past paper questions Flashcards
what are two examples of Jahoda’s criterial for ideal mental health
•environmental mastery
•resistance to stress
apart from ‘deviation from ideal mental health’, outline three definitions of abnormality.
•statistical deviation- abnormal behaviour is that which is numerically unusual/ rare
•deviation from social norms- abnormal behaviour that goes against the expectations in a society/ culture
•failure to function adequately- abnormal behaviour which causes personal distress and/or an inability to cope with everyday life
Suggest how the behavioural approach might be used to explain Kirsty’s phobia of balloons
•kirsty’s phocis has developed through classical conditioning- she has formed an association between the neutral stimulus (balloon) and the response of fear
•the conditioned response is triggered every time she sees a balloon (or hears similar noises)
•her phobia has generalised to situations where ballon’s might be present, and to similar noises
•her phobia is maintained through operant conditioning- the relief she feels when avoiding balloons becomes reinforcing
outline cognitive behaviour therapy as a treatment for depression
•general rationale of therapy- to challenge negative thought/ negative triad
•identification of negative thoughts
•hypothesis testing- ‘patient as scientist’
•data gathering through ‘homework’ (eg diary keeping)
•reinforcement of positive thoughts; cognitive restructuring
•rational confrontation in Ellis’ REBT (disputing)
briefly evaluate the deviation from ideal mental health definition of abnormality
•comprehensive criteria for mental health
•based on similar models of physical health- but mental health may not be the same
•criteria are too demanding- most of us would be defined as unhealthy, unnaturally high standards
•western individualist bias
outline two cognitive characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder
•obsessive thoughts- persistent and intrusive thoughts (eg germs)
•hyper-vigilance/ selective attention- increased awareness of source of obsession in new situations
•insight into irrationality of thoughts/ behaviour
•cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions
discuss the two-process model of phobias
•development of phobia through classical conditioning- association with fear/ anxiety with neutral stimulus to produce a conditioned response; assumes experience of traumatic event; generalisation of fear to other similar objects
•maintenance of phobia through operant conditioning- avoidance of phobic object/ situation is negatively reinforcing; relief as reward/ primary reinforcer
••Watson and Rayner
•not all phobias are the result of trauma
•alternative evolutionary explanations for more common phobias (biological preparedness)
•behavioural approach ignores cognitive aspects of phobias
•behavioural principles underpin therapies based on counterconditioning (systematic desensitisation)
identify some behavioural characteristics of depression
•changes in sleep patterns- sleeping less (insomnia)/ sleeping more (hypersomnia)
•changes in eating patterns (eating more/less)
•social withdrawal
•reduced movement
•reduced speech
briefly outline one way that a cognitive psychologist might treat depression by challenging irrational thoughts
•rational confrontation: ABCDE model- D for dispute, E for effect (reduction of irrational thoughts); logical and empirical argument (Ellis)
•patient as scientist; data gathering to test validity of irrational thoughts; reinforcement of positive beliefs (Beck)
describe the biological approach to treating obsessive- compulsive disorder
•use of drug therapy to ‘correct’ the imbalance of neurochemicals (seretonin) to reduce symptoms associated with OCD
•SSRI’s- prevent the reabsorbtion and breakdown of serotonin in the brain, continue to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron
•timescale, 3-4 months of daily use for SSRI’s to impact symptoms
•other drugs used for general relaxation and reduction of anxiety
discuss statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms as definitions of abnormality
> statistical infrequency
•abnormality is defined as behaviour or characteristics that are numerically unusual/ rare
•occupies the extreme ends of a normal distribution curve (low IQ- intellectual disability disorder)
•relies on the use of up-to-date statistics
deviation from social norms
•all societies make collective judgments about what counts as ‘normal’/ typical behaviour
•any behaviour that does not conform to accepted standard is abnormal
•norms vary from culture to culture
discussion
•many diagnoses of illness involve some reference to statistics
•difficult to know where the line is between statistically normal and abnormal- subjective interpretation
•not all behaviour that deviates from social norms is bad/ signs of illness
•social norms definition could be used/ abused as an instrument of social control
•social norms change over time (lack of temporal validity)
•neither definition is satisfactory on its own
describe the statistical infrequency and failure to function adequately definitions of abnormality
statistical infrequency:
-defined as a behaviour or characteristic that is numerically rare/ unusual
-occupies the extreme ends of a normal distribution curve, uses up-to-date statistics- an example includes low IQ, defined as intellectual disability disorder
failure to function adequately:
-abnormality is defined as the inability to cope with the demands of everyday life
-unable to uphold societal expectations like standard interpersonal rules (eye contact, personal space), experiencing severe distress or behaving irrationally/ dangerously
-examples include antisocial personality disorder
outline one limitation of systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias
possible examples:
•SD is time-consuming, when compared to alternatives such as flooding, as the person with the phobia needs to be trained in relaxation techniques and gradual exposure can take many sessions
•progress in therapy may not generalise outside of the clinical setting when the person with the phobia must face their fear without the support of the therapist
•may not be appropriate for social phobias
discuss the genetic explanation for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
•OCD is an inherited condition, vulnerability is passed across generations
•a number of candidate genes have been implicated as a possible cause for OCD (Taylor identified up to 230 suggesting OCD is polygenic)
-different combinations of genes might cause it in different people
-inherited lack of serotonin
•Nestadt twin study
•Family study Lewis
•cannot account for OCD in families where there is no previous history
•broader issues of biological reductionism, determinism, causation
•practical application to gene therapy
•diathesis stress model
