Final Exam Flashcards
Health Psychology
A field that integrates research on health and on psychology; it involves the application of psychological principles in promoting health and well-being.
Well-Being
A positive state that includes striving for optimal health and life satisfaction.
Biopsychosocial Model
A model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness.
Stressor
An environmental event or stimulus that threatens an organism.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
A consistent pattern of physical responses to stress that consists of three stages - alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Three levels of stress resistance:
Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion
Downward Comparison
Coping strategy that involves comparing oneself to those worse off.
Social Psychology
The branch of psychology that studies how people think, feel, and behave in social situations.
Conformity
Adopting attitudes or behaviors of others because of pressure to do so; can be real or imagined.
Obedience
Compliance of person is due to perceived authority of asker - request is perceived as a command.
Bystander Apathy
Failure to offer help by those who observe someone in need.
Four reasons for Bystander Apathy:
- Expect others to help
- Fear of making social blunders.
- Less likely to help when we are anonymous and can remain so.
- Deciding weighs two factors: 1) How much personal harm co we risk and 2) what benefits might we have to forgo.
Milgram’s Experiment
In Milgram’s 1963 classic study, teachers delivered increasing shocks to learner (or so thought). Learners would protest, but experimenter ordered to continue. Would the teacher continue?
Altruism
Prosocial behavior where someone provides help when it is needed, with no apparent reason for doing so.
Proximity
How often people come into contact - More contact, more likely to become friends.
Personality
The characteristic thoughts, emotional responses, and behaviors that are relatively stable in an individual over time and across circumstances.
Self-Schema
An integrated set of memories, beliefs, and generalizations about the self.
Sociometer Theory
Self-esteem is a sociometer, an internal monitor of social acceptance or rejection.
Better-Than-Average Effect
According to research, most people have positive illusions - that is, overly favorable and unrealistic beliefs - in at least three areas.
The three areas of the Better-Than-Average Effect:
- They continually experience the better-than-average effect - overestimate their abilities.
- Overestimate their control over events.
- They are unrealistically optimistic about their personal futures.
The four Approaches to Personality:
- Psychodynamic Theory
- Humanistic Approach
- Trait Approach
- Cognitive Approach
Psychodynamic Theory
Personality is based on our unconscious wishes that create conflict between the id, ego, and superego.
Humanistic Approach
Personality is based on our tendency to fulfill our potential through personal growth.
Cognitive Approach
Personality is based on how we think.
Trait Approaches
Personality can be described by our characteristics.
Five-Factor Theory
This theory identifies five basic personality traits:
- Openness to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Openness to experience
Imaginative vs. Down-to-Earth
Likes variety vs. Likes routine
Independent vs. Conforming
Conscientiousness
Organized vs. Disorganized
Careful vs. Careless
Self-Disciplined vs. Weak-willed
Extraversion
Social vs. Retiring
Fun-loving vs. Sober
Affectionate vs. reserved
Agreeableness
Softhearted vs. Ruthless
Trusting vs. Suspicious
Helpful vs. Uncooperative
Neuroticism
Worried vs. Calm
Insecure vs. Secure
Self-Pitying vs. Self-Satisfied
Self-Serving Bias
The tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factor.
Id
Contains life and death instincts. Operates according to the pleasure principle.
Ego
The logical, rational part of personality. Operates according to the reality principle.
Superego
The moral system of the personality. Consists of the conscience and the ego ideal.
Defense Mechanisms
Unconscious mental strategies that the mind uses to protect itself from distress.
The seven mechanisms of the Defense Mechanisms table:
- Denial
- Repression
- Projection
- Reaction Formation
- Rationalization
- Displacement
- Sublimation
Denial
Refusing to acknowledge source of anxiety.
Repression
Excluding source of anxiety from awareness.
Projection
Attributing unacceptable qualities of the self to someone else.
Reaction Formation
Warding off an uncomfortable thought by overemphasizing its opposite.
Rationalization
Creating a seemingly logical reason or excuse for behavior that might otherwise be shameful.
Displacement
Shifting the attention of emotion from one object to another, easier target.
Sublimation
Channeling socially unacceptable impulses into constructive, even admirable, behavior.
Locus of control
The idea that personality is based on a person’s perception of whether they control the rewards and punishments that they experience (internal locus of control) or do not control them (external locus of control.
Temperament
Biologically based tendency to feel or act in certain ways.
3 levels of Temperament:
- Activity Level
- Emotionality
- Sociability
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Developed in 1930’s by Henry Murray & Christiana Morgan. Person is shown an ambiguous picture and asked to tell a story about it.
Neo-Freudians
Several theorists built on the strength of Freud’s theory, and tried to avoid its weaknesses.
3 Neo-Freudians:
- Carl Jung (1875-1961)
- Alfred Adler (1870-1937)
- Karen Horney (1885-1952)
Objective Tests
Relatively direct assessments of personality, usually based on information gathered through self-report questionnaires or observer ratings.
Psychopathology
Sickness or disorder of the mind
Whether something is psychopathology, it is important to consider four criteria:
- Does it deviate from cultural norms for what is acceptable?
