Lecture 2: Psychological Development and Principles of Psychotherapy Flashcards

1
Q

Define psychodynamics.

A

Collective aggregate of conscious and unconscious factors that influence personality, behavior and attitudes.

Also used to refer to the clinical approach/theory that sees personality as a result of these factors.

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2
Q

Define psychoanalysis.

A

Method of treating mental and emotional disorders based around revealing and investigating the role of unconscious and conscious psychological processes.

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3
Q

Define psychotherapy.

A

Use of verbal methods to influence another person’s mental and emotional state.

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4
Q

What did Freud describe our internal discussion as being?

A

Outside of our awareness

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5
Q

What are the 4 components of the Freudian theory?

A

Id
Ego
Superego
Ego Defense

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6
Q

What is the Id?

A

The greedy inner child.

Primal instincts, basic nature, desires.

Freud thinks most id instincts are sexual since it is critical to survival.

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7
Q

What is the superego?

A

The quest for perfection, conscience.

The image of what we WANT to be.
Philosophical and moral ideals.

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8
Q

What did Freud think superegos are developed from?

A

Parental standards

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9
Q

What is the ego?

A

Grown-up self

Reason, self-control, compromise, balance.

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10
Q

What are the 3 levels of consciousness Freud describes? Where does most thinking happen between the Id, Ego, and Superego?

A

Conscious
Preconscious
Unconscious

Freud thinks most thinking happens unconsciously.

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11
Q

How can we test psychodynamic theory to see if it is conscious or unconscious?

A

Using subliminal messages to see how behavior is influenced

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12
Q

What is the ego defense mechanism? What are the two kinds?

A

It refers to the strategies that reduce anxiety from our thoughts and desires. It is often when our Id clashes with our Superego.

It has a mature (does not compromise) or a primitive (irrational, immature, dysfunctional)

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13
Q

What are some common ego defense mechanisms? (11)

A

Regression
Denial
Projection
Intellectualization
Repression
Displacement
Rationalization
Dissociation
Reaction Formation
Suppression
Sublimation

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14
Q

Define regression.

A

Retreating to an earlier stage of development.

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15
Q

Define denial.

A

Behaving as though things are different than they really are.
Severe denial can border on DELUSION.

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16
Q

Define projection.

A

Attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to another person.
Can be used as an excuse for one’s own feelings.

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17
Q

Define intellectualization.

A

Focusing on minor, often unimportant details of a situation rather than addressing the main, central conflict.

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18
Q

Define repression.

A

Placing disagreeable or unacceptable thoughts in the subconscious mind rather than dealing with them.

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19
Q

Define displacement.

A

Expressing feelings or impulses toward one person or group onto another person, group or object that is less threatening.

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20
Q

Define rationalization.

A

Reinterpreting an event by cognitively distorting the facts.
Making excuses or “lying to ourselves”.

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21
Q

Define dissociation.

A

Disconnecting from a stressful situation by pursuing an alternative reality.
May be associated with a “fantasy world”, daydreaming, dissociative d/o.

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22
Q

Define reaction formation.

A

Person goes beyond denial; acts opposite to what they think or feel.
May occur if a person feels two conflicting emotions (e.g. love and hate) close together.

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23
Q

Define suppression.

A

Similar to repression, but thoughts are put into subconscious INTENTIONALLY and usually are dealt with at a future date.
Considered a MATURE and EFFECTIVE defense.

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24
Q

Define sublimation.

A

Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially appropriate activities, allowing one to use the energy in better ways.
Considered a MATURE and EFFECTIVE defense.

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25
Q

What are the two mature/effective ego defense mechanisms?

A

Suppression and Sublimation.

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26
Q

What are the other major psych theories in psychodynamics?

A

Ego theory
Object Relations Theory
Self Theory

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27
Q

What is ego theory?

A

An adaptation of Freudian theory to reflect the ego’s great range of actions.

Ego has multiple functions BEYOND regulating impulses from the id and input from the superego.

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28
Q

What is ego theory focused on?

A

Strengthening the ego so it can cope with pressure better from the id, superego, and outside sources.

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29
Q

What is included in the expanded range of ego functions?

