Chapter 1 Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context Flashcards
Psychological disorder
psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.
Phobia
psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation
Abnormal Behavior
- psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
- May seem obvious but not easily arrived at
- No one criterion has yet been developed that fully defines abnormality - Behavior characterized as atypical, socially unacceptable, distressing to the individual or others, maladaptive, and/or the result of distorted cognition
Psychopathology
scientific study of psychological disorders
Etiology
- study of origins
- Why a disorder begins (what causes it) and includes biological, psychological, and social dimensions
Exorcism
various religious rituals were performed in an effort to rid the victim of evil spirits
Psychosocial treatment
- precursor
- Focus not only on psychological factors but also on social and cultural ones as well
- Aristotle: the influence of social environment and early learning on later psychopathology
- The importance of fantacies, dreams,and cognitions
Moral therapy
During the first half of the 19th century, a strong psychosocial approach.
Mental hygiene movement
the deplorable conditions imposed on patients with insanity, and she made it her life’s work to inform the American public and their leaders of these abuses
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud
-The structure of the mind and the role of unconscious processes in determining behavior
Behaviorism
- John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B.F. Skinner
- Focuses on how learning and adaptation affect the development of psychopathology
Unconscious
- the material seemed to be beyond the awareness of the patient
- Influence on the production of psychological disorders
Catharsis
therapeutic to recall and relive emotional trauma that has been made unconscious and to release the accompanying tension
Insight
a fuller understanding of the relationship between current emotions and earlier events
Psychoanalytic model
- the most comprehensive theory yet constructed on the development and structure of our personalities.
- The structure of the mind and the distinct functions of personality that sometimes clash with one another
- The defense mechanisms with which the mind defends itself from these clashes, or conflicts
- The stages of early psychosexual development that provide grist for the mill of our inner conflicts
Id
source of our strong sexual and aggressive feelings or energies
Primary process
type of thinking is emotional, irrational, illogical, filled with fantasies, and preoccupied with sex, aggression, selfishness, and envy
Ego
ensures that we act realistically
- Mediates successfully -> we can go on to the higher intellectual and creative pursuits of life
- Unsuccessful -> the id or superego becomes too strong, conflict will overtake us and psychological disorders will develop
Superego
- conscience, represents the moral principles instilled in us by our parents and our culture
- Voice within us that nags at us when we know we’re doing something wrong
- Counteract the potentially dangerous aggressive and sexual drives of the id
- Mediate conflict between the id and the superego, juggling their demands with the realities of the world
Intrapsychic conflicts
conflicts are all within the mind
Defense mechanisms
- their conflicts produce anxiety that threatens to overwhelm the ego -> anxiety is a signal that alerts the ego to marshal
- Coping styles
Denial
Refuses to acknowledge some aspect of objective reality or subjective experience that is apparent to others
Displacement
Transfers a feeling about, or a response to, an object that causes discomfort onto another, usually less-threatening, object or person
Projection
Falsely attributes own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or thoughts to another individual or objective