Chapter 15 Flashcards
what is abnormal psychology?
the scientific study of psychological disorders
what are the 4 D’s of psychological disorders?
Deviance = thoughts or emotions that fall outside cultural norms
Danger = behaviour increases risk of injury or harm to self or others
Distress = intense negative emotional reaction that doesn’t match the situation
Dysfunction = behaviour interferes with individuals daily functioning
why do we diagnose psychological disorders?
to make decisions about the treatment
what is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V)?
- the most complete description of over 350 mental disorders and criteria for diagnosing each
- diagnostic information is represented in 5 dimensions that consider the person and their life situation
what are the issues with the DSM?
-calls too many people ‘disordered’
- the border between disordered and normal are arbitrary
- decisions about what is disorder seem to value judgments
what are the leading models of abnormality?
- neuroscience model
- psychodynamic approaches
- cognitive-behavioural approach
- socio-cultural approaches
- developmental psychopathy approach
what is the neuroscience model?
attributes abnormal functioning to structural or biochemical malfunctions in the brain
ex: Genetic inheritance, abnormal neurotransmitter levels, viral infections, hormones, brain structure abnormalities
what is the psychodynamic approach?
attributes abnormal functioning to unconscious conflicts that are often rooted in childhood
ex: defense mechanisms, fixations
what is the cognitive- behavioural approach?
attributes abnormal functioning to a mix of conditioning, modelling and cognitive processes
what are the cognitive and behavioural components of the cognitive- behavioural approach?
Behavioural perspective = conditioning processes (classical and operant conditioning)
Cognitive perspective = maladaptive thinking and beliefs (selective perception, magnification and overgeneralization)
what is the socio-cultural approach?
- attributes abnormal functioning to societal, cultural, social and family pressures or conflict
- relation between abnormal functioning and factors
what is the developmental psychopathy approach?
attributes abnormal functioning to early risk factors with poor resilience through life stages
what are the components of the developmental psychopathy approach?
Risk factors = biological and environmental that contribute to problem outcomes
Resilience = the ability to recover from or avoid the serious effects of negative circumstances
Equifinality = children can start from different points and end up at the same outcome
Multifinality = children can start from the same point and end up at different outcomes
what is major depressive disorder (MDD)?
characterized by a depressed mood that is significantly disturbing
what are the symptoms of major depressive disorder?
Emotional = depressed mood
Motivational = lack of drive and desire to do activities
Behavioural = less active and productive
Cognitive = guilt, thoughts of suicide
Physical = fatigue, sleep and eating disturbances, dizziness
what are explanations behind MDD?
Genetics:
- DNA linkage analysis reveals depressed gene areas
The Brain:
- Brain activity: diminished in depression
- Brain structure: small frontal lobes in depression
- Brain chemistry: less norepinephrine and serotonin in depression
what do the cognitive behavioural theorists say about MDD?
- Learned helplessness
- Attribution-helplessness theory
- magnification
- overgeneralization
- Cognitive triad
what is bipolar disorder?
Dominant mood is depression alternating with periods of mania (3-7 weeks of depression, 3-7 days of mania)
what are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
Emotional = powerful highs
Motivational = seeks excitement and companionship
Behavioural = may move and speak quickly
Cognitive = poor judgment, optimism, grandiosity
Physical = energetic, requires little sleep
what are the explanations of bipolar disorder?
Genetics:
- Gene abnormalities
- Irregularities in ions that allow neurons to communicate
Brain structure:
Brain activity: increased in mania
Brain structure: fewer axons
Brain chemistry: more norepinephrine in mania
what is an anxiety disorder?
involving fear or nervousness that is out of proportion to the situation and is maladaptive
what are the 6 types of anxiety disorders?
generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder
what is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
feeling worried or anxious most of the time but not attached to any subject and interferes with ability to concentrate, sleep and eat
what did cognitive behavioural theorists say the cause of GAD was?
- assumption that one is in danger
- intolerance of uncertainty theory; unwilling to accept negative events
what did neuroscientists say the cause of GAD was?
- malfunctioning GABA feedback system
- malfunctioning emotional brain circuit
what is social anxiety disorder?
fear of talking in public, embarrassment and functioning poorly in front of others
what did cognitive-behavioural theorists say the cause of social anxiety disorder was?
- unrealistically high social standards
- view oneself as socially unattractive and unskilled
what is phobias?
- strong, irrational fears of objects or situations and the desire to avoid the object of the phobia
- do not usually go away on their own, intensify over time
what are the explanations behind phobias?
- classically conditioned fear
- avoidance behaviours are reinforced through operant conditioning
- modelling of fearful behaviour
what is panic disorder?
- anxiety response occurs suddenly, unpredictable and is very intense
- person lives in fear of the next attack and changes their behaviour to avoid panic attacks
what are the explanations behind panic disorder?
- malfunctioning brain circuit and excess norepinephrine
- misinterpretation of bodily sensations
what is obsessive compulsive disorder?
individuals have unwanted repetitive thoughts and tend to engage in repetitive behaviours
what does obsessive and compulsive mean?
Obsessions = cognitive component (repetitive and unwanted thoughts)
Compulsions = behavioural component (repetitive response to attempt to ease anxiety)
what did cognitive-behavioural theorists say about OCD?
