Abnormal Psychology Glossary Flashcards
The total number of cases of a health related state or condition in a population for a given year
1 Year Prevalence
An experimental design, often involving a single subject, wherein a baseline period (A) is followed by a treatment (B)
- To confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in behavior, the treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B)
ABAB Design
Maladaptive behavior detrimental to an individual or a group
Abnormal Behavior
Field of psychology concerned with the study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior
Abnormal Psychology
Refraining altogether from the use of a particular addictive substance or from a particular behavior
Abstinence
Cognitive process of changing existing cognitive frameworks to make possible the incorporation of discrepant information
Accomodation
Ego defense mechanism of engaging in antisocial or excessive behavior without regard to negative consequences as a way of dealing with emotional stress
Acting Out
Energy mobilization required for an organism to pursue its goals and meet its needs
Activation (Arousal)
Application of probability statistics to human behavior
Actuarial Approach
Methods whereby data about subjects are analyzed by objective procedures or formulas rather than by human judgements
Actuarial Procedures
Term used to describe a disorder of sudden onset, usually with intense symptoms
Acute
Disorder that occurs within 4 weeks after a traumatic event and lasts for a minimum of 2 days and a maximum of 4 weeks
Acute Stress Disorder
A habit forming drug comprised of a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine
Adderall
Behavior based on the pathological need for a substance or activity; it may involve the abuse of substances, such as nicotine, alcohol, or cocaine, or gambling
Addictive Behavior
Outcome of a person’s efforts to deal with stress and meet his or her needs
Adjustment
A disorder in which a person’s response to a common stressor is maladaptive and occurs within 3 months of the stressor
Adjustment Disorder
Moderately severe mood disorder that is similar to dysthymic disorder but has an identifiable, though not severe, psychosocial stressor occurring within 3 months before the onset of depression and does not exceed 6 months in duration
Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood
Comparison of biological and adoptive relatives with and without a given disorder to assess genetic versus environmental influences
Adoption Method
Outer layer of the adrenal glands; secretes the adrenal steroids and other hormones
Adrenal Cortex
Endocrine glands located at the upper end of the kidneys; consist of inner adrenal medulla and outer adrenal cortex
Adrenal Glands
Hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla during strong emotion; causes such bodily changes as an increase in blood sugar and a rise in blood pressure
- Also called epinephrine
Adrenaline
Approach to meeting mental health needs in which advocates, often an interested group of volunteers, attempt to help children or others receive services that they need but often are unable to obtain for themselves
Advocacy
Programs aimed at helping people in underserved populations to obtain aid with which to improve their situations
Advocacy Programs
Emotion or feeling
Affect
Follow up therapy after discharge from a hospital
Aftercare
Behavior aimed at hurting or destroying someone or something
Aggression
Marked restlessness and psychomotor excitement
Agitation
Fear of being in places or situations where a panic attack may occur and from which escape would be physically difficult or psychologically embarassing, or in which immediate help would be unavailable in the event that some mishap occurred
Agoraphobia
First stage of responding to trauma, alerting and mobilizing a person’s resources for coping with the trauma
Alarm and Mobilization
Formerly known as Korsakoff’s syndrome, is a condition characterized by a persisting memory deficit (particularly with regard to recent events) that is sometimes accompanied by falsification of events
- This disorder is caused by malnutrition, specifically the lack of vitamin B (thiamine)
Alcohol Amnestic Disorder
A problematic pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress
Alcohol Use Disorder
Acute delirium associated with withdrawal from alcohol after prolonged heavy consumption; characterized by intense anxiety, tremors, fever and sweating, and hallucinations
Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium
Term used to denote a personality pattern in which an individual has difficulty identifying and describing feelings
Alexithymia
Lack or loss of relationships with others
Alienation
The biological cost of adapting to stress
- Under conditions of high stress our allostatic load is high
- When we are calm, our allostatic load is low and our bodies are not experiencing any of the physiological consequences of stress (racing heart, high levels of cortisol, ect)…
Allostatic Load
A term referring to poverty of speech; a symptom that often occurs in schizophrenia
Alogia
In a person with dissociative identity disorder, personalities other than the host personality
Alter Identities
A progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by deterioration in memory, cognition, and basic self care skills
Alzheimer’s Disease
Total or partial loss of memory
Amnesia
Striking deficit in the ability to recall ongoing events more than a few minutes after they have taken place, or the inability to recall the recent past
- Now grouped into a new diagnostic category called neurocognitive disorders
Amnestic Disorder
Technique that involves drawing fluid from the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman so that sloughed off fetal cells can be examined for chromosomal irregularities, including that of Down Syndrome
Amniocentesis
Drug that produces a psychologically stimulating and energizing effect
Amphetamine
A collection of nuclei that are almond shaped and that lie in front of the hippocampus in the limbic system of the brain
- It is involved in the regulation of emotion and is critically involved in the emotion of fear
Amygdala
Found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, these deposits of aluminum silicate and abnormal protein (beta amyloid) are believed to cause loss of neurons
Amyloid Plaques
In psychoanalytic theory, stage of psychosexual development in which behavior is presumably focused on anal pleasure and activities
Anal Stage
Studies in which a researcher attempts to emulate the conditions hypothesized as leading to abnormality
Analogue Studies
Hormone associated with the development and maintenance of male characteristics
Androgen
Loss or impairment of sensitivity (usually to touch but often applied to sensitivity to pain and other senses as well)
Anesthesia
Inability to experience pleasure or joy
Anhedonia
Inability to experience pleasure or joy
Anhedonia
Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming “fat” coupled with refusal to maintain adequate nutrition and with severe loss of body weight
Anorexia Nervosa
Lack of sufficient oxygen
Anoxia
Drug used in the treatment of alcoholism
Antabuse
Loss of memory for events that occur following trauma or shock
Anterograde Amnesia
Drugs that are used primarily for alleviating anxiety
Antianxiety Drugs
Circulating blood substance coded for detection of and binding to a particular antigen
Antibody
Drugs that are used primarily to elevate mood and relieve depression
- Often also used in the treatment of certain anxiety disorders, bulimia, and certain personality disorders
