Chapter 1 Flashcards
Define a psychological disorder
A psychological dysfunction within an individual that is distressed and/or impaired in functioning and a response that is not culturally expected
What are the three requirements in order to have a psychological disorder?
- Psychological dysfunction
- Distress or impairment
- Not typical or culturally expected
Define Psychological Dysfunction
Thinking, emotions, or behaviour are “not working how they are supposed to”
Define distress and impairment
Distress: individual is extremely upset
Impairment: causes some kind of harm in their lives
Are there instances when an individual is not upset and has a psychological disorder?
Antisocial Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Mania
Are there instances when an individual is not impaired and has a psychological disorder?
High functioning substance use disorders, high functioning GAD
What is Wakefield’s definition of harmful dysfunction? (Subjective and Objective)
Subjective: does it cause harm by the standards of this culture?
Objective: does something fail to perform the way it should?
What are the three dominant traditions in the historical conceptions of abnormal behaviour?
- Supernatural
- Biological
- Psychological
What tradition did Hippocrates take part in?
Biological Tradition
- Believed abnormal behaviour had natural, rather supernatural causes
Ex: believed hysteria resulted from a wandering uterus - He was also a proponent of the biopsychosocial approach
What tradition did Galen take part in?
Biological Tradition
- Included the humoral theory of mental illness
(Proposed that the body consisted of four humors that represented different aspects of human) - Crude treatments (bloodletting)
What tumultuous period is chronicled by historians in the 14th century?
The Supernatural Tradition
What was a significant issue regarding the treatment of individuals considered “insane” during the 14th century?
There were conflicting opinions on how to treat insanity
What was the predominant belief about madness in the 14th and 15th centuries?
That it was caused by witches and sorcery
What is another opinion regarding insanity during the 14th and 15th centuries?
Viewed as a natural phenomenon caused by mental or emotional stress
What tradition did Paracelsus take part in?
The Supernatural Tradition
- Believed movement of the moon and stars caused abnormal behaviour
- Pioneered the use of chemicals in the treatment of disorders
In the 19th century, what two factors reinvigorated the biological tradition?
- Syphilis and the biological link with “madness”
- Strong support from John P. Gray
(Believed that mental illness was always due to physical illness)
What are the behavioural and cognitive symptoms of advanced syphilis?
- Delusions of persecution
- Delusions of grandeur
- Other abnormal behaviours/psychoses
What did the malaria cure demonstrate?
- And later penicillin, showed that some mental illness could be traced to a curable infection
- Spurred on belief that mental illness is due to physiological factors
What does “moral” refer to in the context of Moral Therapy during the first half of the 18th century?
- Emotional or Psychological
What was the main practice of Moral Therapy?
Allowing institutionalized patients to be treated as normally as possible while encouraging social interaction
What atmosphere did Philippe Pinel advocate for patients in treatment?
A human, socially facilitative atmosphere
What was the primary focus of the Mental Hygiene Movement?
To improve the treatment and care of individuals with mental illness
How did Dorothea Dix’s work impact the system of asylums?
She helped reform their conditions and promote the construction of better facilities for patients
What two approaches were in conflict during the clash between the biological tradition and the mental hygiene movement?
Psychiatrists treating the mentally ill through biological means
Mental hygienists promoting mental health by changing societal institutions
What was a major outcome of the clash between Biological Tradition and Mental Hygiene Movement?
A division in the field of psychiatry regarding treatment for mental illness
What significant theory did Sigmund Freud develop in 1896?
The Psychoanalytic Theory
What are the three components of the mind according to Freud?
ID, Ego, and Superego
What principle governs the ID?
Pleasure principle: illogical, emotional, and irrational
What principle does the ego operate on?
The reality principle: logical and rational
What does the Superego represent?
Moral principles
What are defense mechanisms in psychoanalytic theory?
Strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety and internal conflict
What therapeutic technique did Freud develop?
Psychoanalysis
What techniques did Freud use in his psychoanalysis?
Free association, dream analysis, and exploring transference
What are the five stages of human psychosexual development identified by Freud?
Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and gential stages
What is object relations theory?
A theory that emphasizes how children incorporate objects
What is classical conditioning?
A previously-neutral stimulus can elicit a strong biological response if repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus that results in an unconditioned response.
What is the theory of operant conditioning?
Most voluntary behaviour is controlled by the consequences that follow behaviour
In operant conditioning, behaviours are more likely to occur in the future if _____, and are less likely to re-occur if ______.
Reinforced, punished
What model dominates modern psychiatry and psychology?
The Western medical model
What is the main idea behind the medical model in psychiatry and psychology?
Diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and often cured
What 3 major categories compose the study and discussion of psychological disorders in relation to psychopathology?
Clinical description, causation, and treatment/outcome
What is a presenting problem?
The problem a patient is showing up with
What is a clinical description?
Unique combination of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that make up a specific disorder.
What is prevalence?
The number of people in a population who have a disorder
What is a prognosis?
Typical course of the disorder
Define course
Pattern of that disorder over time
What is Etiology?
Study of why a disorder begins
