two clusters of comorbidity
internalizing disorders- focus is the inner world of the person
Externalizing disorders - focus on the external environment of the person
Classification
: a way to name, organize, categorize varied symptoms
What is the most common group of mental disorders?
Anxiety disorders
What brain networks are involved in anxiety?
PFC, amygdala and hippocampus
reduced GABA activity –>
less inhibition in structures
involved in threat response
what could parenting be based on the psychodynamic
Inadequacies in early
parent/child relationships
* Extreme punishment, extreme
protectiveness?
humanistic
Conditions of worth
* Overly self-critical;
* Distort/deny true thoughts /
feelings
cognitive behavioral
Cognitive distortions, irrational
assumptions, especially re:
danger
biological
genetic link established
How do phobias differ from fear?
Phobias more intense and persistent
* With a greater desire to avoid the feared object or situation
* Create distress that interferes with functioning
How are fears learned?
classical conditioning and modeling
Treatments for social anxiety disorder address two distinct
features:
Overwhelming social fears and Lack of social skills
What biological factors contribute to panic disorder?
Caused by a hyperactive panic circuit
Predisposition to develop such abnormalities is inherited
Cognitive-Behavioral
Perspective (GAD)
Biological factors are only part of
the cause of panic attacks.
Psychodynamic view: OCD
Battle between anxiety-provoking id impulses and anxiety-reducing ego defense mechanisms
Cognitive-Behavioral view (OCD)
if bring temporary relief, neutralizing
behavior is reinforced (operant
conditioning) and will likely be repeated,
eventually becoming an obsession or
compulsion
Biological View (OCD)
Genetic abnormalities have been found among individuals w/OCD
Neurotransmitters active in this network
include serotonin, glutamate, and
dopamine
SSRI
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
SNRI
selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
Anxiety disorder prevalence
most common US group of mental disorders
19% of adults (12 month period)
21% all ages (lifetime)
Pythagoras (6th century BCE)
Human behavior/experience is
related to internal processes and
natural causes not actions of the
gods
Hippocrates
father of modern medicine
All disorders, mental and physical,
should be sought within the patient;
result from natural causes
Descartes
Human behavior – can be voluntary
prompted mind and body debate
Broca’s area
identified in left frontal lobe – speech
production
Wernicke’s area
in left temporal lobe – spoken
language comprehension
Hughlings Jackson
- spinal cord/brain stem (vegetative functions)
- including basal ganglia (movement)
- higher cortical functions including thought and
changes in the environment.
How long do you have to have symptoms of GAD to be diagnosed?
6 months
Sensory (affector) nerves
information inward
Motor (effector) nerves
muscular movement outward
Quakers
humane
respectful facilities
Dorothea Dix
crusaded” for
the mentally ill in US; led to
over 40 hospitals, intending to
provide moral treatment
Somatogenic
physical causes; led to seeking
physical remedies
Psychogenic
psychological causes
* Mesmer – hypnosis
* Breuer – the “talking cure”
Terminal button
transmitting
dendrite
receiving
Equifinality
a number of different developmental routes can lead to the same
psychological disorder
Multifinality
persons with similar developmental histories may nevertheless have
different clinical outcomes or react to comparable current situations in different
ways
Affect
emotional expression observed during a mental exam
stigmatization
not being able to sympathize with someone
low gaba =
hyperactive fear circuit
