Chapter 12 Flashcards
Abnormal psychology
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).
Abnormal behavior
behavior that is deviant, maladaptive, or personally distressful over a relatively long period of time.
Deviant
atypical of statistically unusual.
Maladaptive
disrupts a person’s ability to lead a satisfying life, interfering with their ability to function effectively in the world.
Personally distressful
The personal engaging in the behavior finds it troubling.
Theoretical
concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application.
Biological approach
attributes physiological disorders to organic, internal causes. Primary focuses on the brain, genetic factors, and neurotransmitter functioning as the sources of abnormality.
Medical Model
The view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin.
Psychological approach
Emphasizes the contributions of experiences, thoughts, emotions, and personality characteristics in explaining psychological disorders.
Sociocultural approach
Emphasizes the social context in which a person lives and characteristics, including gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family relationships, and culture.
Biopsychosocial approach
Abnormal behavior can be influenced by biological (such as genes or neurotransmitters), psychological (such as childhood experiences), and sociocultural factors (such as poverty).
Vulnerability-stress hypothesis or diathesis stress model
A theory holding that preexisting conditions (genetic characteristics, personality dispositions, experiences, and so on) put an individual at risk of developing a psychological disorder.
(DSM-5) by American Psychiatric Association
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 5th ed.; the major classification of psychological disorders in the United States.
(ICD-10)
The World Health Organization devised the International Classification of Diseases and Related Problems (ICD-10), which includes a chapter on mental and behavior disorders.
Comorbidity
The simultaneous presence of two or more disorders in one person. The conditions are referred to as “comorbid.”
Risk factors
Characteristics, experiences, or exposures that increase the likelihood that a person will develop a psychological disorder.
Neurodevelopmental disorders
are diagnosed in children and are traced to genetic differences, atypical brain development, or prenatal exposure to substances that adversely affect development.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Two features: show persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across a variety of settings. show restrictive repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
One of the most common psychological disorders of childhood, in which individuals show one or more of the following: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Anxiety and anxiety-related disorders
Disabling (uncontrollable and disruptive) psychological disorders that feature motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts.
Generalized anxiety disorder
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.
Panic disorder
Anxiety disorder in which the individual experiences recurrent, sudden onsets of intense apprehension or terror, often without warning and with no specific cause.
Specific phobia
Psychological disorder in which an individual has an irrational, overwhelming, persistent fear of a particular object or situation.
Social anxiety disorder
An intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
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.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety disorder that develops through exposure to a traumatic event, a severely oppressive situation, cruel abuse, or a natural or unnatural disaster.
Dissociative disorders
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.
Dissociative amnesia
Dissociative disorder characterized by extreme memory loss that is caused by extensive psychological stress.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
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.
Major depressive disorder (MDD)
Psychological disorder involving a major depressive episode and depressed characteristics, such as lethargy and hopelessness, for at least two weeks.
Bipolar disorder
Mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania, an overexcited, unrealistically optimistic state.
Anorexia nervosa
Eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation.
Bulimia nervosa
Eating disorder in which an individual (typically female) consistently follows a binge-and-purge eating pattern.
Binge eating disorder
Eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food during which the person feels a lack of control over eating.
Schizophrenia
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.
Psychosis
A state in which a person’s perceptions and thoughts are fundamentally removed from reality.
Hallucinations
Sensory experiences that occur in the absence of real stimuli.
Delusions
False, unusual, and sometimes magical beliefs that are not part of an individual’s culture.
Catatonia
State of immobility and unresponsiveness, lasting for long periods of time.
Flat affect
The display of little or no emotion—a common negative symptom of schizophrenia.
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
Psychological disorder characterized by guiltlessness, law-breaking, exploitation of others, irresponsibility, and deceit.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
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.
Consequences of stigma
It can provoke prejudice and discrimination toward individuals who are struggling with psychological disorders, complicating already difficult situations.
Overcoming stigma
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.
Charles Silverstein, Ph.D
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.
