Personality/Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
William Sheldon
Created an early theory of personality which defined physical and biological variables that he related to human behaviors. He characterized people by their body type and related that to personality type
Endomorphy
Term used by Sheldon to define a body which was soft and spherical
Mesomorphy
Term used by Sheldon to define a body which was hard, muscular, and rectangular
Ectomorphy
Term used by Sheldon to define a body which was thin, fragile, and lightly muscled
E.G. Boring
Psychological historian who believes that the development of psychology has been due to the changing of the zeitgeist, and not the findings of individual researchers.
Edward Titchener’s Method of Introspection
A method which formed structuralism, a system of psychology.
Humanism
A developed system in the mid 1900s in opposition to psychoanalysis/behaviorism. Asserts the notion of free will and the fact that people should be considered as wholes rther than in terms of stimuli and responses (behaviorism) or instincts (psychoanalysis). Key humanists include Maslow and Rogers
Philippe Pinel
In the late 1700s he ran an asylum and completely reformed it to care for patients like actual people. His concept of care spread and led to reforms of asylums throughout France.
Dorothea Dix
In the mid 1800s Dix was a advocate for treating people with mental illness humanely. She campaigned nationally and led to significant US reform for hospitalized mentally ill patients
Emil Kraepelin
Lived in late 1800s and is known for his published textbook where he classified different mental disorders and symptoms patterns. His system was a precursor to the DSM.
General Paresis
A disorder characterized by delusions of grandeur, mental deterioration, paralysis, and death. Caused by untreated syphilis which led to brain deterioration. One of the first times that a mental disorder was realized to be due to brain pathology and physiological factors.
Cerletti and Bini
Introduced the first use of electroshock for the artificial production of seizures in psychiatric patients. It was believed that the epileptic-like convulsions would cure schizophrenia (wrong). Often these shocks led to violent convulsions and injuring bones
Prefrontal Lobotomies
In the early-mid 1900s, this was thought to treat schizophrenia. Simply involved seperating the frontal lobes from brain tissue. Frequently these lobotomies led to patients being tranquil/apathetic since their frontal lobe was removed, making them easier to “handle” which is why it was originally seen as successful.
Introduction of Anti-Psychotic Drugs
Occurred during the 1950s to treat schizophrenia. Ended the use of lobotomies and electroshock, and led to a breakthrough in treatment modalities and quality of life for many mentally ill individuals
Freud: The Id
Consists of everything that is present at birth, functions according to the pleasure principle. The primary process of the Id is in response to frustration, and will bring a mental image to mind of the object which is desired (this is called wish fulfillment).
Freud: The Ego
The ego acts as the secondary process, and operates according to the reality principle (accounting for objective reality). It is thought that the ego never acts independently of the id, but simply organizes and maintains the id’s wishes.
Freud: The Super-Ego
The two subsystems of the superego are the conscience, which provides rules and norms of what is considered bad behavior, and the ego-ideal, which focuses on rules for good/appropriate behavior.
Freud: Instinct
An innate psychological representation (wish) of a bodily excitation (need). Instincts are propelling aspects of psycho dynamic theory
Freud: The Two Types of Instincts
Eros: life instincts, serving the purpose of survival. Performs its work with energy from libido.
Thanatos: the death instincts, representing an unconscious wish for the ultimate state of quiescence
Freud: Defense Mechanisms
The ego’s way of releasing excessive pressures due to anxiety. All defense mechanisms have two characteristics:
1: they deny, falsify and distort reality
2: they operate unconsciously
Freud: The Eight main Defense Mechanisms
Repression: unconscious forgetting
Suppression: deliberate forgetting
Projection: Place self on others
Reaction Formation: Repress wish by wanting opposite
Rationalization: Developing acceptable excuse
Regression: Reverting to earlier development stage
Sublimation: Transform unacceptable urges into acceptable behavior
Displacement: apply pent up feelings onto the wrong person/object
Ryan Supposedly Plays Rugby Really Roughly, but Susan Disagrees
Carl Jung
Created own system of psychoanalytic theories focusing on interpersonal, sociological, and cultural influences. Coined the thoughts of the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious.
Jung: Personal Unconscious
Similar to Freud’s theory of the unconscious
Jung: Collective Unconscious
A powerful and shared system which is in all humans and is thought to be residual from our shared early ancestors. This includes “images”, a record of common experiences (i.e. having a parent) and the images are built together to become archetypes
Jung: Archetypes
A thought or image that has an emotional element. The major elements include:
Persona: A mask adopted based upon cultural expectations
Anima: Feminine
Animus: Masculine
Shadow: The animal instincts, responsible for morally reprehensible thoughts/actions
Self: A point of unity between the conscious and unconscious
The self is the mandala (magic circle), which promotes harmony
Jung: Personality Typology
The Two Major Personality Orientations:
Extroversion
Introversion
Everyone has both, but there is generally one which is dominant for each person
Jung: Four Psychological Functions
Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, Intuiting
Typically for each person, one of these is more differentiated than the others.
