Final Flashcards
1
Q
What was Theophrastus’ way to characterize people?
A
wrote about different characters to try and describe individual differences (personality)
2
Q
What is personality?
A
distinctive and relatively enduring ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that characterize a person’s response to situations
made up of a collection of traits
3
Q
What is the purpose and drawbacks of an interview?
A
interviews
- structured set of standardized questions
- note other behaviours (appearance, speech)
drawbacks
- characteristics of interview affects answer
- honesty of interviewee
4
Q
What are personality scales?
A
objective measures, use standard questions and agreed upon scoring key
advantage - collect large amounts of data
disadvantage - validity of answers and scales
5
Q
Where do traits come from?
A
- from within
- may be genetic/environmental influences
6
Q
What is the difference between a trait and a state?
A
trait - underlying
state - the way you are at any given time
7
Q
Are traits stable?
A
dependant on the situation
8
Q
What are the 5 big personality traits in the five factor model?
A
extroversion/introversion, agreeableness/disagreeableness, conscientiousness/irresponsibility, neuroticism/stability, openness to experience/unimaginativeness
9
Q
What is neurosis?
A
abnormal behaviour pattern caused by unresolved conflict between id, ego, and superego
10
Q
What are some general aspects of Freud’s theory that remains relevant today? (psychoanalytic)
A
- our relationships with our parents can influence how we form intimate emotional relationships in adulthood
- spurred first inquiries into functioning of conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind
11
Q
What did Alfred Adler believe? (psychoanalytic)
A
social needs and conscious thoughts are more important to human behaviour than sexuality needs or other unconscious motivations
feelings of inferiority motivate behaviour, people make special efforts to compensate for or mask painful feelings
12
Q
What did Carl Jung believe? (psychoanalytic)
A
unconscious has 2 parts
- personal - formed from experience
- collective - storehouse of inherited memories shared by all human kind (archetypes)
each of us seeks to integrate the mind’s various conscious/unconscious elements into a coherent whole, the self
13
Q
What did Karen Horney believe? (psychoanalytic)
A
basic anxiety which develops in children sets the stage for later neuroses
cultural differences play a more important role in development than traditional psychoanalytic theory
14
Q
What did Abraham Maslow believe? (humanistic)
A
see other theorist’s models as deficit based
in each of us is an urge to grow and fulfill our potential, personality arises from people striving to meet their needs
more can be learned from individuals who were healthy rather than experiencing psychological issues
peak experiences - moments in which people experience intense clarity of perception, feelings of joy and excitement, and a suspended sense of time and reality
15
Q
What is self-actualization?
A
the need of humans to fulfill their full and special potential; the highest level of need in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
16
Q
What is positive psychology?
A
an area of psychology focusing on positive experiences and healthy mental functioning
17
Q
What did Carl Rogers believe? (humanistic)
A
personality around a concept of the self rather than around a hierarchy of needs
as children we need unconditional positive regard from parents to avoid forming conditions of worth
client centred therapy - worked with clients to create atmosphere of openness, honesty, and absence of judgement
18
Q
What is unconditional positive regard?
A
acceptance without terms or conditions
19
Q
Why do many critics fault the humanistic theories?
A
overly positive focus, ignore role of psychological dysfunction in society
20
Q
What are personality traits?
A
tendencies to behave in certain ways that remain relatively consistent across situations
describe our dispositions, dispositions lead to our behaviours
21
Q
What is functional attribution error?
A
likelihood to explain our own behaviour in situational terms and other’s behaviour in terms of personality traits
22
Q
What are 3 assumptions trait theorists make?
A
- people have innate tendencies to respond to situations in certain ways (traits)
- these tendencies can be linked together to form broad habits (central traits)
- such principles can be used to form the foundation of a scientifically testable theory
23
Q
Describe Hans Eysenck and Factor Analysis.
A
factor analysis - statistical method for analyzing correlations among variables
3 basic superfactors
- extroversion - the degree to which a person is outgoing and enjoys interacting with others (introvert vs extrovert)
- neuroticism - the degree to which a person tends to experience negative emotions
- psychoticism - the degree to which a person is vulnerable to developing the serious disorders in which contact with reality is lost (psychoses)
24
Q
What did the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire show?
A
superfactors correspond to basic personality types in similar ways across many cultures
25
What is situationism?
the view that behaviour is governed primarily by the variables in a given situation rather than by internal traits
26
What did B.F Skinner believe?
we approach life in a certain way because some of our behaviours have been rewarding to us in the past while others have not
27
What is interactionism?
a view emphasizing the relationships between underlying personality traits and reinforcing aspects of the situations in which they choose to put themselves in
28
What is socially desirable responding?
tailoring answers on personality inventories to try and create a good impression
29
What are validity items?
questions placed on personality inventories designed to assess the likelihood that the respondent would purposely give a socially desirable answer
30
What are projective tests?
a personality assessment device intended to tap a person's unconscious by presenting the person with an ambiguous stimulus and asking the person to interpret what the stimulus means (ex. inkblot test)
31
What did the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart show?
identical twins proved substantially more similar on every psychological level than fraternal twins despite being raised in separate households and families
32
What is phrenology and who developed it?
Franz Gall
a method of assessing a person's mental and moral qualities by studying the shape of a persons skull
33
What may be the issue with children who have inhibited personality?
amygdala that is too easily activated, aroused too easily by unfamiliar or stressful situations
34
What are the 3 categories of temperament that personality types can be grouped into?
- negative emotionality - experience more negative emotions and see the world as distressing vs. peaceful and high satisfaction levels
- positive emotionality - social individuals who lead active lives and exhibit enthusiasm vs. shy, less energy and self-confidence
- disinhibition vs constraint - high in disinhibition = difficulty controlling emotional responses, more impulsive vs. high in constraint = more careful and controlled lives
35
What is the social role theory?
gender differences occur because girls and boys develop different behaviours and skills based on differences in gender role expectations
self esteem would be directly related to how well he lived up to his gender-dependant schemas
36
What is a self-schema?
individuals cognitive framework for the knowledge he has about himself
37
What are differences between individualist and collectivist cultures?
people in collectivist cultures tend to score higher on agreeableness
people in individualist cultures tend to score higher on extroversion and openness
38
What are 4 features shared by personality disorders?
- rigid, extreme, and distorted thinking patterns
- problematic emotional response patterns (feelings)
- impulse control problems
- interpersonal problems
39
What is the id?
- only part present at birth
- completely unconscious
- all basic urges, operates on pleasure principle
40
What is the ego?
- logical, realistic part of personality
- satisfy id's urges in logical way
- operates on reality principle
41
What is the superego?
- morality aspect of personality
| - initially reflects parent's expectations, grows to incorporate social norms
42
What are the 5 stages of Freud's psychosexual development?
oral (mouth), anal (anus), phallic (genitals), latency (none), genital (genitals)
43
What do neoanalysts say about Frued's theory?
- failed to recognize social and cultural factors
| - overemphasized infantile sexuality
44
What is abnormal psychology?
the study of psychological disorders
45
What are the 4 D's of psychological abnormality?
deviance - behaviours/thoughts/emotions differing from society's ideas of proper functioning
distress - behaviours/thoughts/emotions cause distress
dysfunction - interferes with daily functioning
danger - dangerous to themselves or others
46
What are the 2 major categories of mental illness?
neurosis
- causing personal distress and some impairment in functioning
- not losing contact with reality or violating social norms
psychosis
- severe psychological disorder
- lose contact with reality (delusions/hallucinations)
- seriously impacts everyday life
47
What is the DSM-5?
current version of leading classification system for psychological disorders in Canada
48
What is comorbidity?
condition in which someone's symptoms qualifies them for two or more diagnoses
49
Describe 4 illogical thinking processes
- magnification - exaggerating importance of undesirable events
- all or nothing thinking - thinking if they can't do it perfectly they won't do it at all
- overgeneralization - drawing broad negative conclusions based on 1 single insignificant event
- minimization - seeing only negative features of an event
50
What is the difference between equifinality and multifinality?
equifinality - children can start from different points and wind up at the same outcome
multifinality - children can start from the same point and wind up at any number of different outcomes
51
What is resilience?
the ability to recover from or avoid serious effects of negative circumstances
52
What is depression?
persistent sad state in which life seems dark and it's challenges overwhelming
- sadness, anxiety, helplessness, negative views, lack of drive, loss of appetite or energy, weight change, sleep issues
53
What is major depressive disorder?
depressed mood that is significantly disabling, loss of ability to experience pleasure, can cause suicidal thoughts
54
What is dysthymia?