Antidepressant Drugs
A foreign body (eg; a virus or bacteria) or an internal threat (eg; a tumor) that can trigger an immune response
Antigen
Medications that alleviate or diminish the intensity of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions
Antipsychotics (Neuroleptics)
Disorder characterized by continual violation of and disregard for the rights of others through deceitful, aggressive, or antisocial behavior, typically without remorse or loyalty to anyone
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
A general feeling of apprehension about possible danger
Anxiety
An unrealistic, irrational fear or anxiety of disabling intensity
- DSM-5 recognizes 11 types: specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism, substance/medication induced anxiety disorder, anxiety disorder due to a medical condition, other specified anxiety disorder, and unspecified anxiety disorder
Anxiety Disorder
A personality trait involving a high level of belief that certain bodily symptoms may have harmful consequences
Anxiety Sensitivity
Loss or impairment of ability to communicate and understand language symbols - involving loss of power of expression by speech, writing, or signs, or loss of ability to comprehend written or spoken language - resulting from brain injury or disease
Aphasia
Variant of a gene on chromosome 19 that significantly enhances risk for late onset Alzheimer’s disease
APOE-4 Allele
Loss of ability to perform purposeful movements
Apraxia
Second phase of the human sexual response, in which there is generally a subjective sense of sexual pleasure and physiological changes, including penile erection in the male and vaginal lubrication and enlargement in the female
Arousal Phase
Degenerative thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries, occurring usually in old age
Arteriosclerosis
This no longer exists in the DSM-5
- The term referred to severe and sustained childhood impairment in social relationships and peculiar behaviors but without the language delays seen in autism
- In the DSM-5, this term is subsumed by autism spectrum disorders
Asperger’s Disorder
Persistent and vigorous follow up with and aid to patients in managing life problems
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Behavior therapy technique for helping people become more self assertive in interpersonal relationships
Assertiveness Therapy
Cognitive process whereby new experiences tend to be worked in existing cognitive frameworks even if the new information has to be reinterpreted or distorted to make it fit
Assimilation
Genetic research strategy comparing frequency of certain genetic markers known to be located on particular chromosomes in people with and without a particular disorder
Association Studies
Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of people with mental illness
Asylums
Condition of being considered vulnerable to the development of certain abnormal behaviors
At Risk
Wasting away or shrinking of a bodily organ, particularly muscle tissue
Atrophy
Contemporary developmental and psychodynamic theory emphasizing the importance of early experience with attachment relationships in laying the foundation for later functioning throughout life
Attachment Theory
Disorder of childhood characterized by difficulties that interfere with task oriented behavior, such as impulsivity, excessive motor activity, and difficulties in sustaining attention
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Characterized by psychotic like symptoms that are less severe and more transient and that lie below the threshold for a full psychotic disorder
Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome
Process of assigning causes to things that happen
Attribution
Pervasive developmental disorder beginning in infancy and involving a wide range of problematic behaviors, including deficits in language, perception, and motor development; defective reality testing; and social withdrawal
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Paraphilia characterized by sexual arousal at the thought or fantasy of being a woman
Autogynephilia
Section of the nervous system that regulates the internal organs; consists primarily of ganglia connected with the brain stem and spinal cord; may be subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
Autonomic Nervous System
Individual’s characteristic degree of emotional reactivity to stress
Autonomic Reactivity
Self reliance; the sense of being an independent person
Autonomy
Any chromosome other than those determining sex
Autosome
Form of behavior therapy in which punishment or aversive stimulation is used to eliminate undesired responses
Aversion Therapy
Stimulus that elicits psychic or physical pain
Aversive Stimulus
Form of conditioning in which a subject learns to behave in a certain way in order to avoid an unpleasant stimulus
Avoidance Learning
Extreme social inhibition and introversion, hypersensitivity to criticism and rejection, limited social relationships, and low self esteem
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Refers to a psychological state that is characterized by a general lack of drive or motivation to pursue meaningful goals
Avolition
Evaluation of an individual according to five foci, the first three assessing the person’s present clinical status or condition and the other two assessing broader aspects of the person’s situation
Axes (of DSM)
Synthetic drugs that act as depressants to calm the individual and induce sleep
Barbiturates
The initial level of responses emitted by an organism
Baseline
A type of white blood cell, produced in the bone marrow, that is (along with T-cells) very important in the immune system
- B-cells produce specific antibodies in response to specific antigens
B Cell
Field that studies the heritability of mental disorders and other aspects of psychological functioning such as personality and intelligence
Behavior Genetics
Change of specific behaviors by learning techniques
Behavior Modification
Use of therapeutic procedures based primarily on principles of classical and operant conditioning
Behavior Therapy
Treatment for depression in which the patient and the therapist work together to help the patient find ways to become more active and engaged with life
Behavioral Activation Treatment
Positive reinforcement technique using a contract, often between family members, to identify the behaviors to be changed and to specify privileges and responsibilities
Behavioral Contracting
Broad interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of physical disorders thought to have psychological factors as major aspects in their causation or maintenance
Behavioral Medicine
A theoretical viewpoint organized around the theme that learning is central in determining human behavior
Behavioral Perspective
Various interrelated disciplines, including psychology, sociology, and anthropology, that focus on human behavior
Behavioral Sciences
School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to the study of overt behavior
Behaviorism
Of a mild, self limiting nature; not malignant
Benign
Observer bias occurs when the researcher has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence the observations he or she makes in the research study
Bias
An out of control consumption of an amount of food that is far greater than what most people would eat in the same amount of time and under the same circumstances
Binge
Distinct from nonpurging bulimia nervosa, whereby binging is not accompanied by inappropriate compensatory behavior to limit weight gain