A

Reality testing
Impulse control
Affect regulation
Judgement
Synthetic functioning
Defense Mechanisms

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30
Q

Define reality testing.

A

Being able to distinguish what is happening in one’s own mind from what is going on in the outside world.

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31
Q

Define impulse control.

A

Managing impulses without immediate discharge through behavior or symptoms.

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32
Q

Define affect regulation.

A

Modulating feelings without being overwhelmed.

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33
Q

Define judgement in ego psychology.

A

Acting responsibly.

Identifying potential courses of actions, anticipating and evaluating consequences, and deciding on a course of action.

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34
Q

Define synthetic functioning.

A

Organizing and unifying other functions with the personality.

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35
Q

How many stages did Erik Erikson theorize a human passes through from childhood to adulthood?

A

8 stages.

36
Q

What is the main psychosocial issue our age group faces primarily?

A

Intimacy vs Isolation

37
Q

What is object relations theory based off of?

A

The premise that humans are shaped in relation to the significant others surrounding them.

Primary motivators are relationships!

38
Q

What does object relations psychology focus primarily on?

A

Maintaining relationships with others while still differentiating ourselves from others.

39
Q

What is the weakness/pitfall of object relations psychology?

A

Seeing an object identity for a single part of a whole object and skewing the whole perception.

40
Q

What is self psychology based off of?

A

The belief that someone’s “self” is derived from:

Perception of their identity.
Personal awareness
Personal experiences
Self-esteem

41
Q

What is our perception mainly influenced by in self-psychology?

A

Perception of boundaries and differentiation of self (or the lack thereof)

42
Q

What is a unique aspect of self-psychology?

A

Everyone needs a level of “healthy narcissism”

43
Q

What are the strengths of psychodynamic theory? Weaknesses?

A

Strengths:
Focuses on how the past can influence the present.
Acknowledges the impact of the subconscious
Therapy seems to help many patients

Cons:
Ignores biological components
Depends on therapist interpretation
Can focus too much on the past, under-emphasizing the present
Not scientifically proven

44
Q

What is the humanistic perspective?

A

Belief that human beings are basically good and, if allowed to develop normally, will mature into emotionally healthy adults.

45
Q

What does psychopathology stem from?

A

Failure of caregivers.

46
Q

What is client-centered therapy?

A

Supportive: Nourishes natural development.
UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD.
No attempt to decode a patient’s mind; encourages them to find their own solution.

47
Q

What is the overarching goal of client centered therapy?

A

Self-actualization.

48
Q

What is the behaviorist perspective?

A

Belief that behavior is determined by the environment.

Observable behavior can be OBJECTIVELY measured, and internal events are explained through behavior?

49
Q

How does the behaviorist see our initial and subsequent development as?

A

We start off as a blank slate/tabula rasa, and our development is a result of external stimuli.

50
Q

How is new behavior learned in the behaviorist perspective?

A

Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning

51
Q

What is the overarching goal of therapy?

A

Altering offensive stimuli or reconditioning oneself to constructive behaviors.

52
Q

What is cognitive theory?

A

All thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected.

53
Q

How are difficulties handled in cognitive theory?

A

By identifying and changing problematic thinking, behavior and emotional responses.

54
Q

What is behavioral theory?

A

Looks at people’s learned behaviors and how the environment has an impact on those behaviors.

55
Q

How are difficulties handled in behavioral theory?

A

By modifying our stimuli or our learned responses to stimuli.

56
Q

What is the pathway of the cognitive-behavioral perspective?

A

Gathered information (input) => Information sorted and processed based on pre-existing conceptualizations => Interpretation of information based on assumptions => Observed behaviors (output)

57
Q

What are automatic thoughts?

A

Thoughts triggered by the day’s events, often taking many forms in commentary on the current situation.

58
Q

What are irrational assumptions?

A

Distorted assumptions that people hold about the world and themselves without being aware of them.

59
Q

What are the errors in logic that can arise in the cognitive-behavioral perspective? (6)

A

Arbitrary inference
Selective Abstraction
Personalization
Overgeneralization
Magnification
Minimization

60
Q

What is arbitrary inference?

