Chapter 1: The History of Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
abnormal psychology
subfield of psychology that addresses causes & progression of psychological disorders
psychological disorder
pattern of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that causes significant personal distress, impairment, or risk of harm. (Has to be unusual for context and culture).
psychosis
an impaired ability to perceive reality to the extent that normal functioning is difficult or not possible
2 types of psychosis?
hallucinations & delusions
hallucinations
sensations so vivid that perceived objects or events seem real but aren’t
delusions
persistent false beliefs that are held despite evidence that beliefs are incorrect or exaggerate reality
culture
shared norms and values of a society that are explicitly and implicitly conveyed to its members by example & through use of reward & punishment
asylums
institutions to house and care for people who are afflicted with mental illness
moral treatment
treatment of the mentally ill that involved providing an environment in which people with mental illness were treated with kindness and respect and functioned as part of community
Freud
psychoanalytic theory, id, ego, superego, psychosexual stages, defense mechanisms
psychoanalytic theory
the theory that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are a result of conscious and unconscious forces continually interacting in the mind
id
(Freud) the seat of sexual and aggressive drivers, as well as of the desire for immediate gratification of physical & psychological needs
superego
(Freud) seat of the conscience, which works to impose morality
ego
(Freud) psychic structure that is charged with mediating between the id’s demands for immediate gratification & the superego’s high standards of morality, as well as constraints of external reality
psychosexual stages
(Freud) sequence of 5 stages of development through which children proceed from infancy to adulthood; each stage has task that must be completed for healthy psychological development
Freud’s 5 psychosexual stages
- oral
- anal
- phallic
- latency
- genital
neurosis
(psychoanalytic theory) pattern of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that expresses an unresolved conflict between ego & id or between ego & superego
defense mechanisms
unconscious processes that work to transform psychological conflict in order to prevent unacceptable thoughts and feelings from reaching consciousness
repression
(defense mechanism) unintentionally keeping conflict-inducing thoughts or feelings out of conscious awareness
denial
(defense mechanism) not acknowledging the conflict-inducing thoughts or feelings to oneself (and others)
rationalization
(defense mechanism) justifying the conflict-inducing thoughts, feelings, or behaviors with explanations
projection
(defense mechanism) projecting conflict-inducing thoughts or feelings onto others
reaction formation
(defense mechanism) transforming the conflict-inducing thoughts or feelings into their opposite
sublimation
(defense mechanism) channeling the conflict-inducing thoughts or feelings into less-threatening behaviors
psychodynamic theory
psychoanalytic theory but evolved and more modern (though generally still considered not that empirically supported)
mental processes
internal operations that underlie cognitive and emotional functions (such as perception, memory, and guilt feelings) and most human behavior
mental contents
specific material that is stored in the mind and operated on by mental processes
humanistic psychology
Maslow; focuses on free will, innate goodness, creativity, and the self
incongruence
Carl Rogers: incongruence between the ideal self and the real self
behaviorism
focuses on understanding directly observable behaviors rather than unobservable mental processes and mental contents
Pavlov’s dogs
behavior can evolve from learning!
cognitive psychology
thinking of brain like a computer; treatments involving restructuring people’s faulty beliefs and irrational thoughts that led to psychological disorders
4 types of attachment style
- secure
- resistant / anxious
- avoidant
- disorganized
secure attachment
become upset when mother leaves but calm down when she returns
resistant / anxious attachment
become angry when mother leaves & remain angry upon her return
avoidant attachment
no change in emotion based on mother’s presence or absence
disorganized attachment
combination of resistant and avoidant styles & also appear confused or fearful with mother
diathesis-stress model
a psychological disorder is triggered when a person with a predisposition (diathesis) for the particular disorder experiences an environmental event that causes significant stress
biopsychosocial approach
view that a psychological disorder arises from the combined influences of three types of factors: biological, psychological, and social
neuropsychological approach
view that a psychological disorder arises from the combined influences of neurological, psychological, and social factors (which affect and are affected by one another through feedback loops)