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Treatment technique in which a person is taught to influence his or her own physiological processes that were formerly thought to be involuntary
Biofeedback
Chemicals that serve as neurotransmitters or modulators
Biogenic Amines
Regular biological cycles of sleep, activity, hormone activity, and metabolism characteristic of each species
Biological Clocks
Approach to mental disorders emphasizing biological causation
Biological Viewpoint
A viewpoint that acknowledges the interacting roles of biological, psychosocial, and sociocultural factors in the origins of psychopathology
Biopsychosocial Viewpoint
Bipolar disorder with recurrences in particular seasons of the year
Bipolar Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern
Mood disorders in which a person experiences both manic and depressive episodes
Bipolar Disorders
A form of bipolar disorder in which the person experiences both manic (or mixed) episodes and major depressive episodes
Bipolar I Disorder
A form of bipolar disorder in which the person experiences both hypomanic episodes and major depressive episodes
Bipolar II Disorder
Sexual attraction to both females and males
Bisexuality
Involuntary inhibition of recall, ideation, or communication (including sudden stoppage of speech)
Blocking
Persistent and disproportionate fear of the sight of blood or injury, or the possibility of having an injection
- Afflicted persons are likely to experience a drop in blood pressure and sometimes faint
Blood Injection Injury Phobia
A reduction in the range of affective expression commonly found in patients with schizophrenia
- The difference between this and flat affect is one of degree
- When the reduction in affective range is more pronounced and extreme (such that the person is almost expressionless), the patient may be said to have flat affect
Blunted Affect
Obsession with some perceived flaw or flaws in one’s appearance
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
An estimation of total body fat calculated as body weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters) squared
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Impulsivity and instability in interpersonal relationships, self image, and moods
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Diseased or disordered condition of the brain
Brain Pathology
Minute oscillations of electrical potential given off by neurons in the cerebral cortex and measured by the electroencephalograph (EEG)
Brain Waves
Objective method of rating clinical symptoms that provides scores on 18 variables (eg; somatic concern, anxiety, withdrawal, hostility, and bizarre thinking)
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Short term therapy, usually 8 to 10 sessions, focused on restoring an individual’s functioning and offering emotional support
Brief Psychotherapy
Brief episodes (lasting a month or less) of otherwise uncomplicated delusional thinking
Brief Psychotic Disorder
Frequent occurrence of binge eating episodes accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating and recurrent inappropriate behavior such as purging or excessive exercise to prevent weight gain
Bulimia Nervosa
A drug of dependence found in many commonly available drinks and foods
Caffeine
Genes that are of specific interest to researchers because they are thought to be involved in processes that are known to be abberant in that disorder (eg; serotonin transporter genes in depression, or dopamine receptor genes in schizophrenia)
Candidate Genes
Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels
Cardiovascular
An in depth examination of an individual or family that draws from a number of data sources, including interviews and psychological testing
Case Study (Method)
Refers to any source of injury to the genitals, or, more broadly, to a threat to the masculinity of an individual
Castrating
As postulated by Freud, the anxiety a young boy experiences when he desires his mother while at the same time fearing that his father may harm him by cutting off his penis; the anxiety forces the boy to repress his sexual desire for his mother and his hostility toward his father
Castration Anxiety
Condition seen in some schizophrenic psychoses, and some psychotic mood disorders, in which body postures are waxy and semirigid, with the limbs maintaining for prolonged periods any position in which they are placed
Catalepsy
Class of monoamine compounds sharing a similar chemical structure
- Known to be neurotransmitters - norepinephrine and dopamine
Catecholamines
Approach to classifying abnormal behavior that assumes that (1) all human behavior can be sharply divided into the categories normal and abnormal, and (2) there are exist discrete, nonoverlapping classes or types of abnormal behavior, often referred to as mental illnesses or diseases
Categorical Approach
Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such as by talking about past traumas
Catharsis
In a cause and effect relationship, a situation in which more than one causal factor is involved
Causal Pattern
A variable risk factor that, when changed, changes the likelihood of the outcome of interest (eg; if effectively treating depression decreased the risk of suicide, we would call it a causal risk factor)
Causal Risk Factor
Relationship in which the preceding variable causes the other(s)
Causation
The brain and spinal cord
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Hardening of the arteries in the brain
Cerebral Arteriosclerosis
Surface layers of the cerebrum
Cerebral Cortex
Bleeding into brain tissue from a ruptured blood vessel
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Tearing of brain tissue associated with severe head injury
Cerebral Laceration
Syphilitic infection of the brain
Cerebral Syphilis
Formation of a clot or thrombus in the vascular system of the brain
Cerebral Thrombosis
Blockage or rupture of a large blood vessel in the brain leading to both focal and generalized impairment of brain function
- Also called stroke
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
Main part of the brain; divided into left and right hemispheres
Cerebrum
Infliction of physical or psychological damage on a child by parents or other adults
Child Abuse
Movement concerned with protecting rights and ensuring well being of children
Child Advocacy
Pathological condition characterized by jerky, involuntary movements
Chorea
Inherited defects or vulnerabilities caused by irregularities in chromosomes
Chromosomal Anomalies
Chain like structures within cell nucleus that contain genes
Chromosomes
Term used to describe a long standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness
Chronic
A debilitating illness characterized by disabling fatigue that lasts 6 months or more and occurs with other symptoms
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A disorder in which a major depressive episode does not remit over a 2 year period
Chronic Major Depressive Disorder
Term that can be used to describe a patient with this disorder whose clinical condition has deteriorated or remained stable over a very long period of time (years)
Chronic Schizophrenia
The 24 hour rhythmic fluctuations in animals’ sleep activity and in the metabolic processes of plants and animals
Circadian Rhythms
Procedure whereby a person certified as mentally disordered can be hospitalized, either voluntarily or against his or her will
Civil Commitment
A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR)
- After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR)
Classical Conditioning
Irrational fear of small enclosed places
Claustrophobia
