chapter 16 Flashcards
psychotherapy def
treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth
-therapy with an individual (1 on 1)
biomedical theory def
prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology
-treatment with medical procedures
eclectic def
an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy.
psychoanalysis def
1) Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. (2) Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the analyst’s interpretations of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.
-Goals: bring patients repressed feelings into conscious awareness
-technique: use dream analysis, free association, resistance, transference
resistance def
in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material.
interpretation def
in psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting of supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight.
transferring def
in psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent).
-directed towards a therapist
psychodynamic therapists def and technique
therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight.
-they try to help people understand their current symptoms by focusing on important relationships and events, including childhood experiences and the therapist-client relationship
-technique: face to face meetings, exploration of past relationship troubles
-briefer, less expensive, dont believe in id/ego/superego
insight therapies/ humanistic therapies
-Humanistic therapists aim to boost people’s self-fulfillment by helping them grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance.
-Promoting this growth, not curing illness, is the therapy focus
-gunuiness, acceptance (positive environment)
-Conscious thoughts are more important than unconscious thoughts
-goal: reduce inner conflicts that interfere with natural development and growth; helps client grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance, promoting growth, genuineness, empathy
-includes psychodynamic and humanistic therapies
person-centered therapy def
a humanistic therapy, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth. (Also called client-centered therapy.)
-the client leads the discussion
-also called nondirective therapy
active listening def
empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and seeks clarification. A feature of Rogers’ person-centered therapy
unconditional positive regard def
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.
behavior therapists def
therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors
-uses classical conditioning and counterconditioning
-exposure therapies and systematic desensitization
counterconditioning def
behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; include exposure therapies and aversive conditioning
-exposure therapy
-systematic desensitization
exposure therapy def
pairs the trigger stimulus (in this case, the enclosed space of the elevator) with a new response (relaxation) that is incompatible with fear.
-ex: pair you with something you are scared with until you are not scared about it anymore
systematic desensitization def
a type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat specific phobias
virtual reality exposure therapy
a counterconditioning technique that treats anxiety through creative electronic simulations in which people can safely face their greatest fears, such as airplane flying, spiders, or public speaking
aversive conditioning def
associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)
-helps you learn what you should not do; counterconditioning
-substitute a negative response for a positive response to harmful stimulus
how is psychodynamic therapy different from psychoanalysis
-lack of belief in id, ego, and superego
-briefer, less expensive, and more focused on helping clients find relief from their current symptoms
-helps client understand how past relationships create themes that may be acted out in present relationship
operant conditioning therapy
consequences drive behavior; voluntary behaviors are strongly influenced by their consequences
-use reward and punishment to change behavior
behavioral modification def
desired behavior is reinforced; undesired behavior is not reinforced and sometimes is punished
-operant conditioning
token economy def
an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange tokens for privileges or treats.
cognitive therapies def
-therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking
-based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions.
Beck’s therapy for depression
-gentle questioning seeks to reveal irrational thinking and then to persuade people to change their perceptions of their own and other’s actions as dark, negative, pessimistic
-people are trained to recognize and modify negative self-talk
cognitive therapy techniques: reveal beliefs
-Question your interpretations: Explore your beliefs, revealing faulty assumptions such as “I must be liked by everyone.”
-Rank thoughts and emotions:Gain perspective by ranking your thoughts and emotions from mildly to extremely upsetting.
cognitive therapy techniques: test beliefs
-Examine consequences: Explore difficult situations, assessing possible consequences and challenging faulty reasoning.
-Decatastrophize thinking: Work through the actual worst-case consequences of the situation you face (it is often not as bad as imagined). Then determine how to cope with the real situation you face.
cognitive therapy techniques: change beliefs
-Take appropriate responsibility: Challenge total self-blame and negative thinking, noting aspects for which you may be truly responsible, as well as aspects that aren’t your responsibility.
-resist extremes: Develop new ways of thinking and feeling to replace maladaptive habits. For example, change from thinking “I am a total failure” to “I got a failing grade on that paper, and I can make these changes to succeed next time.”
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)
-aims to alter the way people act and the way they think
-helps people learn to make more realistic appraisals
Group Therapy def
therapy conducted with groups rather than individuals, providing benefits from group interaction.
-used when client problems involve interactions with others (usually with adolescents/teens)
What are the group therapy benefits?
-saves therapists time and clients money
-offers a social laboratory for exploring social behaviors and developing social skills
-enables people to see that others share their problems
-provides feedback as clients try out new ways of behaving
family therapy def
therapy that treats people in the context of their family system. Views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members.
self help groups
-More than 100 million Americans have belonged to religious, special-interest, or support groups that meet regularly
-popularity of support groups may reflect a longing for community and connectedness
is psychotherapy effective?
