chapter 13

Question 1

stress

Answer 1

state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability or resources to cope

Question 2

anxiety

Answer 2

state of physiological arousal associated with feelings of apprehension, unease or worry that something is wrong is something unpleasant is about to happen

Question 3

anxiety disorder

Answer 3

to describe a group of disorders that are characterised by chronic feelings of anxiety, distress, nervousness

Question 4

phobia

Answer 4

excessive or unreasonable fear directed towards a particular object, situation or event that causes significant distress or interferes with everyday functioning.

Question 5

3 categories of phobias

Answer 5

• agotaphobia (public/unfamilar places)
• social phobia
• specifc phobia

Question 6

specific phobia

Answer 6

disorder characterised by significant anxiety provoked by exposure to a specific fear object or situation, often resulting in avoidance behaviour.

Question 7

phobic stimulus

Answer 7

The ‘object or situation’ they are afraid

Question 8

5 categories of specific phobias

Answer 8

• animals
• situations (lifts, flying)
• blood, injections and/or injury
• natural environments (thunder, the dark, water
• Other phobias – anything not falling into another category (choking, vomiting, loud noises, costumed characters, dying)

Question 9

stress response

Answer 9

Exposure to the phobic stimulus triggers an involuntary anxiety response is fight/flight physio changes).

Question 10

panic attack

Answer 10

(unexpected onset of intense anxiety that can last a few mins tight chest, short breath

Question 11

anticipatory anxiety

Answer 11

is the gradual rise in anxiety level as a person thinks about, or ‘anticipates’, being exposed to a phobic stimulus in the future.

Question 12

biological factors

Answer 12

• GABA neurotransmitter dysfunction
• role of stress response
• LTP

Question 13

GABA

Answer 13

main inhibitor.
the brain to make postsynaptic (‘receiving’) neurons less likely to be activated (i.e. it inhibits excitation or ‘firing’). psychologists have proposed that individuals with a low level of GABA are more vulnerable to anxiety.

Question 14

stress response

Answer 14

Response to stressor + fight/flight/freeze response= panic attack

Question 15

LTP

Answer 15

neurologically strengthen the association between a phobic stimulus and a fear or anxiety response through its activity at the synapse.

Question 16

psychological factors

Answer 16

• behavioural models

- cognitive models

Question 17

behavioural models

Answer 17

classical/ operant conditioning
phobias are learned through experience and may be acquired, maintained or modified by environmental consequences such as rewards and punishment.
CC loud noise and shark = fear of shark
OC spider+fear and avoidance = phobia of spiders

Question 18

cognitive model

Answer 18

focuses on how people process information and how people think about the phobic stimulus and related events.

Question 19

two cognitive biases

Answer 19

memory bias - recall or recognition is better for negative or threatening information than for positive or neutral information
catastrophic thinking- a type of negative thinking in which an object or event is perceived as being far more threatening, dangerous or insufferable than it really is and will result in the worst outcome

Question 20

social factors

Answer 20

• specific environmental trigger

- stigma around seeking treatment

Question 21

specific environmental trigger

Answer 21

include ‘specific’ objects or situations in the ‘environment’ produce or ‘trigger’ an extreme fear response at the time

Question 22

stigma around seeking treatment

Answer 22

the nature of specific phobia and its symptoms mean that individuals with a phobia are particularly vulnerable to experiencing stigma, which in turn affects their willingness to tell family and friends, let alone to seek treatment from a professional.

Question 23

biological interventions for treatment

Answer 23

• use of benzodiazepine
• Breathing retraining (relaxation)
• exercise (relaxation)

Question 24

use of benzodiazepine

Answer 24

group of drugs acting selectively on GABA receptors to increase GABA’s inhibitory effects and make post- synaptic neurons resistant to excitation.
have both anti-anxiety and sleep- inducing properties.
reducing physiological arousal and promoting relaxation.

Question 25

Breathing retraining (relaxation)

Answer 25

anxiety management technique that involves teaching correct breathing habits to people with a specific phobia.
correct abnormal breathing patterns when anticipating or exposed to a phobic stimulus.

Question 26

exercise (relaxation)

Answer 26

Produces positive chemicals endorphins

• Uses negative chemicals produced in a stress response adrenalin

Question 27

psychological interventions for treatment

Answer 27

• CBT

- systematic desensitisation

Question 28

-CBT

Answer 28

Uses a combination of verbal and behaviour modification techniques to help people change irrational patterns of thinking that create a phobia.
change negative thoughts and behaviours and replaces them with more positive, realistic ones.

Question 29

-systematic desensitisation

Answer 29

A graded experience where a sufferer is gradually exposed to phobic stimulus while using relaxation techniques. Otherwise known as graduated exposure therapy
• Utilises classical conditioning principles

Question 30

social interventions for treatment

Answer 30

psychoeducation for families/supporters

Question 31

psychoeducation for families/supporters

Answer 31

Challenging unrealistic thoughts (i.e. irrational fear)
• Discouraging avoidance behaviours which can act as a negative
reinforcer and strengthen the phobic behaviour