Nondirective approach to psychotherapy, developed chiefly by Carl Rogers, that focuses on the natural power of the organism to heal itself; a key goal is to help clients accept and be themselves
Client Centered (Person Centered) Therapy
The process through which a clinician arrives at a general “summary classification” of the patient’s symptoms by following a clearly defined system such as DSM-5 or ICD-11
Clinical Diagnosis
Diagnostic picture formed by observation of patient’s behavior or by all available assessment data
Clinical Picture
Computer administered psychological assessment procedure for surveying the range of psychological problems a patient is experiencing
Clinical Problem Checklist
Mental health professional with Ph.D degree or Psy.D degree in clinical psychology and clinical experience in assessment and psychotherapy
Clinical Psychologist
Field of psychology concerned with the understanding, assessment, treatment, and prevention of maladaptive behavior
Clinical Psychology
Stimulating and pain reducing psychoactive drug
Cocaine
Act, process, or product of knowing or perceiving
Cognition
Condition of tension existing when several of one’s beliefs and attitudes are inconsistent with each other
Cognitive Dissonance
Mental processes, including perception, memory, and reasoning, by which one acquires knowledge, solves problems, and makes plans
Cognitive Processes (Cognition)
Training efforts designed to help patients improve their neurocognitive (eg; memory, vigilance) skills
- The hope is that this will also help improve patients’ overall levels of functioning
Cognitive Remediation
Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that aim to change a person’s negative or unrealistic thoughts and attributions
Cognitive Restructuring
A theory of abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to maladaptive emotions and behavior
Cognitive Behavioral Perspective
Therapy based on altering dysfunctional thoughts and cognitive distortions
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Term used by Carl Jung to refer to that portion of the unconscious that he considered common to all humanity, based on wisdom acquired by our predecessors
Collective Unconscious
Profound stupor with unconsciousness
Coma
Application of psychosocial and sociocultural principles to the improvement of given environments
Community Mental Health
Use of community resources in dealing with maladaptive behavior; tends to be more concerned with community intervention than with personal or individual change
Community Psychology
Occurrence of two or more identified disorders in the same psychologically disordered individual
Comorbidity
Group of subjects who do not exhibit the disorder being studied but who are comparable in all other respects to the criterion group
- Also, a comparison group of subjects who do not receive a condition or treatment the effects of which are being studied
Comparison or Control Group
The determination that a person who is charged with a crime has the mental health capability to participate in the proceedings
Competent to Stand Trial
Overt repetitive behaviors (such as hand washing or checking) or more covert mental acts (such as counting, praying, saying certain words silently, or ordering) that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession
Compulsions
A specialized technique that is often used in a clinical context
- During the CT scan the person is placed into a CT scanner
- X ray measurements are then taken at various angles and combined to provide more detailed information than that given by a conventional x ray
Computed Tomography (CT)
Use of computers to obtain or interpret assessment data
Computer Assessment
Radiographical technique used to locate and assess the extent of organic damage to the brain without surgery
Computerized Axial Tomohraphy (CAT) Scan
The percentage of twins sharing a disorder or trait
Concordance Rate
Childhood and adolescent disorders that can appear by age 9 and are marked by persistent acts of aggressive or antisocial behavior that may or may not be against the law
Conduct Disorders
Filling in of memory gaps with false and often irrelevant details
Confabulation
Commitment on the part of a professional person to keep information he or she obtains from a client confidential
Confidentiality
Simultaneous arousal of opposing impulses, desires, or motives
Conflict
Existing at birth or before birth, but not necessarily hereditary
Congenital
Genetic defect or environmental condition occurring before birth and causing a child to develop a physical or psychological anomaly
Congenital Defect
Direct involvement of the family in improving communication, interaction, and relationships among family members and fostering a family system that better meets the needs of each member
Conjoint Family Therapy
Awareness of inner or outer environment
Consciousness
Relatively constant biological makeup of an individual, resulting from the interaction of heredity and environment
Constitution
Community intervention approach that aims at helping individuals at risk for disorder by working indirectly through caretaker institutions (eg; police and teachers)
Consultation
Relationship, usually causal, between two events in which one is usually followed by the other
Contingency
Reward or reinforcement given regularly after each correct response
Continuous Reinforcement
A condition that increases the probability of developing a disorder but that is neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur
Contributory Cause
Pattern in which symptoms of some physical malfunction or loss of control appear without any underlying organic pathology; originally called hysteria
Conversion Disorder
Pathological, involuntary muscle contractions
Convulsion
Efforts to deal with stress
Coping Strategies
Verbal tic in which an individual utters obscenities aloud
Coprolalia
Potentially lethal blockage of the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle, or myocardium
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
Nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain
Corpus Callosum
A factor that co-varies with, or is associated with, some outcome of interest (eg; height and weight)
Correlate
The tendency of two variables to change together
- With positive correlation, as one variable goes up, so does the other; with negative correlation, one variable goes up as the other one goes down
Correlation
A statistic that ranges from +1.0 to -1.0 and reflects the degree of association between two variables
- The magnitude of the correlation indicates the strength of the association, and the sign indicates whether the correlation is positive or negative
Correlation Coefficient
A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go together (co-vary) without manipulating (changing) any variables
Correlational Research
Brain mechanisms that regulate autonomic and other bodily functions
Corticovisceral Control Mechanisms
Human stress hormone released by the cortex of the adrenal glands
Cortisol
Field of psychology that focuses on helping people with problems pertaining to education, marriage, or occupation
Counseling Psychology
Psychodynamic concept that the therapist brings personal issues, based on his or her own vulnerabilities and conflicts, to the therapeutic relationship
Countertransference
Treatment for disordered interpersonal relationships involving sessions with both members of the relationship present and emphasizing mutual need gratification, social role expectations, communication patterns, and similar interpersonal factors
Couple Therapy