-cant prove that it is actually effective
-those that undergo it are more likely to improve more quickly and less chance of relapse
which psychotherapies work best: cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies
anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder
which psychotherapies work best: behavioral conditioning therapies
bed-wetting, phobias, compulsions, and marital problems, and sexual dysfunctions
which psychotherapies work best: psychodynamic therapy
mild forms of depression and anxiety
which psychotherapies work best: nondirective (client-centered) counseling
mild to moderate depression
culture and values in psychotherapy
-personal beliefs and values influence their practice
-difference in cultural and moral diversity and religious values can create a mismatch
confirmation bias def
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.
meta-analysis def
a statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion.
evidence-based practice def
clinical decision making that integrates the best available research with clinical expertise and patient characteristics and preferences.
psychotherapists help people through….
-hope for demoralized people
-new perspective for oneself and the world
-empathic, trusting, carring relationship
therapeutic alliance def
a bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to overcome the client’s problem.
Training: Clinical psychologists
Most are psychologists with a Ph.D. (includes research training) or Psy.D. (focuses on therapy) supplemented by a supervised internship and, often, postdoctoral training. About half work in agencies and institutions, half in private practice.
-treat most severely mentally ill
Training: Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in the treatment of psychological disorders. Not all psychiatrists have had extensive training in psychotherapy, but as M.D.s or D.O.s they can prescribe medications. Thus, they tend to see those with the most serious problems. Many have their own private practice.
-expertise in brain, and medical interventions, not therapy (has to do extra work if want to do therapy)
-work with a therapists
Training: Clinical or psychiatric social workers
A two-year master of social work graduate program plus postgraduate supervision prepares some social workers to offer psychotherapy, mostly to people with everyday personal and family problems. About half in the United States have earned the National Association of Social Workers’ designation of clinical social worker.
-conduct low level counseling, there for social support
training: Counselors
Family and couples counselors specialize in problems arising from family relations. Clergy provide counseling to countless people. Abuse counselors work with substance abusers and with spouse and child abusers and victims of abuse. Mental health and other counselors may be required to have a two-year master’s degree.
-counsel people with stress, less severe mentally ill
biomedical therapy def
prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology.
psychopharmacology def
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior
-helped make drug therapy the most widely used biomedical therapy
antipsychotic drugs def
drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorders.
-address positive symptoms of schizophrenia
-may produce sluggishness, tremors, twitches, and tardive dyskinesia
antianxiety drugs def
drugs used to control anxiety and agitation.
-depresses CNS activity
-ex: xanax, ativan
-should not be an everyday medicine
most common drug treatments for psychological disorders
-antipsychotic drugs
-anti anxiety drugs
-antidepressant drugs
-mood-stabilizing medications
antidepressant drugs def
drugs used to treat depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive- compulsive and related disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
-Several widely used antidepressant drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—SSRIs. (1st line of defense of depression)
-increase availability of norepinephrine or serotonin; promote birth of new brain cells
-slow synaptic vacuuming up of serotonin
-effectiveness sometimes questioned due to spontaneous recovery and placebo effect
mood stabilizing medication: depakote
controls manic episodes
mood stabilizing medication: lithium
levels out the emotional highs and lows of bipolar disorder
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
a biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient.
-manipulates the brain through shocking it
-causes some memory disruption
Transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS)
-administers a weak (1-2 milliamp) current directly to the scalp
-skeptics argue its too weak
-studies do not confirm cognitive benefits
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or repetitive TMS
the application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain through coiled wire; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity
-fewer side effects
-goes to a specific area mainly the frontal brain
deep brain stimulation
manipulates the depressed brain via pacemaker
psychosurgery def
surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior
-is irreversible
-least used in biomedical therapy
lobotomy def
-a psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients.
-The procedure cut the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to the emotion-controlling centers of the inner brain.
-today less invasive techniques are used
preventative mental health
-based on the idea that many psychological disorders could be prevented by changing oppressive, esteem-destroying environments into more benevolent nurturing environments that foster growth and self-confidence
resilience def
he personal strength that helps people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma.
posttraumatic growth def
positive psychological changes following a struggle with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises
flooding therapy
-type of exposure therapy
-type of counterconditioning
-Ex: lock you in a room with many spiders all at once; all at once not gradual
behavioral therapy critics and proponents
Critics: how durable are the behaviors? should we control ones behavior?
proponents: treatment with positive rewards is more humane than institutionalizing them
clinical decision making
- Clients culture, values, personal identity, preference, circumstances
- Clinical experience/expertise
- best available research
need to use empirically validated
what do psychotherapies provide?
1.hope for demoralized people
2.new perspective on oneself and the world
3.empathic, trusting, caring relationship
