Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
antisocial personality disorder
A personality disorder in which the individual (usually male) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends or family. His behavior can be aggressive and ruthless.
anxiety disorder
A disorder characterized by unusually high levels of anxiety that interfere with one’s functioning. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
biomedical approach
An approach that studies biological processes in order to understand psychological disorders, often pointing to genetic predisposition as the cause of a disorder. Surgical procedures and drug therapies are used to help treat psychological disorders through this approach.
bipolar disorder
A mood disorder characterized by manic episodes followed by episodes of depression.
delusions
False beliefs that occur in serious psychological disorders such as schizophrenia.
depression
A mood disorder characterized by persistent sad mood, eating and sleeping disturbances, motor disturbances (either lethargy or agitation), difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.
depressive disorders
A group of disorders characterized by a persistent sad mood, eating and sleeping disturbances, motor disturbances (either lethargy or agitation), difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. Depressive disorders include major depressive disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
dissociative disorders
A group of disorders in which the sense of self becomes separated (dissociated) from previous thoughts or memories. Dissociative disorders include dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, and dissociative identity disorder.
dissociative fugue
A dissociative disorder in which one unexpectedly travels to a new location and is unable to remember his or her past.
generalized anxiety disorder
An anxiety disorder characterized by worry and acute but time-limited symptoms. It is accompanied by nervousness and elevated blood pressure.
hallucinations
False perceptions, usually auditory, that are often present in schizophrenia.
hoarding disorder
An obsessive-compulsive–related disorder new to the DSM-5 that is characterized by a persistent difficulty in discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions.
humanistic approach
An approach in psychology that is characterized by a deep concern for human beings, their dignity, and their universal struggles, and which uses unconditional positive regard to help clients overcome obstacles. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were two key figures in developing this approach.
major depressive disorder
A mood disorder, lasting weeks or months, in which a person his diminished interest in activities and a lack of energy.
obsessive-compulsive disorder
A disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessive-compulsive disorders include hoarding disorder.
panic disorder
A disorder that involves sudden periods of intense anxiety or terror, with accompanying physical symptoms such as increased heart rate.
paranoid
Having unwarranted or irrational suspicions or distrust of others.
personality disorders
Disorders characterized by enduring and rigid patterns of behavior that interfere with normal social functioning.
phobia
An excessive or unrealistic fear of an object or situation that causes significant distress or impairment in functioning.
post-traumatic stress disorder
A trauma- and stressor-related disorder characterized by clusters of symptoms following the experience of a traumatic event. Such clusters of symptoms include persistently reexperiencing the event, avoidance of cues related to the event, and generally increased levels of physiological arousal.
psychoanalytic model
A theory and approach developed by Sigmund Freud that focuses on intrapsychic conflicts between the id, ego, and superego, as well as the influence of the unconscious mind on our lives and our behavior.
psychotic
Of or relating to a loss of psychological contact with reality, or an inability to distinguish the real world from the imaginary world.
schizophrenia
A psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech, disturbed perceptions, and/or inappropriate reactions or behaviors.
seasonal affective disorder
A depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern in which major depression occurs during the late fall and winter only.
somatoform disorders
Psychological disorders in which physical symptoms are present but have no apparent organic cause. Somatoform disorders include conversion disorder and hypochondriasis disorder.
trauma- and stressor-related disorders
A group of disorders characterized by flashback memories, nightmares, prolonged distress, memory loss, or avoidance that a person experiences as a result of being exposed to death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence. Post-traumatic stress disorder is included in this category of disorders.