Concealed, disguised, not directly observable
Covert
Behavioral treatment method for extinguishing undesirable behavior by associating noxious mental images with that behavior
Covert Sensitization
Legal question of whether a person should be permitted to use insanity as a defense after having committed a crime
Criminal Responsibility
Stressful situation that approaches or exceeds the adaptive capacities of an individual or a group
Crisis
Provision of psychological help to an individual or a group in times of severe and special stress
Crisis Intervention
Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under study
Criterion Group
The desire to be, or the insistence that one is, of the opposite sex
Cross Gender Identification
Refer to a psychologist’s need to be informed of the issues involved in multicultural assessment
Cultural Competence
Position that one cannot apply universal standards of normality or abnormality to all societies
Cultural Relativism
Mild mood disorder characterized by cyclical periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms
Cyclothymic Disorder
Small protein molecules that enable the brain and the immune system to communicate with each other
- These can augment or enhance an immune system response or cause immunosuppression, depending on the specific cytokine that is released
Cytokines
Community based mental hospital where patients are treated during the day, returning to their homes at night
Day Hospital
Psychological debriefing is a brief, directive treatment method that is used in helping people who have undergone a traumatic situation
- Debriefing sessions are usually conducted with small groups of trauma victims shortly after the incident for the purpose of helping them deal with the emotional residuals of the event
Debriefing Sessions
Behavior directed primarily at protecting the self from hurt and disorganization rather than at resolving the situation
Defense Oriented Response
Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people with severe mental disorders in the community
Deinstitutionalization
Retarded ejaculation, or the inability to ejaculate following a normal sexual excitement phase
Delayed Ejaculation Disorder
Antisocial or illegal behavior by a minor
Delinquency
State of mental confusion characterized by relatively rapid onset of widespread disorganization of the higher mental processes, caused by a generalized disturbance in brain metabolism
- May include impaired perception, memory, and thinking and abnormal psychomotor activity
Delirium
False belief about reality maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary
Delusion
False belief that one is a noted or famous person, such as Napoleon or the Virgin Mary
Delusion of Grandeur
False belief that one is being mistreated or interfered with by one’s enemies
Delusion of Persecution
Nurturing, giving voice to, and sometimes taking action on beliefs that are considered completely false by others; formerly called paranoia
Delusional Disorder
Internally coherent, systematized pattern of delusions
Delusional System
Progressive deterioration of brain functioning occurring after the completion of brain maturation in adolescence
- Characterized by deficits in memory, abstract thinking, acquisition of new knowledge or skills, visuospatial comprehension, motor control, problem solving, and judgement
- Now referred to as major neurocognitive disorder
Dementia
Older term for schizophrenia
Dementia Praecox
Viewpoint emphasizing supernatural causation of mental disorder, especially “possession” by evil spirits or forces
Demonology
Ego defense mechanism that protects the self from an unpleasant reality by refusing to perceive or face it
Denial of Reality
Tendency to over rely on others
Dependence
Extreme dependence on others, particularly the need to be taken care of, leading to clinging and submissive behavior
Dependent Personality Disorder
In an experiment, the factor that is observed to change with changes in the manipulated (independent) variables
Dependent Variable
Temporary loss of sense of one’s own self and one’s own reality
Depersonalization
Dissociative disorder in which episodes of depersonalization and derealization become persistent and recurrent
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Emotional state characterized by extraordinary sadness and dejection
Depression
Period of markedly depressed mood or loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities (or both) for at least two weeks, accompanied by other symptoms such as changes in sleep or appetite or feelings of worthlessness
Depressive Episode
Provisional category of personality disorder in DSM-5 that involves a pattern of depressive cognitions and behaviors that begin by early adulthood and is pervasive in nature
Depressive Personality Disorder
Dysfunctional beliefs that are rigid, extreme, and counterproductive and that are thought to leave one susceptible to depression when experiencing stress
Depressogenic Schemas
Experience in which the external world is perceived as distorted and lacking a stable and palpable existence
Derealization
Therapeutic process by means of which reactions to traumatic experiences are reduced in intensity by repeatedly exposing a person to them in mild form, either in reality or in fantasy
Desensitization
First phase of the human sexual response, consisting of fantasies about sexual activity or a sense of desire to have sexual activity
Desire Phase
Premise that punishment for criminal offenses will deter that criminal and others from future criminal acts
Deterrence
Center or facility for receiving and detoxifying alcohol or drug intoxicated individuals
Detox Center
Treatment directed toward ridding the body of alcohol or other drugs
Detoxification
Problem that is rooted in deviations in the development process itself, thus disrupting the acquisition of skills and adaptive behavior and often interfering with the transition to well functioning adulthood
Developmental Disorder
Field of psychology that focuses on determining what is abnormal at any point in the developmental process by comparing and contrasting it with normal and expected changes that occur
Developmental Psychopathology
Acknowledgement that genetic activity influences neural activity, which in turn influences behavior, which in turn influences the environment, and that these influences are bidirectional
Developmental Systems Approach
Behavior that deviates markedly from the average or norm
Deviant Behavior
Determination of the nature and extent of a specific disorder
Diagnosis
A unique kind of cognitive and behavioral therapy specifically adapted for treating borderline personality disorder
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Predisposition or vulnerability to developing a given disorder
Diathesis
View of abnormal behavior as the result of stress operating on an individual who has a biological, psychosocial, or sociocultural predisposition to developing a specific disorder
Diathesis - Stress Model
Approach to classifying abnormal behavior that assumes that a person’s typical behavior is the product of differing strengths or intensities of behavior along several definable dimensions, such as mood, emotional stability, aggressiveness, gender, identity, anxiousness, interpersonal trust, clarity of thinking and communication, social introversion, and so on
Dimensional Approach
Method of collecting research data that involves directly observing behavior in a given situation
Direct Observation
Refers to the fact that, in correlational research, it cannot be concluded whether variable A causes variable B or whether variable B causes variable A