A

Drawing unwarranted conclusions on the basis of little or no evidence.

61
Q

What is selective abstraction?

A

Drawing conclusions on the basis of a single piece of data while ignoring contradictory data.

62
Q

What is personalization?

A

Taking the blame for something that clearly is not one’s fault.

63
Q

What is overgeneralization?

A

Drawing a general conclusion on the basis of a single, sometimes insignificant event.

64
Q

What is magnification?

A

Overestimating the importance of an event.

65
Q

What is minimization?

A

Underestimating the importance of an event.

66
Q

What is the goal of cognitive behavioral therapy?

A

To discover these processes through a therapeutic relationship with the patient and allow them to become aware of the mal-adaptive cognition and challenge it.

67
Q

What is Maslow’ hierarchy of needs?

A

A pyramid of needs, in which basic needs must be fulfilled before one can advance to the next level, culminating in self-actualization.

68
Q

What are the needs in the hierachy of needs?

A

Physiological Needs
Safety/Security
Love and Belonging
Self-esteem
Self-actualization

69
Q

What is classic conditioning?

A

A response that occurs naturally in response to one stimulus will eventually occur in response to an unrelated stimulus, if the two stimuli occur together consistently.

70
Q

What is the common example of classic conditioning?

A

Pavlov’s dog

Note:
Also the office episode where dwight gets trained to ask for an altoid everytime he hears a computer turn on.

71
Q

What are the 4 components of classical conditioning?

A

Unconditioned stimulus = stimulus that produces response without any conditioning (Altoid)
Unconditioned response = response to unconditioned stimulus (hand extended, need for a mint)
Conditional stimulus = neutral stimulus that later came to elicit the response (bell on a computer)
Conditioned response = response to conditioned stimulus (hand extended, need for a mint)

72
Q

What were the relationships of US, UR, CS, and CR prior to conditioning?

A

CS (bell) = no response
US (altoid) = UR (need a mint)

73
Q

What were the relationships of US, UR, CS, and CR after conditioning?

A

CS (bell) => CR (salivating/asking for a mint)

74
Q

What is often learned quickly and unlearned slowly in classical conditioning?

A

Fears

75
Q

What is generalization in classical conditioning?

A

It is when a stimulus isn’t conditioned properly and produces the same response as the conditioned stimulus because its similar to the original CS.

76
Q

What is extinction in classical conditioning?

A

Unlearning a CR so the CS no longer produces the CR.

77
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

Learning occurs a result of positive or negative repercussions to our actions.

Common example is Skinner’s mice.

78
Q

What are the 4 components of operant conditioning?

A

Positive reinforcement = stimulus increases probability of behavior occurring in the future.
Negative reinforcement = removal of already present aversive stimulus increases probability of behavior occurring in the future.
Punishment = application of aversive stimulus after a behavior decreases the behavior.
Response cost = removing a positive reinforcer decreases the behavior.

79
Q

What is discriminative stimuli?

A

Stimuli that signals the availability of reinforcement.

80
Q

What does rate of extinction depend on in operant conditioning? What causes rapid vs slow extinction?

A

Depends on the history of reinforcement.

Continuous reinforcement = RAPID extinction.

Intermittent reinforcement = SLOW extinction.

81
Q

What is secondary reward conditioning?

A

Instrumental behavior to get a stimulus has no usefulness itself but has been associated with a significant stimulus.

82
Q

What is avoidance conditioning?

A

Response to a cue is instrumental in avoiding a painful or otherwise harmful or negative experience.

83
Q

What is habituation?

A

Decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposures to the stimulus.

84
Q

What causes rapid habituation vs slow?

A

Frequent exposures = rapid.

Strong stimuli can result in slower habituation.

85
Q

What is an example of a stimulus that rarely causes habituation?

A

Ambulance/police sirens.

86
Q

Can a strong aversive stimulus reverse a habituation?

A

Yes.

Ex: Traumatic needlestick can reverse habituation to having blood drawn.

87
Q

What are the ways we use operant conditioning to help patients?

A

Systematic desensitization
Avoidance conditioning
Contingency management