"bad spirit", milder form of depression, chronic, no clear reason
55
What causes depression?
genetics
- twin studies show higher concordance rates between identical twins
neurotransmitters
- under activity of norepinephrine and serotonin
- disposition/vulnerability
- perfectionism
56
What is the Depressive Cognitive Triad?
negative thoughts concerning
- the world/experiences
- oneself
- the future
57
What are the 2 categories of mood disorders?
depressive and bipolar
58
What is the Learned Helplessness Theory?
depression occurs when people expect bad events will occur and that they can't cope with them
59
What is bipolar disorder?
a mood disorder which periods of mania alternate with periods of depression
- extreme highs and lows
60
Describe differences between manic and depressive states.
manic
- loud rapid speech
- elevated mood
- hyperactive
- delusions
depressive
- despairing mood
- fatigued
- insomnia
- suicidal preoccupations
61
What are anxiety disorders?
- most common mental disorder in Canada
| - unrealistic anxiety
62
What is GAD?
anxiety disorder in which people feel excessive anxiety and worry under most circumstances
- 6+ months
- sleep issues, nausea, sweating
63
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
anxiety disorder in which people feel severe fears of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur
64
What is a phobia?
persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, situation
realize fear is irrational but compelled to avoid fear
65
What are the 5 categories of specific phobias?
animals, natural environment, situations, blood and injections, other
66
What is panic disorder?
anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks
fear of attacks lead to further attacks
67
What is agoraphobia?
people avoid public places or situations that escape may be difficult or impossible or help unavailable if panic symptoms develop
68
What is OCD?
mental disorder associated with repeated, abnormal, anxiety provoking thoughts and repeated rigid behaviours
69
What is the relation between obsessions and compulsions?
obsessions - persistent and involuntary thoughts, images and impulses that invade consciousness
compulsions - irresistible behaviours or mental acts that people feel compelled to perform to prevent/reduce anxiety
70
Why are OCD rituals often used?
to avoid danger
71
What is acute stress disorder?
fear and related symptoms are experienced after a traumatic event and last less than a month
72
What is PTSD?
fear and related symptoms continue to be experienced long after a traumatic event
- severe anxiety about a certain trauma
- certain things remind of trauma
73
What causes anxiety disorders?
- traumatic events trigger physical changes in brain and body
- abnormal activity of norepinephrine and hormone cortisol, may eventually damage hippocampus and amygdala
74
What is schizophrenia?
mental disorder characterized by disorganized thoughts, lack of contact with reality
division of mind/brain
75
What is psychosis?
loss of contact with reality
76
What is the difference between delusions and hallucinations?
delusions - blatantly false beliefs that are firmly held despite evidence to the contrary
hallucinations - imagined sights, sounds, or other sensory events experienced as if they were real
77
What is the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
positive - symptoms that seem to represent pathological excesses in behaviour, including delusions, disorganized thinking/speech, hallucinations, inappropriate affect
negative - symptoms that seem to represent pathological deficits, including loss of speech, flat affect, and social withdrawl
78
What is inappropriate affect?
emotions unsuited to the situation
79
What are symptoms of schizophrenia?
delusions, speech disturbances, disorders of thought, hallucinations, emotional disturbances, behaviours
80
What are the most common delusions?
delusion of persecution - believe others hurt them
| grandeur - special mission/purpose, can take shape of historical figures
81
What are 4 catatonic forms?
catatonic stupor - stop responding to environment, motionless and silent
catatonic rigidity - rigid upright position resisting to being moved
catatonic posturing - assuming awkward, bizarre positions
waxy flexibility - maintain postures in which they have been placed in by someone else
82
What causes schizophrenia?
dopamine hypothesis - too much dopamine in basal ganglia, too little in frontal cortex
83
What are personality disorders?
long-standing, inflexible, maladaptive pattern of behaving and relating to others
84
What are the 3 clusters of personality disorders?
odd/eccentric
- lack social skills, poor social relationships, odd ideas
erratic/dramatic
- narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder
anxious/inhibited
- dependant on others, clingy, fear abandonment
85
What is antisocial personality disorder?
