Abnormal Psych Ch 6 Flashcards
Anxiety
a general feeling of apprehension about possible future danger
Fear
an alarm reaction that occurs in response to immediate danger
panic attack
a sudden and intense feeling of anxiety that can be frightening and debilitating
Anxiety disorders
unrealistic, irrational fears or anxieties that cause significant distress and/or impairments
Phobia
a persistent and disproportionate fear of some specific object or situation that presents little or no actual danger and yet leads to a great deal of avoidance of those feared situations
Prepared learning
when primates and humans are evolutionarily prepared to associate certain objects with frightening events
Exposure therapy
a form of behavior therapy that involves controlled exposure to the stimuli that elicit phobic fear
Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
disabling fears of 1 or more specific social situations
Behavioral inhibition
a temperamental trait that describes a person’s tendency to be cautious or avoid new people, situations, or objects
Cognitive restructuring
therapist attempts to help client identify their underlying negative thoughts and change them
panic disorder
frequent and unexpected panic attacks
Amygdala
collection of nuclei in front of the hippocampus; critically involved in the emotion of fear
Interoceptive exposure therapy
attempts to recreate feared physical sensations through different exercises
Anxiety sensitivity
a trait-like belief that certain bodily symptoms may have harmful consequences
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
a mental health condition that causes people to experience excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday things for months or years
