Chapter 12

Question 1

Abnormal psychology

Answer 1

a branch of psychology concerned with mental and emotional disorders (as anxiety disorders, phobias, depression, and developmental disorders) and with certain incompletely understood normal phenomena (as dreams and hypnosis).

Question 2

Abnormal behavior

Answer 2

behavior that is deviant, maladaptive, or personally distressful over a relatively long period of time.

Question 3

Deviant

Answer 3

atypical of statistically unusual.

Question 4

Maladaptive

Answer 4

disrupts a person’s ability to lead a satisfying life, interfering with their ability to function effectively in the world.

Question 5

Personally distressful

Answer 5

The personal engaging in the behavior finds it troubling.

Question 6

Theoretical

Answer 6

concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application.

Question 7

Biological approach

Answer 7

attributes physiological disorders to organic, internal causes. Primary focuses on the brain, genetic factors, and neurotransmitter functioning as the sources of abnormality.

Question 8

Medical Model

Answer 8

The view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin.

Question 9

Psychological approach

Answer 9

Emphasizes the contributions of experiences, thoughts, emotions, and personality characteristics in explaining psychological disorders.

Question 10

Sociocultural approach

Answer 10

Emphasizes the social context in which a person lives and characteristics, including gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family relationships, and culture.

Question 11

Biopsychosocial approach

Answer 11

Abnormal behavior can be influenced by biological (such as genes or neurotransmitters), psychological (such as childhood experiences), and sociocultural factors (such as poverty).

Question 12

Vulnerability-stress hypothesis or diathesis stress model

Answer 12

A theory holding that preexisting conditions (genetic characteristics, personality dispositions, experiences, and so on) put an individual at risk of developing a psychological disorder.

Question 13

(DSM-5) by American Psychiatric Association

Answer 13

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 5th ed.; the major classification of psychological disorders in the United States.

Question 14

(ICD-10)

Answer 14

The World Health Organization devised the International Classification of Diseases and Related Problems (ICD-10), which includes a chapter on mental and behavior disorders.

Question 15

Comorbidity

Answer 15

The simultaneous presence of two or more disorders in one person. The conditions are referred to as “comorbid.”

Question 16

Risk factors

Answer 16

Characteristics, experiences, or exposures that increase the likelihood that a person will develop a psychological disorder.

Question 17

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Answer 17

are diagnosed in children and are traced to genetic differences, atypical brain development, or prenatal exposure to substances that adversely affect development.

Question 18

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Answer 18

Two features: show persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across a variety of settings. show restrictive repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities.

Question 19

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Answer 19

One of the most common psychological disorders of childhood, in which individuals show one or more of the following: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Question 20

Anxiety and anxiety-related disorders

Answer 20

Disabling (uncontrollable and disruptive) psychological disorders that feature motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts.

Question 21

Generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 21

Psychological disorder marked by persistent anxiety for at least six months, and in which the individual is unable to specify the reasons for the anxiety.

Question 22

Panic disorder

Answer 22

Anxiety disorder in which the individual experiences recurrent, sudden onsets of intense apprehension or terror, often without warning and with no specific cause.

Question 23

Specific phobia

Answer 23

Psychological disorder in which an individual has an irrational, overwhelming, persistent fear of a particular object or situation.

Question 24

Social anxiety disorder

Answer 24

An intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations.

Question 25

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 25

Disorder in which the individual has anxiety-provoking thoughts that will not go away and/or urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors to prevent or produce some future situation.

Question 26

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 26

Anxiety disorder that develops through exposure to a traumatic event, a severely oppressive situation, cruel abuse, or a natural or unnatural disaster.

Question 27

Dissociative disorders

Answer 27

Psychological disorders that involve a sudden loss of memory or change in identity due to the dissociation (separation) of the individual’s conscious awareness from previous memories and thoughts.

Question 28

Dissociative amnesia

Answer 28

Dissociative disorder characterized by extreme memory loss that is caused by extensive psychological stress.

Question 29

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Answer 29

Formerly called multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder in which the individual has two or more distinct personalities or selves, each with its own memories, behaviors, and relationships.

Question 30

Major depressive disorder (MDD)

Answer 30

Psychological disorder involving a major depressive episode and depressed characteristics, such as lethargy and hopelessness, for at least two weeks.

Question 31

Bipolar disorder

Answer 31

Mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania, an overexcited, unrealistically optimistic state.

Question 32

Anorexia nervosa

Answer 32

Eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation.

Question 33

Bulimia nervosa

Answer 33

Eating disorder in which an individual (typically female) consistently follows a binge-and-purge eating pattern.

Question 34

Binge eating disorder

Answer 34

Eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food during which the person feels a lack of control over eating.

Question 35

Schizophrenia

Answer 35

Severe psychological disorder characterized by highly disordered thought processes; individuals suffering from schizophrenia may be referred to as psychotic because they are so far removed from reality.

Question 36

Psychosis

Answer 36

A state in which a person’s perceptions and thoughts are fundamentally removed from reality.

Question 37

Hallucinations

Answer 37

Sensory experiences that occur in the absence of real stimuli.

Question 38

Delusions

Answer 38

False, unusual, and sometimes magical beliefs that are not part of an individual’s culture.

Question 39

Catatonia

Answer 39

State of immobility and unresponsiveness, lasting for long periods of time.

Question 40

Flat affect

Answer 40

The display of little or no emotion—a common negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 41

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)

Answer 41

Psychological disorder characterized by guiltlessness, law-breaking, exploitation of others, irresponsibility, and deceit.

Question 42

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Answer 42

Psychological disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and emotions, and of marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.

Question 43

Consequences of stigma

Answer 43

It can provoke prejudice and discrimination toward individuals who are struggling with psychological disorders, complicating already difficult situations.

Question 44

Overcoming stigma

Answer 44

Resist thinking of people with disorders as completely defined by that condition. It is vital to recognize that they are still people, who demonstrate considerable strengths both in confronting their disorders and in carrying on despite their problems–and their achievements.

Question 45

Charles Silverstein, Ph.D

Answer 45

He earned his Bacherlor’s degree in Early Education and began teaching elementary school in Larchmont, New York. In 1974, Silverstein graduated with his Ph.D. in Psychology. After graduating, Dr. Silverstein focused on his clinical practice, writing, and activism. In 1976, he started the Journal of Homosexuality, serving as the founding editor-in-chief. In 2011, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in The Practice of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation.