Chapter 13 part 1 Flashcards
abnormality and anxiety disorders
what are the four characteristics of abnormality?
statistically rare
deviance from social norms
personal distress
interference with normal functioning
if you do a behavior that is statistically rare or deviates from social norms __________
it doesn’t mean you have a mental illness
what are two important things psychologists look for when trying to diagnose a patient?
if the behaviors / emotions cause you distress or they make you unable to function normally
what is abnormality?
any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or interferes with their ability to function in daily life
what is comorbidity?
when two psychological disorders exist together frequently (anxiety and depression)
what is the most prevalent / common psychological disorder?
depression
what is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)?
a book containing each known disorder, a description, symptoms, checklist of criteria, and other relevant facts
is the DSM-V flawed?
yes, because it is written by humans, but it is revised very often
what are models of abnormality?
approach to studying abnormal behavior
what are examples of models of abnormality?
biological models
psychological models
do psychologists agree on the underlying causes of mental illnesses?
no
what is the definition of biological models of abnormality?
psychological disorders have a biological cause.
what is another name for the biological model?
medical model
what do psychologists that adopt a biological model view mental illnesses as?
they are a disease that may be caused by something biological (genetics, brain chemistry) and can be treated with medicine
what are the four psychological models of abnormality?
psychoanalysis
behaviorism
cognitive perspective
combination approaches
what is psychoanalysis?
behavioral abnormality is the result of repressing undesirable thoughts, memories, and concerns
which model of abnormality did Freud adopt and how did he use it?
he adopted psychoanalysis and called it therapy. he would have patients relax and talk to him to see if he could pick out why they were behaving abnormally
why do many psychologists today not use psychoanalysis?
it has many theories, but no testable theories
there is evidence that our brain processes things at a ________________________
subconscious level and those things effect us
what did Freud think about our subconscious and abnormal behavior?
Freud thought we have a piece of us in our subconscious that wants what it wants, and it wants it now, even if society says it’s bad. Freud thought the conflict between our subconscious desires and society’s rules happens subconsciously and, when some of that conflict bubbles to the surface, we get abnormal behavior
what is behaviorism?
abnormal behaviors are learned through a series of rewards and punishments
how are abnormal behaviors learned through rewards and punishments?
maybe you learned as a child that if you acted a certain way you wouldn’t be punished. at the time, this way very adaptive. later in life, you struggle to have relationships with others because of that learned behavior
what is the cognitive perspective?
abnormal behavior results from illogical thinking patterns
what is the definition of anxiety disorders?
unrealistic or excessive anxiety. sometimes can be tied to something specific (fear) but other times it cannot (free-floating anxiety)
what is fear anxiety?
you have anxiety when you see (or other 4 senses) something you fear
what is free-floating anxiety?
the anxiety is always there or comes in waves and our brain tries to find something to be anxious about so it can explain why we have the anxiety
what is the main symptom of anxiety disorders?
excessive anxiety
what are the types of anxiety disorders? (learned about 5)
phobias
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
panic disorder
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
what are phobias?
irrational fear that causes undue personal distress and/or interferes with normal functioning
what are social phobias?
fear of interacting with others or being in a social situation
what are specific phobias?
fear of something in particular (like spiders)
what is the most common social phobia?
public speaking
what are the components of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
obsessions and compulsions
what are obsessions?
intruding thoughts that occur again and again
what are compulsions?
ritualistic behavior that reduces anxiety
what do the compulsions take the form of?
cleaning, checking, and counting
does everyone have a little bit of OCD?
yes
how does OCD work?
an intrusive thought (obsession) occurs that causes anxiety and a behavior is done to reduce that anxiety (compulsion)
what is panic disorder?
sudden onset of extreme panic: impending sense of doom (panic attack)
there are times we think in a spiraling way, but people with anxiety disorders ______________
think this way more frequently and severely
what are the symptoms of panic disorder? (5)
racing heart rate
rapid breathing
out of body experience
sweating
dry mouth
lots of different things can cause panic attacks, but someone with panic disorder has them _______________
frequently and they are unpredictable
what is generalized-anxiety disorder (GAD)?
excessive anxiety and worry occur more days than not for at least six months that interferes with normal functioning and causes personal distress
what does GAD often lead to?
depression and other disorders, and interferes with happiness, relationships, and sleep
people with GAD worry ________________
all the time, the amount of anxiety they have is too much for the amount of stress they are dealing with
what is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a traumatic event, oppressive situation, abuse, or disaster
we have known PTSD existed for a long time, _______________
we just had different names for it
what was PTSD called during WWI?
shell shock
what was PTSD called during WWII?
combat fatigue
what was PTSD called during Vietnam?
PTSD
for a long time, psychologists thought only ________ could have PTSD.
soldiers
how long does it take to develop PTSD?
3-6 months
what are the characteristics of PTSD (7 of them)?
flashbacks
emotionally avoidant
desensitization
exaggerated startle response
difficulty concentrating
apprehensive and nervous
impulsive outbursts (sometimes aggressive)
what is emotionally avoidant?
the person suffering from PTSD doesn’t want to talk about the event and their feelings, so they avoid anything that brings up emotions, and they suppress them
what is desensitization?
when exposed to a horrific event, they don’t outwardly look as sensitive to it, but their anxiety still goes up (on the outside they look fine, but their body still experiences the same reaction inside as everybody else)
what is apprehensive and nervous?
they are in a state of high alert all the time
what are impulsive outbursts?
the person is always on edge, and something pushes them over the edge and they snap and feel guilty afterward
not everyone develops PTSD after a traumatic event. why is that?
some people may have a biological predisposition to develop PTSD after trauma
what causes anxiety disorders?
there are probably many causes of anxiety disorders. psychologists approach anxiety disorders using the model of their choice
what is a psychoanalytic approach to anxiety disorders?
anxiety disorders are the result of repressed feelings and thoughts
what is a behavioral approach to anxiety disorders?
anxiety disorders are learned over time
what is a cognitive approach to anxiety disorders?
anxiety disorders are the result of illogical, irrational thinking patterns
what are the distorted perceptions of reality psychologists look for when using the cognitive approach to diagnose someone with an anxiety disorder?
magnification
all-or-nothing thinking
overgeneralization
minimization
what is magnification?
exaggeration of events, ideas, feelings
what is all-or-nothing thinking?
must be perfect or it’s completely ruined
what is overgeneralization?
a single, negative event is interpreted as a pattern
what is minimization?
only look at the bad, minimizing the positive
