Chapter 1 vocab/reading Flashcards
Ego psychology
Psychoanalytic theory that 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
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
actions that are unexpected and often evaluated negatively because they differ from typical or usual behavior
Psychopathology
Scientific study of psychological disorders
scientist-practitioner
mental health professional expected to apply scientific methods to his or her work. a scientist-practitioner must know the latest research on diagnosis and treatment, must evaluate his or her methods for effectiveness and may generate research to discover information about disorders and their treatment
presenting problem
original complaint reported by the client to the therapist. the actual treated problem may 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 new cases of a disorder appearing during a specific period (compare with prevalence)
course
Pattern of development and change of a disorder over time
prognosis
predicted development of a disorder over time
etiology
cause or source of a disorder
exorcism
religious ritual that attributes disordered behavior to possession by demons 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 disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment
Psychoanalysis
assessment and therapy pioneered by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious processes and conflicts
Behaviorism
Explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaption derived from experimental psychology.
unconscious
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 psychoanalytic therapy.
psychoanalytic model
complex and comprehensive theorty 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 psychic entity present at birth representing basic drives.
ego
in psychoanalysis, the psychic entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy id drives
superego
in psychoanalysis, the psychic entity representing the internalized moral standards of parents and society
intrapsychic conflicts
in psychoanalytic theory, a struggle among the id, ego and superego
defense mechanism
common pattern of behavior, often an adaptive coping style when it occurs in moderation, observed in response to a particular situation. psychoanalytic theory suggest that defense mechanisms are unconscious processes originating in the ego.
psychosexual stages of development
psychoanalytic concept of the sequence 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 genitally because of their lust for their mothers.
neurosis (neuroses plural)
obsolete psychodynamic term for a psychological disorder thought to result from an unconscious conflict and the anxiety it causes
self-psychology
also known as ego 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 to them.
collective unconscious
accumulated wisdom of a culture collected and remembered across generations, 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 content is examined as symbolic of id impulses and intrapsychic conflicts
psychoanalyst
therapist who practices psychoanalysis after earning either an MD or a PhD 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 experiences
person-centered therapy
therapy method in which the client, rather than the counselor, primarily directs the course of discussion, seeking self-discovery and self-responsiblity
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 decreases 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 attempts 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 positive coping experience, usually relaxation
behavior therapy
array of therapeutic methods based on the 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 desired consequence.
Negative reinforcement is the contingent escape from an adverse consequence.
Unwanted behaviors may result from reinforcement of those behaviors 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.
Chronic course
Tend to last a long time (schizophrenia)
Episodic course
Individual is likely to recover within a few months only to suffer a recurrence of the disorder at a later time
Time-limited course
The individual will improve without treatment in a relatively short period
Acute onset
Disorders that begin suddenly
Insidious onset
Disorders that develop gradually over an extended period
Developmental psychology vs developmental psychopathology
Psychology - study of changes in behavior over time
Psychopathology - study of changes in abnormal behavior
Life span developmental psychopathology
Study of abnormal behavior across the entire age span
Psychopathology- effect and cause
It’s effect does not necessarily imply the cause.
Mass hysteria
Explained by emotion contagion in which the experience of an emotion seems to spread to those around us.
blood-injection-injury phobia
Behavioral influences Biological influences Emotional influences Social influences Developmental influences
Psychosis
Beliefs that are not based on reality (delusions)
Hallucinations
Perceptions that are not based in reality
General paresis
Syphilis
Consistent symptoms (presentation) and a consistent course that resulted in death
Insight (psychoanalytic theory)
A fuller understanding of the relationship between current emotions and earlier events
Energy or drive within the id
Libido
Thanatos
Death instinct - less important source of energy
Pleasure principle
Principle the id operates under
Primary process
The id own characteristic way of processing info: emotional, irrational, illogical, filled w fantasies, preoccupied with sex, aggression, selfishness and envy.
Reality principle
Principle ego operates under
Secondary process
Thinking styles of the ego: logic and reason.
Inferiority complex
Adler’s concept
Striving for superiority.
Mature stage
Erickson
Individuals review their lives, experience in both satisfaction at having completed goals and despair at having failed at others
Countertransferance
Therapists project some of their own personal issues and feelings, usually positive, on to the patient.
Symptom substitution (psychoanalytic)
eliminating a phobia or to depressive episode would be of little use unless the underlying conflict was dealt with adequately, because another set of symptoms would almost certainly emerge
Therapeutic alliance
Relationship of the therapist and the patient
polygenic
influenced by many genes, each contributing only a tiny effect all of which in turn may be influenced by the environment.
Quantitative genetics
sums up all the tiny effects across many genes without necessarily telling us which genes are responsible for which effects
Molecular genetics
focuses on examining the actual structure of genes with advanced technologies such as DNA microarrays (technologies allow scientists to analyze thousands of genes at once)
diathesis
inherited tendency, a condition that makes someone susceptible to developing a disorder
CHEMICAL TRANSPORTER
AFFECTS THE TRANSMISSION OF SEROTONIN IN THE BRAIN.
central nervous system
includes brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system PNS
somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
dendrite
one kind of branch on neuron
has receptors that receive messages in the form of chemical impulses from other nerve cells, which are converted into electrical impulses
axon
other kind of branch on neuron
transmits impulses to other neurons
glia
> outnumber neurons by 10 to 1
> play active roles in neural activity, some serve to modulate neurotransmitter activity.
