Chapter 15 Flashcards
Abnormal behavior
Behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives.
Medical perspective
The perspective that suggests that when an individual displays symptoms of abnormal behavior, the root cause will be found in a physical examination of the individual, which may reveal a hormone imbalance, a chemical deficiency, or a brain injury.
Psychoanalytic perspective
The perspective that suggests that abnormal behavior stems from childhood conflicts over opposing wishes regarding sex and aggression.
Behavioral perspective
The perspective that looks at the rewards and punishments in the environment that determine abnormal behavior.
Cognitive perspective
The perspective that suggests that people’s thoughts and beliefs are a central component of abnormal behavior.
Humanistic perspective
The perspective that emphasizes the responsibility people have for their own behavior, even when such behavior is abnormal.
Sociocultural perspective
The perspective that people’s behavior – both normal and abnormal – is shaped by the society and culture in which they live.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, (DSM-5)
A system, devised by the American psychiatric Association, used by most professionals to diagnose and classify abnormal behavior.
Anxiety disorder
The occurrence of anxiety without an obvious external cause that affects daily functioning.
Specific phobia
Intense, irrational fear of specific objects or situations.
Panic disorder
Anxiety disorder that takes the form of panic attacks lasting from a few seconds to several hours.
Generalized anxiety disorder
The experience of long long-term, persistent anxiety and worry.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A disorder characterized by obsessions or compulsions.
Obsession
A persistent, unwanted thought or idea that keeps reoccurring.
Compulsion
And irresistible urge to repeatedly carry out some act that seems strange and unreasonable.
Somatic symptom disorders
Psychological difficulties that take on a physical (somatic) form, but for which there is no medical cause.
Illness anxiety disorder
A disorder in which people have a constant fear of illness and a preoccupation with their health.
Conversion disorder
A major somatic symptom disorder that involves an actual physical disturbance, such as the inability to use a sensory organ or the complete or partial inability to move an arm or leg.
Dissociative disorders
Psychological dysfunctions characterized by the separation of different facets of a person’s personality that are normally integrated.
Disassociative identity disorder (DID)
A disorder in which a person displays characteristics of two or more distinct personalities.
Disassociative amnesia
A disorder in which a significant, selective memory loss occurs.
Disassociative fugue
A form of amnesia in which a person leaves home suddenly and assumes a new identity.
Mood disorder
A disturbance in emotional experience that is strong enough to intrude on everyday living.
Major depressive disorder
A severe form of depression that interferes with concentration, decision making, and sociability.
