Exam 4 Flashcards
behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives
abnormal behavior
assumes that physiological causes are at the root of psychological disorders
medical perspective
argues that psychological disorders stem from childhood conflicts
psychoanalytic perspective
assumes that abnormal behaviors are learned responses
behavioral perspective
definitions of abnormal behavior
- deviation from the average
- deviation from the ideal
- sense of personal discomfort
- inability to function effectively
- a legal concept: insanity
assumes that cognitions (people’s thoughts and beliefs) are central to psychological disorders
cognitive perspective
emphasizes people’s responsibility for their own behavior and the need to self-actualize
humanistic perspective
assumes that behavior is shaped by family, society, and culture
sociocultural perspective
a system devised by the American psychiatric association, used by most professionals to diagnose and classify abnormal behavior
DSM-5 (The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition)
the occurrence of anxiety without an obvious external cause, affecting daily functioning
anxiety disorder
an intense irrational fear of specific objects or situations
phobia
anxiety disorder that takes the form of panic attacks lasting from a few seconds to as long as several hours
panic disorder
symptoms may include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, faintness and dizziness, gastric sensations, and sometimes a sense of imminent death
panic attacks
experience of long-term persistent anxiety and worry
generalized anxiety disorder
characterized by obsessions or compulsions
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
What are the causes of anxiety disorders?
- genetics
- certain chemical deficiencies in the brain
- a learned response to stress
- cognitive approach: inappropriate and inaccurate thoughts and beliefs about the world
psychological difficulties that take on a physical (somatic) form, but for which there is no medical cause
somatic symptom disorders
somatic symptom disorder in which individuals have constant fear of illness and a preoccupation with their health
illness anxiety disorder
completely psychological and there is no biological reason for the problem
conversion disorder
rare psychological dysfunctions characterized by the separation of different facets of a person’s personality that are normally integrated
dissociative disorder
persistent unwanted thought or idea that keeps recurring
obsession
an irresistible urge to repeatedly carry out some behavior that seems strange and unreasonable
compulsion
a disorder in which a person displays characteristics (features) of two or more distinct personalities, once called multiple personality disorder
dissociative identity disorder (DID)
a disorder in which a significant, selective memory loss occurs
dissociative amnesia