Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
Generalized anxiety disorder
A disorder marked by persistent and excessive feelings of anxiety and worry about numerous events and activities.
Humanistic perspective
A perspective that focuses on the positive image of what it means to be human.
Unconditional positive regard
Offering compassion to people even if they have done something wrong.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
It indicates that people’s emotions, thoughts, behavior, and body sensations are linked to each other and that whatever people they think affects how they feel.
Basic irrational assumptions
The inaccurate and inappropriate beliefs held by people with various psychological problems.
Metacognitive theory
Developed by the researcher Adrian Wells, suggests that people with generalized anxiety disorder simplicity hold both positive and negative beliefs about worrying. On the positive side, they believe that worrying is a useful way of appraising and coping with threats in life.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a severe and persistent fear of social or performance situations where embarrassment may occur.
Panic disorder
An anxiety disorder marked by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks.
Obsession
A persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that is experienced repeatedly, feels intrusive and causes anxiety.
Compulsion
A repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety.
Exposure Therapy
Treatment in which people are exposed to objects or situations they dread.
HPA Pathway
Activation of the HPA axis causes the secretion of glucocorticoids, which act on multiple organ systems to redirect energy resources to meet real or anticipated demand.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
One route by which the brain and body produce arousal
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A disorder in which a person experiences fear and related symptoms long after a traumatic event.
“Stress Circuits” In the brain
Amygdala, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, insula, and hippocampus.
Virtual reality therapy
A computer-based treatment that is well known for the treatment of phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). VRET uses cutting-edge technology to stimulate real-life situations and experiences for patients and works by creating controlled environments where patients can confront their fears and phobias in a safe setting, such as a therapist’s office or at home using teletherapy. Essentially, clients are immersed in a virtual setting or experience they are struggling with.
Dissociative disorders
Disorders marked by major changes in memory that do not have clear physical causes.
Memory
The faculty for recalling past events and past learning.
Dissociative Amnesia
A disorder marked by an inability to recall important events and information.
Dissociative Fugue
A form of dissociative amnesia in which a person travels to a new location and may assume a new identity, simultaneously forgetting their past.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
A dissociative disorder in which a person develops two or more distinct personalities. Also known as multiple personality disorder.
Subpersonalities
The two or more distinct personalities are found in individuals suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Also known as alternate personalities.
State-dependent learning
Learning becomes associated with the conditions under which it occurred so that it is best remembered under the same conditions.
Learned helplessness
Occurs when a person who has experienced repeated challenges comes to believe they have no control over their situation. They then give up trying to make changes and accept their fate.
Perseveration