Learning that compulsive behaviour relieves distress
what did neuroscientists say about OCD?
- low serotonin activity
- cingulate cortex and hypothalamus active the OCD impulses
- amygdala drives the fear and anxiety components of the OCD response
what is post traumatic stress disorder?
- persistent depression and anxiety after a traumatic event
- lasts more than a month, may begin shortly or years after the event
what are the explanations of PTSD?
- damaged hippocampus, amygdala and increased cortisol and norepinephrine
- perceive negative events as beyond their control
- negative childhood experiences:
what is schizophrenia?
a “split mind” characterized by disordered thought, lack of contact with reality, hallucinations
what are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
Hallucinations = alterations in perception
Delusions = beliefs that are not based on reality
Disorganized behaviour = ‘all over the place’ to the extent that completing a task is difficult
what are the 4 categories of symptoms of schizophrenia?
positive, negative, cognitive, psychomotor
what are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
presence of problem behaviours;
→ delusions, disorganized thinking and speech, hallucinations
what are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
absence of healthy behaviors; pathological deficits in behaviour → lack of speech, flat affect, loss of volition, social withdrawal
what are cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia?
impairment in cognitive functions → problems with memory, executive function, intelligence
what are psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia?
abnormal movements → awkward movements, odd gestures, catatonia
what is the onset and development of schizophrenia?
- typically end of adolescence and in early childhood, later for women than men
- roughly 1 in 100 people, equal men and women
what are the explanations of schizophrenia?
Genetics
Abnormal brain structures
- smaller temporal lobes and frontal lobes
- structural abnormalities of hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus
- cerebral ventricles are 20-30% larger in size
Biochemical abnormalities
- too many dopamine receptors help to explain paranoid and hallucinations
- abnormal glutamate and serotonin activity may play a role
what are the 5 types of somatic symptom and related disorders?
somatic symptom disorders, illness anxiety disorder, conversion disorder, psychological factors affecting other medical conditions, factitious disorders
what are the explanations for somatic symptom and related disorders?
behaviourists: classical conditioning of fears, modeling
cognitive theorists: misinterpret/ very sensitive to bodily cues
socio cultural theorists: many non-western cultures transform personal distress into somatic complaints/ symptoms
what is somatic symptom disorder?
- one or more somatic symptoms that cause distress and significant disruption to daily life
- concern has lasted over 6 months
what is illness anxiety disorder?
- individual is preoccupied with having a serious disease despite minimal or no somatic symptoms
- excessive care seeking for over 6 months
what is conversion disorder?
- the development of sudden symptoms suggestive of neurological damage yet perfectly healthy (blindness, paralysis, seizures, loss of feeling)
- individual is concerned with their symptoms
what is psychological factors affecting other medical conditions?
when psychological factors adversely affects or worsens a current medical condition
what is factitious disorder?
when an individual purposely assumes physical or psychological symptoms in order to adopt the patient role
what is dissociation?
refers to a separation of conscious awareness from thoughts, memory, bodily sensations, feelings or even from identity
what is a dissociative disorder?
refers to dysfunction and distress caused by a chronic and severe dissociation
what are the explanations of dissociative disorders?
psychoanalytic perspective = repression
cognitive perspective = coping with abuse
learning perspective = dissociation pays
social influence = therapists encourage
biological approach = smaller hippocampus and amygdala
what are the 3 types of dissociative disorders?
dissociative amnesia, depersonalization disorder, dissociative identity disorders (DID)
what is dissociative amnesia?
loss of memory with no known physical cause; inability to recall memories
what is depersonalization disorder?
a strong feeling of disconnection from one’s regular identity and awareness; usually triggered by stress
what is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?
- development of multiple personalities (aka multiple personality disorder)
- each identity is unique, may or may not know about each other, not in conscious at the same time
what personality disorders fell into dramatic and impulsive behaviours?
antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic
what personality disorders fall into anxiety and fearfulness behaviours?
avoidant, depended, obsessive-compulsive
what personality disorders fall into odd and eccentric behaviours?
paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
what is antisocial personality disorder?
- lack a conscience and empathy
- failed to respond to punishment
- disregard for others rights or preferences
- may be charming and manipulative
what did the behaviourist theorists say about anti-social personality disorder?
modelling = parents have antisocial personalities
operant conditioning = parent reward the wrong behaviour
what are the biological factors related to anti-social disorders?
lower serotonin, deficient functioning of the frontal lobes, less anxiety
what is borderline personality disorder?
- intense extremes between positive and negative emotions
- unstable sense of self
- impulsivity and volatility
- difficult with social relationships
what does the bisocial theory say about borderline personality disorder?
child has difficulty identifying and controlling emotions, emotions are punished and disregarded
learned helplessness
a state that occurs after a person has experienced a stressful situation repeatedly
attribution helplessness theory
individuals come to feel helpless through learning to attribute internal, stable, and global causes to a variety of events.
cognitive triad
a set of three negative beliefs about the self, the world, and the future
magnification
an individual will perceive a relatively minor incident as being much more important
overgeneralization
where a person applies something from one event to all other events