personality disorder characterized by extreme disregard for the feelings of others
lie, cannot keep a job, careless with money, aggressive and irritable, impulsive
disorder most closely linked to adult criminal activity
86
What is borderline personality disorder?
severe instability in emotions and self concept, high levels of volatility
87
What are somatoform disorders?
the belief you are ill and experience physical disability
types:
somatic symptom disorder - excessive thought, feeling, and behaviours related to somatic symptoms
- 1+ symptom that causes distress or disruption in daily life
illness anxiety - preoccupied with having a serious disease despite lack of symptoms
factitious disorder - deliberately assume physical/psychological symptoms to adopt the patient role
88
What are dissociative disorders?
characterized by major loss of memory without clear physical cause, part with ones memory/self
89
What is dissociative identity disorder?
- previously multiple personality disorder
| - 2+ distinct personalities each with a unique set of memories, behaviours, thoughts, and emotions
90
What is treatment?
systematic procedures designed to change abnormal behaviour into more normal behaviour
91
What is psychotherapy?
a treatment system in which a client and therapist use words and acts to overcome the clients psychological differences
92
What is biological therapy?
the use of physical and chemical procedures to help people overcome psychological difficulties
93
What percent of Canadians experience mental illness in their lifetime?
20%
94
What are antipsychotic drugs?
psychotropic drugs that help correct grossly confused or distorted thinking
work by blocking dopamine receptors
95
What are antidepressant drugs?
psychotropic drugs that lift the mood of depressed people
target norepinephrine and serotonin pathways
most prescribed class of medication in North America
96
What are mood stabilizing drugs?
psychotropic drugs that help stabilize the moods of people suffering from bipolar disorder
97
What are antianxiety drugs?
psychotropic drugs that reduce tension and anxiety
98
How do the different types of antidepressants work?
tricyclics
- block reuptake or norepinephrine or serotonin
MAOs
- prevent enzymes from breaking down norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine
SSRIs
- keep serotonin in the synapse
99
What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
use of electric shock to trigger brain seizure in hopes or relieving abnormal function
last resort treatment
100
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation?
electromagnetic coil placed on or above head and sends a current into prefrontal cortex
used to treat severe depression
101
What is trephining?
prehistoric practice of chipping a hole in the skull as a treatment for brain conditions
102
What is a lobotomy?
surgical practice of cutting connections between frontal lobe and lower centres of the brain
103
What is aversion therapy?
clients acquire anxiety responses to stimuli they previously found too attractive
104
What is a token economy?
operant conditioning program in which participants receive tokens when displaying good behaviour and can be replaced for rewards
105
What is Beck's cognitive therapy?
helps clients recognize and change their dysfunctional thoughts and ways of thinking
- blame self, not context for inadequacies
106
What are second-wave behavioural therapies?
helps clients to accept many of the problematic thoughts rather than judge them, act on them, or try to change them
9/10 current therapists use this model
107
What is client-centred therapy?
promote healthy psychological growth in the individual, assumption that all people have the potential to self-actualize
108
What is Gesalt therapy?
bring feelings, wishes, thoughts into intermediate awareness
- awareness makes client whole again
- often done in groups, use of role play (empty chair technique)
109
What is the underlying assumption of psychodynamic therapy?
tensions between unconscious impulses and current constraints of life exist
110
What are the 5 types of psychoanalytic techniques?
free association
- uncensored verbal stream of thoughts/feelings/images that enter awareness
catharsis
- patient encouraged to explore intense and strong feelings that they have repressed for fear of punishment
resistence
- unwillingness/inability to approach certain topics
- sign that anxiety-arousing material is being approached
dream interpretation
- royal road to unconscious
- manifest content = visible, remembered
- latent content = hidden, actual meaning
transference/countertransference
- transference - client responds irrationally to therapist like they were an important figure from the client's past life
- countertransference - therapist over time has good or bad feelings towards client, has to treat themselves
111
What is Ellis Rational Emotive Therapy?
- comprehensive system of personality change
- clients shown things that control their actions
- break through close-mindedness and replace with rational thoughts
112
What is social skills training?
modelling approach, learn skills by observing and imitating a model who performs a socially skillful behaviour
113
What is deep brain stimulation?
drill 2 holes to implant electrodes, battery in torso, low steady current for stimulation