- Is it maladaptive?
- Is it self-destructive?
- Does it cause discomfort and concern to others?
Diathesis-Stress Model
Proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event
According to this model, the onset of mental disorders occurs due to both vulnerability for the disorder and the presence of stressful events.
Biopsychosocial Approach
States that most psychological disorders are influenced by biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
4 Types of Anxiety Disorders:
- Phobia
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
Phobia
Fear of a specific object or situation that is out of proportion with an actual threat.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
A diffuse state of constant anxiety not associated with any specific object or event.
Panic Disorder
An anxiety disorder that consists of sudden, overwhelming attacks of terror.
Agoraphobia
An anxiety disorder marked by fear of being in situations from which escape may be difficult or impossible.
Social Phobia
Fear of being negatively evaluated by others in a social setting.
Schizophrenia – “splitting of the mind”
A psychological disorder characterized by a split between thought and emotion, with difficulty distinguishing between real and imagined thoughts, perceptions, and conscious experiences.
Negative symptoms for Schizophrenia:
People with schizophrenia often avoid eye contact and seem apathetic.
They do not express emotion.
Their speech is slowed.
They use a monotonous tone of voice.
They take long pauses before answering.
They fail to respond to a question, or are unable to complete their sentences.
Social withdrawal.
Negative symptoms are more common in men.
Five major DSM-5 symptoms for schizophrenia:
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Disorganized speech
- Disorganized behavior
- Negative symptoms
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
A disorder characterized by frequent intrusive thoughts that create anxiety and compulsive actions that temporarily reduce the anxiety.
OCD: Obsessions
Recurrent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, urges, or mental images.
OCD: Compulsions
Particular acts that the person feels driven to perform over and over again.
Personality Disorders: Cluster A - Odd or Eccentric Behavior
- Paranoid
- Schizoid
- Schizotypal
Personality Disorders: Cluster B - Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic Behavior
- Antisocial
- Borderline
- Histrionic
- Narcissistic
Antisocial
Disregard for and violation of the rights of others.
Borderline
Unstable mood, personal relationships, and self-image; Impulsivity.
Histrionic
Excessive emotionality; Attention seeking.
Narcissistic
Pattern of grandiosity; need for admiration; Lack of empathy.
Personality Disorders: Cluster C - Anxious or Fearful Behavior
- Avoidant
- Dependent
- Obsessive-Compulsive
Avoidant
Social inhibition; Feeling of inadequacy; Easily hurt and embarrassed.
Dependent
Submissive and clinging behavior; Excessive need to be taken care of.
Obsessive-Compulsive
Perfectionistic; Preoccupied with orderliness and control.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
The occurrence of two or more distinct identities in the same individual.
The condition was formerly called multiple personality disorder.
Most people diagnosed with DID are women who report being severely abused as children.
Three main approaches are used to treat disorders:
- Psychotherapy
- Psychotropic medications
- Alternative treatments
Psychotherapy
Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them understand their problems and work toward solutions.
Therapists generally use psychotherapy to change their clients’ patterns of thought or behavior.
Humanistic Therapy
Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them develop their full potential for personal growth through greater self-understanding.
One of the best-known humanistic therapies is client-centered therapy.
A safe and comforting setting for clients.
Active listening.
Unconditional positive regard.
Behavior Therapy
Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them unlearn behaviors that negatively affect their functioning.
Treatment often centers around the use of token economies, social skills training, and modeling.
Cognitive Therapy
Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them change distorted thought patterns that produce maladaptive behaviors and emotions.
Aaron Beck has advocated cognitive restructuring.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist incorporates techniques from cognitive therapy and behavior therapy to correct faulty thinking and maladaptive behaviors.
Psychotropic Medications
Drugs that affect mental processes and that can be used to treat psychological disorders. Change brain neurochemistry either by inhibiting action potentials or by altering how neurotransmitters work in the brain to affect thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Medication is normally prescribed only by psychiatrists, who hold an MD.
5 Classes of Psychotropic Medications:
- Anti-Anxiety Drugs
- Antidepressant Drugs
- Mood Stabilizer Drugs
- Antipsychotic Drugs
- Stimulants
6 Providers of Psychological Treatment:
- Psychiatrists
- Clinical Psychologists
- Counseling Psychologists
- Psychiatric Social Workers
- Psychiatric Nurses
- Paraprofessionals
Specific Phobia treatment:
- Exposure Therapy
2. Systematic Desensitization
Exposure Therapy
Therapy technique that involves repeatedly exposing a client to an anxiety-producing stimulus or situation, with the goal of reducing the client’s fear.
Systematic Desensitization
Therapy technique that involves exposing a client to increasingly anxiety-producing stimuli or situations while coaching them to relax.
Depressive Disorders treatment:
Research has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is just as effective as antidepressants at treating depression.
The CBT approach helps the client think more adaptively and eliminate the cognitive triad of negative thoughts.
CBT can be effective on its own, but combining it with antidepressant medication can be more effective than either approach alone.
