Chapter 1: Introduction Flashcards
psychological disorder
Psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not a typical or culturally expected response.
phobia
Psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation.
abnormal behavior
a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in function and a response that is not typically or culturally expected.
psychopathology
Scientific study of psychological disorders.
scientist-practicioner
Mental health professionals who are expected to apply scientific methods to their work. They must keep current in the latest research on diagnosis and treatment, they must evaluate their own methods for effectiveness, and they may generate their own research to discover new knowledge of disorders and their treatment.
presenting problem
Original complaint reported by the client to the therapist. The actual treated problem may sometimes be a modification derived from the presenting problem.
clinical description
details of the combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings of an individual that make up a particular disorder
prevalence
Number of people displaying a disorder in the total population at any given time (compare with incidence).
incidence
Number of news cases of disorder appearing during a specific period (compare with prevalence).
course
pattern of development and change of a disorder over time
prognosis
Predicted future development of a disorder over time.
etiology
cause or source of a disorder
exorcism
Religious ritual that attributes behavior to possession by demon and seeks to treat the individual by driving the demons from the body
psychosocial treatment
Treatment practices that focus on social and cultural factors (such as family experience), as well as psychological influences. These approaches include cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal methods.
moral therapy
Psychosocial approach in the 19th century that involved treating patients as normally as possible in normal environments.
mental hygiene movement
Mid-19th-century effort to improve care of the mentally disorder by informing the public of their mistreatment
pyschoanalysis
Psychoanalytic assessment and therapy, which emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious processes and conflicts, pioneered by Sigmund Freud.
behaviorism
explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on the principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology
unconcious
Part of the psychic makeup that is outside the awareness of the person.
catharsis
rapid or sudden release of emotional tension thought to be an important factor in a psychoanalytic therapy
psychoanalytic model
Complex and comprehensive theory originally advanced by Sigmund Freud that seeks to account for the development and structure of personality, as well as the origin of abnormal behavior, based primarily on inferred inner entities and forces.
id
In psychoanalysis, the unconscious physical entity present at birth representing basic sexual and aggressive drives.
ego
In psychoanalysis, the physical entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy id drives.
superego
In psychoanalysis, the psychical entity representing the internalized moral principles of parents and society.
intrapsychic conflicts
In psychoanalysis, the struggles among the id, ego, and superego.
defense mechanisms
Common patterns of behavior, often adaptive coping styles when they occur in moderation, observed in response to particular situations. In psychoanalysis, these are thought to be unconscious processes originating in the ego.
psychosexual stages of development
In psychoanalysis, the sequences of phases a person passes through during development. Each stage is named for the location on the body where id gratification is maximal at that time.
castration anxiety
In psychoanalysis, the fear in young boys that they will be mutilated genetically because of their lust for their mothers.
neurosis
Obsolete psychodynamic term for psychological disorder thought to result from unconscious conflicts on the anxiety they cause
ego psychology
Derives from psychoanalysis, this theory emphasizes the role of the ego in development and attributes psychological disorders to failure of the ego to manage impulses and internal conflicts. Also known as self-psychology
self-psychology
Derives from psychoanalysis, this theory emphasizes the role of the ego in development and attributes psychological disorders to failure of the ego to manage impulses and internal conflicts. Also known as self-psychology
object relations
Modern development in psychodynamic theory involving the study of how children incorporate the memories and values of people who are close and important today
collective unconscious
Accumulated wisdom of a culture collected and remembered across generation, a psychodynamic concept introduced by Carl Jung.
free association
psychoanalytic therapy technique intended to explore threatening material repressed into the unconscious. The patient is instructed to say whatever comes to mind without censoring.
dream analysis
Psychoanalytic therapy method in which dream contents are examined as symbolic of id impulses and intrapsychic conflicts
psychoanalyst
Therapist who practices psychoanalysis after earning either an M.D. or a Ph.D. degree and receiving additional specialized postdoctoral training.
transference
Psychoanalytic concept suggesting that clients may seek to relate to the therapist as they do to important authority figures, particularly their parents
psychodynamic psychotherapy
Contemporary version of psychoanalysis that still emphasizes unconscious processes and conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems.
self-actualizing
Process emphasized in humanistic psychology in which people strive to achieve their highest potential against difficult life experience.
person-centered therapy
Therapy method in which the client, rather than the counselor primarily directs the course of discussion, seeking self-discovery and self-responsibility.
unconditional positive regard
Acceptance by the counselor of the client’s feelings and actions without judgement or condemnation.
behavioral model
explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology
classical conditioning
fundamental learning process first described by Ivan Pavlov. An event that automatically elicits a response is paired with another stimulus event that does not (a neutral stimulus). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that by itself can elicit the desired response.
extinction
Learning process in which a response maintained by reinforcement in operant conditioning or pairing in classical conditioning decrease when that reinforcement or pairing is removed; also the procedure of removing that reinforcement or pairing.
introspection
Early, nonscientific approach to the study of psychology involving systematic attempt to report thoughts and feelings that specific stimuli evoked.
systematic desensitization
Behavioral therapy technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually relaxation.
behavior therapy
array of therapy methods based on principles of behavioral and cognitive science, as well as principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviors rather than inferred conflicts as legitimate targets for change.
reinforcement
In operant conditioning, consequences for behavior that strengthen it or increase its frequency. Positive reinforcement involves the contingent delivery of a desire consequence. Negative reinforcement is the contingent escape from an aversive consequence. Unwanted behaviors may result from their reinforcement or the failure to reinforce desired behaviors
shaping
In operant conditioning, the development of a new response by reinforcing successively more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and undesirable behaviors may be learned in this manner.
