Abnormal Psychology

Question 1

purpose of clinical psychology:

Answer 1

to understand, prevent and relieve psychological distress or dysfunction and enhance well-being

Question 2

the field of clinical psychology includes:

Answer 2

research into mental illness, psychological assessment, psychotherapy

Question 3

what are the 5 branches of psychotherapy?

Answer 3

psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, behavioural and biological

Question 4

what does the psychodynamic approach include?

Answer 4

psychoanalysis (freud) and brief psychodynamic therapies

Question 5

what does the humanistic approach include?

Answer 5

client centered therapy (Rogers) and Gestalt therapy (Paris?)

Question 6

what does the cognitive approach include?

Answer 6

rational-emotive therapy (ellis) and CBT (Beck)

Question 7

what does the behavioural approach include?

Answer 7

classical conditioning (exposure, systematic desensitization, aversion therapy), operant conditioning( positive reinforcement and punishment), modelling (social skills training)

Question 8

what does the behavioural approach include?

Answer 8

drug therapy, ECT, psychosurgery

Question 9

what is Freud’s “hysterical conversion neurosis” theory?

Answer 9

that inner tensions give rise to neurotic behaviour

Question 10

what are the 3 methods of accessing the unconscious?

Answer 10

1. free analysis
2. analysis of dreams
3. Freudian slips

Question 11

what are the 3 levels in freuds theory of personality?

Answer 11

Id (infant drive states), Ego (self), Super-ego (internalised social rules that inhibit Id)

Question 12

according to freud, what are neurotic symptoms the result of?

Answer 12

conflicting demands of the Id and super-ego on the ego

Question 13

according to freud, what do neurotic symptoms indicate?

Answer 13

the presence of unresolved, unconscious conflicts (often aggressive/sexual)

Question 14

what did freud say phobias were a result of?

Answer 14

the 2 defence mechanisms: repression and displacement

Question 15

what is the function of defence mechanisms?

Answer 15

neutralise tension from inner conflict

Question 16

what is Stockholm syndrome an example of and what purpose does it serve?

Answer 16

a defence mechanism, identification. Purpose is to find similarities with captor in order to reduce inner tension

Question 17

what are the 2 principles of psychoanalytical therapy?

Answer 17

Transference (patient displaces positive and negative feelings onto “blank screen” of analyst) and resistance (painful and distressing nature of self-understanding)

Question 18

Milrod et al 2007 showed

Answer 18

significant efficacy of psychoanalytic psychotherapy on panic disorder

Question 19

what is the principle of CBT

Answer 19

cognition affects emotion and behaviour, therefore cognitive restructuring can occur if dysfunctional schemata are identified and replaced

Question 20

what are schemata

Answer 20

dysfunctional/maladaptive patterns of thinking

Question 21

what does cognitive restructuring lead to?

Answer 21

emotional and behavioural changes rather than a cognitive goal

Question 22

what is maladaptive evaluation?

Answer 22

generalisation, excessive and inappropriate responses to situations such that social, occupational and interpersonal functioning suffers.

Question 23

what is abnormal anxiety a result of?

Answer 23

overactivation of schemata that encode and process threat activation

Question 24

what is Beck, Emery & Greenbergs (1985) model of anxiety?

Answer 24

anxiety is proportional to perceived threat multiplied by the perceived cost of danger. also, anxiety is inversely proportional to the perceived ability to cope. maintenance factors in play to prevent extinction of schemata

Question 25

arbritrary inference:

Answer 25

conclusion drawn in the absence of sufficient evidence

Question 26

selective abstraction=

Answer 26

conclusion drawn on the basis of just one of many elements of a situation

Question 27

over-generalisation=

Answer 27

sweeping conclusion drawn on the basis of a single event

Question 28

magnification & minimisation=

Answer 28

significance of a certain event is exaggerated/minimised

Question 29

memory plays a role in maladaptive cognition as

Answer 29

it is involved in intrusive recollection

Question 30

what does assessment of the stroop paradigm in panic disorder patients show?

Answer 30

that these patients process threat words in a very different way, as stroop interference is much higher

Question 31

what is the stroop paradigm?

Answer 31

where ink colour doesn't match colour word, followed by interference because this is slower to read, these are then substituted with threat related words

Question 32

Ellis (1962):

Answer 32

Rational emotive therapy (ABCD model)

Question 33

ABCD model=

Answer 33

A: activating environmental effect---> B: beliefs activated by A----> C: emotional and behavioural consequences of B ----> D: disputing, and changing, of B---->B.

Question 34

what tendency does the ABCD model dispute?

Answer 34

that people tend to view responses and behaviours (C) as a direct cause of A when it is in fact because of Bs.

Question 35

irrational beliefs being replaced by rational alternatives is a feature of

Answer 35

rational emotive therapy

Question 36

why is the faulty schema maintained in anxiety disorder?

Answer 36

because avoidance behaviours prevents disconfirmations of beliefs, and safety behaviours increase preoccupation

Question 37

what is panic disorder

Answer 37

an idiosyncratic model, so stimuli are misinterpreted. Then, positive feedback loops enforce the panic.

Question 38

what is the principle of classical conditioning

Answer 38

organisms learns to associate 2 stimuli so that the response to one becomes the response to the other as well

Question 39

what is the principle of operant conditioning

Answer 39

organism learns to behave based on consequences, where reward enforces and punishment weakens behaviours.

Question 40

what is the behavioural approach

Answer 40

that all behaviours, adaptive or maladaptive, are acquired by classical or operant conditioning

Question 41

behavioural therapy is based on

Answer 41

classical conditioning

Question 42

behavioural modification is based on

Answer 42

operant modification

Question 43

what is the flaw of the principle of the behavioural approach?

Answer 43

that removing the effect (behaviour) treats the cause (neurosis)

Question 44

what are 4 behavioural therapies?

Answer 44

systematic desensitization, implosion (imagined), flooding (in vivo), aversion therapies

Question 45

how did Ayllon and Azrin (1968) use behavioural modification to treat schizophrenics?

Answer 45

tokens were used as positive reinforcers for specific goals

Question 46

what is the downside of case studies?

Answer 46

can't generalise info from a single case

Question 47

what did clark et al (1994) show?

Answer 47

that CBT has greater efficacy in treating panic disorders than drug/applied relaxation

Question 48

what has been shown about the neural effects of psychotherapy?

Answer 48

very similar reduction of neural activity (in amygdala, hippocampus and temporal cortex) as SSRI drugs- shows just as affective as drug

Question 49

what is the philosophical implication of studies showing psychotherapy having a neural correlate?

Answer 49

gives evidence for monism in the mind-body problem

Question 50

psychoanalytic is non-directive, long term and focuses beyond symptom, whereas behavioural and CBT:

Answer 50

are directive, short term and focus on the symptom.