Direction of Effect Problem
Type of therapeutic approach in which a therapist supplies direct answers to problems and takes much of the responsibility for the progress of therapy
Directive Therapy
Reactions of many victims of major catastrophes during the traumatic experience and the initial and long lasting reactions after it
Disaster Syndrome
Marriage in which one or both of the partners are not gaining satisfaction from the relationship and one spouse may express frustration and disillusionment in hostile ways, such as nagging, belittling, and purposely doing things to annoy the other
Discordant Marriage
Ability to interpret and respond differently to two or more similar stimuli
Discrimination
Loss of organization or integration in any organized system
Disintegration
Severely impaired integration
Disorganization
Mental confusion with respect to time, place, or person
Disorientation
Ego defense mechanism that discharges pent up feelings, often of hostility, on objects less dangerous than those arousing the feelings
Displacement
Family that is incomplete as a result of death, divorce, separation, or some other circumstance
Disrupted Family
The human mind’s capacity to mediate complex mental activity in channels split off from or independent of conscious awareness
Dissociation
Psychogenically caused memory failure
Dissociative Amnesia
Conditions involving a disruption in an individual’s normally integrated functions of consciousness, memory, or identity
Dissociative Disorders
A dissociative amnesic state in which the person is not only amnesic for some or all aspects of his or her past but also departs from home surroundings
Dissociative Fugue
Condition in which a person manifests at least two or more distinct identities or personality states that alternate in some way in taking control of behavior
- Formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Negative stress, associated with pain, anxiety, or sorrow
Distress
Family in which one or both parents behave in grossly eccentric or abnormal ways and may keep the home in constant emotional turmoil
Disturbed Family
Twins that develop from two separate eggs
Dizygotic (Fraternal) Twins
Deoxyribonucleic acid; principal component of genes
DNA
A gene whose hereditary characteristics prevail, in offspring, over any recessive gene that affects the same trait
Dominent Gene
Neurotransmitter from the catecholamine family that is initially synthesized from tyrosine, an amino acid common in the diet
- It is produced from L-DOPA by the enzyme dopamine decarboxylase
Dopamine
Hypothesis that schizophrenia is the result of an excess of dopamine activity at certain synaptic sites
Dopamine Hypothesis
Theory suggesting that addiction is the result of a dysfunction of the dopamine reward pathway
Dopamine Theory of Addiction
Situation in which a person will be disapproved for performing a given act and equally disapproved if he or she does not perform it
Double Bind
Type of faulty communication in which one person (eg; a parent) presents to another (eg; a child) ideas, feelings, and demands that are mutually incompatible
Double Bind Communication
Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects, a condition where neither the subject nor the experimenter has knowledge about what specific experimental condition (or drug) the subject is receiving
Double Blind Study
This condition is diagnosed when a person with dysthymia has a superimposed major depressive episode
Double Depression
Form of moderate to severe intellectual disability associated with a chromosomal abnormality and typically accompanied by characteristic physical features
Down Syndrome
Method involving the recording, description, and interpretation of a patient’s dreams
Dream Analysis
Internal conditions directing an organism toward a specific goal, often involving biological rather than psychological motives
Drive
Use of a drug to the extent that it interferes with health and/or occupational or social adjustment
Drug Abuse
Physiological or psychological dependence on a drug
Drug Addiction (Dependence)
Current diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association
DSM-5
Condition of arrested growth and very short stature
Dwarfism
Two person group
Dyad
Integrated evaluation of an individual’s personality traits, behavior patterns, environmental demands, and the like to describe the person’s current situation and to hypothesize about what is driving the person to behave in maladaptive ways
Dynamic Formulation
Impairment or disturbance in the functioning of an organ or in behavior
Dysfunction
Negative beliefs that are rigid, extreme, and counterproductive
Dysfunctional Beliefs
Impairment of the ability to read
Dyslexia
Painful coitus in a male or a female
Dyspareunia
Abnormal brain wave pattern
Dysrhythmia
Moderately severe mood disorder characterized by a persistently depressed mood most of the day for more days than not for at least 2 years
- Additional symptoms may include poor appetite, sleep disturbance, lack of energy, low self esteem, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness
Dysthymic Disorder
Form of Alzheimer’s disease that appears in people who are younger than approximately 60 years of age
- Thought to be caused by rare genetic mutations
Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
A diagnostic category reserved for disorders of eating that do not meet criteria for any other specific eating disorder
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
Disorders of food ingestion, regurgitation, or attitude that affect health and well being, such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating
Eating Disorders
Parrot like repetition of a few words or phrases
Echolalia
A human manufactured drug that is taken orally and acts as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen
- The drug effects include feelings of mental stimulation, emotional warmth, enhanced sensory perception, and increased physical energy
Ecstasy
Swelling of tissues
Edema
A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship between two variables in a statistical population
Effect Size
In a situation where treatment is tested under ideal conditions (usually in a controlled clinical trial), this is how well a given treatment improves clinical outcome compared to a control or comparison condition
Efficacy
In psychoanalytic theory, the rational part of the personality that mediates between the demands of the id, the constraints of the superego, and the realities of the external world
Ego
Psychodynamic theory emphasizing the importance of the ego - the “executive branch of the personality” - in organizing normal personality development
Ego Psychology
Preoccupied with one’s own concerns and relatively insensitive to the concerns of others
Egocentric
Psychic mechanisms that discharge or soothe anxiety rather than coping directly with an anxiety provoking situation; usually unconscious and reality distorting
- Also called defense mechanisms
Ego Defense Mechanism
Use of electricity to produce convulsions and unconsciousness; a treatment used primarily to alleviate depressive and manic episodes
- Also known as electroshock therapy
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Graphical record of the brain’s electrical activity obtained by placing electrodes on the scalp and measuring the brain wave impulses from various brain areas
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Lodgment of a blood clot in a blood vessel too small to permit its passage
Embolism
Strong feeling accompanied by physiological changes
Emotion
Psychological disorder
