Chapters 1-4 Flashcards
Definition of abnormal psychology
Branch that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder
What is abnormal behavior?
- suffering (pain emotion/physical)
- maladaptive
- deviancy
- violation of standards of society
- social discomfort
- irrationally/unpredictability
- dangerousness
What makes defining abnormal behavior difficult
It’s hard to determine what is abnormal. Has to be abnormal in a way that inhibits your general well-being.
Advantages of classifying a mental disorder
- helps patient understand
- sense of relief
- get treatment / help
- relieve symptoms
- prevention
- management
Disadvantages of classifying a mental disorder
- stigma: mark of disgrace associated with disorder
- stereotyping: widely held, oversimplified idea of a person
- labelling
Incidence
Number of new cases
Prevalence
Number of all cases (new and old)
Diathesis stress model
A psychological theory that attempts to explain behavior as a result of genetic vulnerability together with stress from life experiences
-everyone reacts differently
-brain wiring
-developmental history
Diathesis: a predisposition (tendency to suffer from a condition)
Stressor vs trigger vs protective factor
Stressor: current challenges in a persons life
Trigger: sets off the stress response
Protective factor: prevents you from getting the disorder (meditation, yoga)
What is a culture specific disorder?
Disorder that only appears in a specific culture.
Ex: Japanese have a social disorder where they are embarrassed of their body and hide from society
Types of Neurotransmitters
- acetylcholine: muscle contraction, hormones, Central nervous system
- dopamine: mood. Too much= schizophrenia, too little= Parkinson’s
- GABA:motor control, vision, anxiety
- glutamate: learning and memory
- norepinephrine: emotions, sleeping/dreams
- serotonin: body temp., mood, pain. Too much= hypersomnia
What are schemas
A web of ideas you know about a thing.
Knowledge is schema.
Ex: infant thinks a cow and dog are the same until it learns the difference
Biological viewpoints
- neurotransmitters (imbalances)
- hormone imbalances
- genetic vulnerability (family history, genotype to phenotype)
- constitutional liabilities (physical handicapped)
- brain development/ neuroplasticity
- physical deprivation/ disruption
Sociocultural viewpoint
- Cross cultural factors (testing/ experiments)
- causal factors environment (gender influences)
- pathogenic (capable of causing disease) societal influences (economic status, social roles)
- impact (lack science, inadequate DSM)
Psychosocial viewpoints of psychodynamic perspectives
structure of personality -id -ego -super ego defence mechanism psychosexual stages -oral -anal -phallic -latency -genital Interpersonal relationships
