Lecture 4: Neuroticism: Volatility & Withdrawal

Question 1

What are people more sensitive to: positive or negative emotion?

Answer 1

negative emotion

Question 2

Why are people more sensitive to negative emotion?

Answer 2

we know that people are hurt more by a loss of any given magnitude than they are made happy by a gain of the same magnitude

Question 3

What is neuroticism?

Answer 3

a personality trait associated with negative emotion

Question 4

Name 7 traits of negative emotion

Answer 4

anxiety
disappointment
frustration

grief
pain
threat
uncertainty

Question 5

What are the two aspects Neuroticism is broken down into?

Answer 5

withdrawal

volatility

Question 6

Name 4 traits of people who are high in withdrawal

Answer 6

anxiety-prone
self-conscious
depressive
easily overwhelmed

Question 7

Name 3 traits of people who are low in withdrawal

Answer 7

calm
reasonably happy
self-confident

Question 8

What kind of response does withdrawal measure?

Answer 8

the freeze response

Question 9

What is the freeze response?

Answer 9

hyper-preparation coupled with paralyzing fear

Question 10

(Physically) what happens during a freeze response?

Answer 10

heart rate goes up

muscles prepare to move

Question 11

Name 3 traits of people high in volatility

Answer 11

touchy
easily irritated
unstable

Question 12

Name 3 traits of people low in volatility

Answer 12

stable
easygoing
slow to anger

Question 13

What is an example of volatile behavior?

Answer 13

a driver cursing while stuck in bad traffic

Question 14

What is the purpose of negative emotion?

Answer 14

Negative emotion helps us avoid paint and suffering by motivating us to act carefully

Question 15

What happens when people have too much negative emotion?

Answer 15

they can become overwhelmed and even incapacitated by it

Question 16

People high in negative emotion are more prone to what 2 psychiatric illnesses?

Answer 16

depression

anxiety

Question 17

What are SSRIs?

Answer 17

a form of antidepressant medication used to treat depression and anxiety

Question 18

What does SSRIs stand for?

Answer 18

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Question 19

What else are SSRIs used to treat?

Answer 19

Pain

Question 20

What does the relationship between SSRIs use to treat depression and pain?

Answer 20

emotional and physical pain systems are intertwined

Question 21

When someone is depressed, what are the 5 questions to ask about the person’s life situation as a whole?

Answer 21

Do they have a meaningful job?
Have they received enough education?
How fulfilling is their social life?
Are they in good physical health?
Do they use their free time in a meaningful way?

Question 22

If a person is depressed, answers yes to all 5 areas of their life situation, are they likely to respond well to antidepressants?

Answer 22

yes

Question 23

If a person is depressed and is unfulfilled in basic life areas is medication going to make a difference?

Answer 23

Not unless their lifestyle is improved to fulfill basic life areas

Question 24

What are 3 major symptoms of anxiety?

Answer 24

excessive worry
feelings of panic
intense physiological arousal

Question 25

What is a practical way of treating anxiety?

Answer 25

finding manageable yet challenging tasks and building confidence over time

Question 26

What is the best cure for anxiety?

Answer 26

voluntary confrontation with the fearsome things

Question 27

What do people with anxiety disorders also benefit from?

Answer 27

routines - such as waking up, eating, and going to bed at the same time every day

Question 28

What do routines provide for people?

Answer 28

routines scaffold peoples lives with comfort so they can handle more chaos in other areas of their lives and confront their fears

Question 29

What is a way of testing positive and negative emotion systems in newborns?

Answer 29

sweet and bitter tests to detect positive and negative emotional responses

Question 30

What normalizes anxious behavior in humans?

Answer 30

voluntary active exploration

Question 31

What are 3 steps to treating anxiety in humans?

Answer 31

have a plan
don’t underestimate the utility of routine
Expose yourself to unfamiliar situations voluntarily