Emotional Disturbance
Ability to understand, and to some extent share, the state of mind of another person
Empathy
Inflammation of the brain
Encephalitis
Disorder in children who have not learned appropriate toileting for bowel movements after age 4
Encopresis
Small group designed to provide an intensive interpersonal experience focusing on feelings and group interactions; used in therapy or to promote personal growth
Encounter Group
Ductless glands that secrete hormones directly into the lymph or bloodstream
Endocrine Glands
Factors originating within an organism that affect behavior
Endogenous Factors
Discrete, measurable traits that are thought to be linked to specific genes that might be important in schizophrenia or other mental disorders
Endophenotypes
Opiates produced in the brain and throughout the body that function like neurotransmitters to dampen pain sensations
- They also play a role in the body’s building up tolerance to certain drugs
Endorphins
Bed wetting; involuntary discharge of urine after the age of expected continence (age 5)
Enuresis
Field of psychology focusing on the effects of an environmental setting on an individual’s feelings and behavior
Environmental Psychology
Attempts to establish the patterns of occurrence of certain (mental) disorders in different times, places, and groups of people
Epidemiological Studies
Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health related behaviors in a given population
- Mental health epidemiology is the study of the distribution of mental disorders
Epidemiology
Group of disorders varying from momentary lapses of consciousness to generalized convulsions
Epilepsy
Hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla; also called adrenaline
Epinephrine
Term used to describe a disorder that tends to abate and recur
Episodic
Steady state; balance
Equilibrium
Sexual dysfunction in which a male is unable to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for successful sexual gratification; formerly known as impotence
Erectile Disorder
Pertaining to sexual stimulation and gratification
Erotic
Instrumental response in which a subject learns to terminate or escape an aversive stimulus
Escape Learning
Female hormones produced by the ovaries
Estrogens
Group of people who are treated as distinctive in terms of culture and group patterns
Ethnic Group
Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder
Etiology
Exaggerated feeling of well being and contentment
Euphoria
Positive stress
Eustress
Treatment that has been demonstrated to be superior to a standard comparison treatment or to placebo in a randomized controlled trial
Evidence Based Treatment
Intensify
Exacerbate
Third and final stage of responding to continued excessive trauma, in which a person’s adaptive resources are depleted and the coping patterns developed during the resistance stage fail
Exhaustion
Intentional exposure of one’s genitals to others under inappropriate circumstances and without their consent
Exhibitionistic Disorder
Anxiety concerning one’s ability to find a satisfying and fulfilling way of life
Existential Anxiety
Disorder characterized by feelings of alienation, meaninglessness, and apathy
Existential Neurosis
Type of therapy that is based on existential thought and focuses on individual uniqueness and authenticity on the part of both client and therapist
Existential Psychotherapy
View of human beings that emphasizes an individual’s responsibility for becoming the kind of person he or she should be
Existentialism
Originating from or due to external causes
Exogenous
Religiously inspired treatment procedure designed to drive out evil spirits or forces from a “possessed” person
Exorcism
Group of subjects used to assess the effects of independent variables
Experimental Group
Rigorous scientific procedure by which hypotheses are tested
Experimental Method
Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable with everything else held constant
Experimental Research
A method of treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder that combines intense exposure of the patient to feared conditions and then they are asked not to respond by engaging in their usual rituals to the feared stimuli
Exposure and Response Prevention
A technique in psychological treatment of anxiety disorders that involves exposing the patient to the feared object or context without any danger in order to overcome the anxiety
Exposure Therapy
Type of negative communication involving excessive criticism and emotional overinvolvement directed at a patient by family members
Expressed Emotion (EE)
The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times
External Validity
Modifying the perception of environmental stimuli acting on the body
Exteroceptive Conditioning
Gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when it is no longer reinforced
Extinction
Direction of interest toward the outer world of people and things rather than toward concepts and intellectual concerns
Extroversion
Feigning of symptoms to maintain the personal benefits that a sick role may provide, including the attention and concern of medical personnel or family members
Factitious Disorder
This diagnosis is given when a person deliberately falsifies medical or psychological symptoms in another adult, a child, or even a pet
- This occurs in the absence of any external reward (eg; insurance money)
- Methods might include fabrication, exaggeration of existing problems, or deliberate creation of illness or disease
- The person who induces the injury or disease is given the diagnosis, not the victim who is made ill or impaired
- Also called Factitious Disorder by Proxy or Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy
Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another
Statistical technique used for reducing a large array of intercorrelated measures to the minimum number of factors necessary to account for the observed overlap or associations among them
Factor Analysis
Technique whereby a stimulus causing some reaction is gradually replaced by a previously neutral stimulus such that the latter acquires the property of producing the reaction in question
Fading
“Memories” of events that did not actually happen, often produced by highly leading and suggestive techniques
False Memories
Pertaining to characteristics that tend to run in families and have a higher incidence in certain families than in the general population
Familial
The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders within a given family
- It may arise because of genetic or environmental similarities
Family Aggregation
Behavior genetic research strategy that examines the incidence of disorder in relatives of an index case to determine whether incidence increases in proportion to the degree of the hereditary relationship
Family History Method
Form of interpersonal therapy focusing on the within family behavior of a particular family member and the assumption that it is largely influenced by the behaviors and communication patterns of other family members
Family Systems Approach
A treatment approach that includes all family members, not just the identified patient
Family Therapy
Daydream; also, an ego defense mechanism by means of which a person escapes from the world of reality and gratifies his or her desires in fantasy achievements
Fantasy
A basic emotion that involves the activation of the “fight or flight” response of the sympathetic nervous system
Fear
Explicit information pertaining to internal physiological processes or to the social consequences of one’s overt behavior
Feedback
