Chapter 2 Flashcards
Model
A set of assumptions and concepts that help scientists explain and interpret observations. Also called a paradigm.
Neuron
A nerve cell
Synapse
The tiny space between the nerve ending of one neuron and the dendrite of another
Neurotransmitter
A chemical that, released by one neuron, crosses the synaptic space to be received at receptors on the dendrites of neighboring neurons
Receptors
A site on a neuron that receives a neurotransmitter
Endocrine system
Endocrine glands work along with neuron to control vital activities
Hormone
The chemicals released by endocrine glands into the bloodstream
Gene
Chromosome segments that control the characteristics and traits we inherit
Evolution
Contributes to abnormal functioning
Ex. Fear helped ancestors escape danger and threats, now leads to anxiety disorders
Psychotropic medication
Drugs that primarily affect the brain and reduce many symptoms of mental dysfunctioning
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
A form of biological treatment, used primarily on depressed patients, in which a brain seizure is triggered as an electric current passes through electrodes attached to the patient’s forehead
Psychosurgery
Brain surgery for mental disorders. Also called neurosurgery.
Unconscious
Unavailable to immediate awareness
ID
According the Freud, the psychological force that produces instinctual needs, drives, and impulses
Ego
According to Freud, the psychological force that employs reason and operates in accordance with the reality principle
Ego defense mechanism
According to psychoanalysis theory, strategies developed by the ego to control unacceptable id impulses and to avoid or reduce the anxiety they arouse
Superego
According to Freud, the psychological force that represents a person’s values and ideals
Fixation
According to Freud, a condition in which the id, ego, and superego do not mature properly and are frozen at an early stage of development
Ego theory
Emphasize the role of the ego and consider it a more independent and powerful force than Freud did
Self theory
Give the greatest attention to the role of the self–the unified personality
Object relations theory
Propose that people are motivated mainly by a need to have relationships with other and that severe problems in the relationships between children and their caregivers may lead to abnormal development
Free association
A psychodynamic technique in which the patient describes any thought, feeling, or image that comes to mind, even if it seems unimportant
Resistance
An unconscious refusal to participate fully in therapy
Transference
According to psychodynamic theorists, the redirection toward the psychotherapist of feelings associated with important figures in a patient’s life, now or in the past
Dream
A series of ideas and images that form during sleep
Catharsis
The reliving of past repressed feelings in order to settle internal conflicts and overcome problems
Working through
The process in which the patient and the therapist must examine the same issues over and over in the course of many sessions each with greater therapy
Short-term psychodynamic therapies
Patients choose a single problem to work on
Relational psychoanalytic therapy
Argues that therapists are key figures in the lives of patients, so they should disclose things about themselves and their own reactions to patients
Conditioning
A simple form of learning
Operant conditioning
A process of learning in which behavior that leads to satisfying consequences is likely to be repeated
Modeling
A process of learning in which an individual acquires response by observing and imitation others
Classical conditioning
A process of learning by temporal association in which two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused in a person’s mind and produce the same response
Systematic desensitization
A behavioral treatment in which clients with phobias learn to react calmly instead of with intense fear to the objects or situations they dread
Self-efficacy
People must know that they can master and perform needed behaviors whenever necessary
Cognitive-behavioral therapies
Helped clients to change both counterproductive behaviors and dysfunctional ways of thinking by bridging the behavioral model and cognitive model
Cognitive therapy
A therapy developed by Aaron Beck that helps people recognize and change their faulty thinking processes
New wave of cognitive therapies
Help clients to simply be mindful of and accept many of their problematic thoughts rather than judge them, act on them, or try to fruitlessly to change them
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
A widely used form of the “new wave of cognitive therapies”
Self-actualization
The humanistic process by which people fulfill their potential for goodness and growth
Client-centered therapy
The humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers in which clients try to help clients by conveying acceptance, accurate empathy, and genuineness
Gestalt therapy
The humanistic therapy developed by Fritz Perls in which clinicians actively move clients toward self-recognition and self-acceptance by using techniques such as role playing and self-discovery exercises
Spiritual interventions
Studies have found that people who are devout and who view God as warm, caring, helpful, and dependable tend to be less lonely, pessimistic, depressed, or anxious than people without any religious beliefs or those who view God as cold and unresponsive
Existential therapy
A therapy that encourages clients to accept responsibility for their lives and to live with greater meaning and value
Family-social perspective
Argue that clinical theorists should concentrate on those broad forces that operate directly on an individual as he or she moves through life
Family systems theory
A theory that views the family as a system of interacting parts whose interactions exhibit consistent patterns and unstated rules
Group therapy
A therapy format in which a group of people with similar problems meet together with a therapist to work on those problems
Self-help group
A group made up of people with similar problems who help and support one another without the direct leadership of a clinician. Also called a mutual help group.
Family therapy
A therapy format in which the therapist meets with all members of a family and helps them to change in therapeutic ways
Couple therapy
A therapy format in which the therapist works with two people who share a long-term relationship. Also called marital therapy.
Community mental health treatment
A treatment approach that emphasizes community care
Multicultural perspective
The view that that each culture within a larger society has a particular set of values and beliefs, as well as special external pressures, that help account for the behavior of its members. Also called culturally diverse perspective.
Culture-sensitive therapy
Approaches that seek to address the unique issues faced by members of minority groups
Gender-sensitive therapy
Therapies geared toward the pressures of being female
Diathesis-stress explanation
People must first have a biological, psychological, or sociocultural predisposition to develop a disorder and must then be subjected to episodes of severe stress