Persistent or recurrent delay in, or absence of, orgasm after a normal sexual excitement phase
Female Orgasmic Disorder
Sexual dysfunction involving an absence of sexual arousal and unresponsiveness to most or all forms of erotic stimulation
Female Sexual Interest/ Arousal Disorder
Observed pattern in infants born to mothers with alcoholism in which there is a characteristic facial or limb irregularity, low body weight, and behavioral abnormality
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Sexual variant in which sexual interest centers on some inanimate object or nonsexual part of the body
Fetishism
Embryo after the sixth week following conception
Fetus
Ego defense mechanism involving an unreasonable or exaggerated attachment to some person or arresting of emotional development on a childhood or adolescent level
Fixation
Schedule of reinforcement based on a fixed period of time after the previous reinforced response
Fixed Interval Schedule
A risk factor that cannot change within a person (eg; race cannot vary within a person, and white race is a marker of increased risk of suicide death)
Fixed Marker
Schedule of reinforcement based on reinforcement after a fixed number of nonreinforced responses
Fixed Ratio Schedule
Involuntary recurrence of perceptual distortions or hallucinations weeks or months after taking a drug; in posttraumatic stress disorder, a dissociative state in which the person briefly relives the traumatic experience
Flashback
The lack of emotional expression
Flat Affect
Anxiety eliciting therapeutic technique involving having a client repeatedly experience the actual internal or external stimuli that had been identified as producing anxiety reactions
Flooding
Research procedure in which people are studied over a period of time or are recontacted at a later time after an initial study
Follow Up Study
Pertaining to or used in a court of law
Forensic
Dizygotic twins; fertilized by separate germ cells, thus not having the same genetic inheritance
- May be of the same or of opposite sexes
Fraternal Twins
Method for probing the unconscious by having patients talk freely about themselves, their feelings, and their motives
Free Association
Anxiety not referable to any specific situation or cause
Free Floating Anxiety
Portion of the brain active in reasoning and other higher thought processes
Frontal Lobe
A term that refers to interest in rubbing, usually one’s pelvis or erect penis, against a non-consenting person for sexual gratification
Frotteurism
Thwarting of a need or desire
Frustration
Ability to withstand frustration without becoming impaired psychologically
Frustration Tolerance
Dissociative disorder that entails loss of memory for personal information accompanied by actual physical flight from one’s present life situation to a new environment or a less threatening former one
Fugue
Outdated term used to refer to disorders that were not considered to have an organic basis
Functional Mental Disorders
Internal scanning technique that measures changes in local oxygenation (blood flow) to specific areas of brain tissue that in turn depend on neuronal activity in those specific regions, allowing the mapping of psychological activity such as sensations, images, and thoughts
Functional MRI (fMRI)
Severe mental disorders for which a specific organic pathology has not been demonstrated
Functional Psychoses
Wagering on games or events in which chance largely determines the outcome
Gambling
Persistent discomfort about one’s biological sex or the sense that the gender role of that sex is inappropriate
Gender Dysphoria
Individual’s identification as being male or female
Gender Identity
Identification with members of the opposite sex, persistent discomfort with one’s biological sexual identity, and strong desire to change to the opposite sex
Gender Identity Disorder
A model that helps explain the course of a person’s biological deterioration under excessive stress; consists of three stages (alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and exhaustion)
Gender Adaptation Syndrome
Mental disorder associated with syphilis of the brain
General Paresis
The extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples
Generalizability
Tendency of a response that has been conditioned to one stimulus to be elicited by other, similar stimuli
Generalization
Chronic excessive worry about a number of events or activities, with no specific threat present, accompanied by at least three of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Long molecules of DNA that are present at various locations on chromosomes and that are responsible for the transmission of hereditary traits
Genes
Means by which DNA controls the sequence and structure of proteins manufactured within each cell and also makes exact duplicates of itself
Genetic Code
Counseling of prospective parents concerning the probability of their having impaired offspring as a result of genetic defects
Genetic Counseling
Potential for development and behavior determined at conception by egg and sperm cells
Genetic Inheritance
Science of the inheritance of traits and the mechanisms of this inheritance
Genetics
In psychoanalytic theory, the final stage of psychosexual development, involving a shift from autoeroticism to heterosexual interest
Genital Stage
Organs of reproduction, especially the external organs
Genitalia
Recurring difficulties of vaginal penetration or pelvic pain during intercourse
Genito - Pelvic Pain/ Penetration Disorder
This type of study allows researchers to scan the entire genomes of large numbers of individuals to search for genetic variants associated with specific diseases
- DNA is usually obtained from blood or from cheek swab samples
- The DNA is then placed on tiny chips and scanned on highly specialized automated machines
- Genetic variations in people with and without the disease or disorder are then compared
Genome - Wide Association Study (GWAS)
A person’s total genetic endowment
Genotype
Genotypic vulnerability that can shape a child’s environmental experiences
Genotype Environment Correlation
Differential sensitivity or susceptibility to their environments by people who have different genotypes
Genotype Environment Interaction
Science of the diseases and treatment of the older people
Geriatrics
Reproductive cells ( female ovum and male sperm) that unite to produce a new individual
Germ Cells
Science dealing with the study of old age
Gerontology
School of psychology that emphasizes patterns rather than elements or connections, taking the view that the whole is more than the sum of its parts
Gestalt Psychology
Therapy designed to increase the integration of thoughts, feelings, and actions and to promote self awareness and self acceptance
Gestalt Therapy
It is a hormone that is produced by the stomach
- It stimulates appetite
Ghrelin
Adrenocortical hormones involved in sugar metabolism but also having widespread effects on injury - repair mechanisms and resistance to disease; they include cortisol
Glucocorticoids
An excitatory neurotransmitter that is widespread throughout the brain
Glutamate
Sex glands
Gonads
Psychotherapy administered to several people at the same time
Group Therapy
Feelings of culpability arising from behavior or desires contrary to one’s ethical principles
- Involves both self devaluation and apprehension growing out of fears of punishment
Guilt
Plea and possible verdict that would provide an alternative to pleading not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and would allow for placing a defendant in a treatment facility rather than in a prison
Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI)