Alfred Adler
Known for his theory on immediate social imperatives and their effects on the unconscious. Known for his ideas regarding the inferiority complex, and the strive towards superiority. Coined the term lifestyle, and believes family environment is crucial to molding a person.
Adler: What Drives Personality?
Striving towards superiority to avoid feelings of inferiority. When this drive is socially oriented (towards benefiting all), it enhances personality, but when it is selfish, it is the root of personality disturbances.
Adler: The Creative Self
The force which each individual shapes their uniqueness from and uses to make their personality
Adler: Style of Life
The manifestation of the creative self, which describes a person’s unique way of achieving superiority.
Adler: Fictional Finalism
The notion that an individual is more motivated by their expectations of the future than by their past experiences. Goals are based in subjective estimates of life value, rather than objective data from previous experience
Freud/Jung/Adler: What motivates behaviors?
Freud: Inborn Instincts
Jung: Inborn Archetypes
Adler: Striving for superiority
Karen Horney
Known for her theory of neurotic personality needs.
Horney: Neurotic Needs
Neurotic needs resemble healthy needs, except in four respects:
- Disproportionate in intensity
- Indiscriminate in application
- partially disregard reality
- provoke intense anxiety
Horney: Basic Anxiety
Proposes that a child’s early self-perception is vital. If a child feels helplessness it leads to insecurity and basic anxiety. To overcome anxiety, the child uses 3 strategies.
1. obtain the good will of people who provide security
2.moving against people or fighting to obtain upper hand
3.Moving away/withdrawing from people
Generally, healthy children/adults use all of these strategies based on the situation, but a threatened child will choose one to stick to rigidly, which caries over into adult personality.
Anna Freud
Freud’s daughter, thought of as the founder of ego psychology, and known for her investigations of the conscious ego and it’s relation to the world.
Erik Erickson
An ego psychologist, known for demonstrating how negative events could positively impact personality. His framework aimed to describe healthy people on their own terms, not just in opposition to unhealthy individuals.
Object Relations Theory
A part of the psycho-dynamic theory of personality, “object” is referencing the symbolic representation of an important part of a child’s personality. Object relation theorists study how children create/develop/internalize these objects.
Psychoanalysis
Long term, intensive treatment to uncover repressed memories and other unconscious shit stemming from psycho-sexual development. Belief is that by gaining insight into this shit, you can stop wasting energy on it and begin to develop further.
Freud: Hypnosis
Used in psychoanalysis to free repressed thoughts from the unconscious. Later this was not his preferred methodology.
Freud: Free Association
When patients would just say whatever came to mind with no filter, intended to help the client and analyst reconstruct the nature of their original conflict.
Freud: Dream Interpretation
Stemming from the belief that during sleep our defenses our relaxed, and so the mind will express forbidden/unconscious thoughts during dreams. Another method Freud used to determine the client’s unconscious conflicts.
Freud: Resistance
Defined as an unwillingness/inability to relate to certain thoughts/motives/analyses.Indications of resistance would be missing sessions, changing the topics, blocking associations, etc.
Freud: Transference
When clients would attribute attitudes/feelings to the therapist which were previously present in the client’s personal significant relationships. This can help the therapist see the type of relationships the client had previously to help them work through it.
Freud: Countertransference
When the therapist brings their own attitudes/beliefs to the therapeutic relationship, which is not related to the patient. Therapists must be aware of this concept to avoid it impeding on their ability to work with patients.
Neo-Freudian Approaches
Approaches to psychoanalysis which are inspired by Freud, but are less expensive/time consuming. These generally place more emphasis on current interpersonal relationships/life situations and don’t focus on childhood and psychosexual development.
Behaviorism
The belief that personality development is based upon the behaviors people learn from their environment.
Dollard and Miller
Known for blending psychoanalytic concepts into a behavioral stimulus-response reinforcement learning theory approach. They focused on conflicting motives or conflicting tendencies in personality development.
Social Learning Theory
The development of personality by modeling observed behavior, and direct and vicarious reinforcement. (Bandura)
Martin Seligman
Known for his studies of learned helplessness in the 1960s. These were the studies with dogs being placed on electrified floors, and if they initially believed they could not escape, but if placed in a new situation where they could escape they still believed they were helpless, i.e. they learned to be helpless
Seligman: Learned Helplessness Application
Seligman extrapolated that learned helplessness for dogs, suggesting that human depression was due to learned helplessness and the locus of control. The thought is that people who consistently face difficult situations which are inescapable over time feel powerless to overcome their problems, leading to learned helplessness and an external locus of control, and eventually depression.
Behavior Therapy
Behaviorists view abnormal behavior/personality as learned through the environment. Behaviorists consider the symptoms to be the disorder (where psychoanalysists consider the symptoms a manifestation of the disorder). Proven to be quite effective for certain disorders (phobias, ID, etc)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Aims at changing and restructuring a patient’s distorted or irrational thoughts. Known to be developed by Beck and Ellis (separately)
Freud: Symptom Substitution
A psychoanalysis belief that if a therapist directly treats only the symptoms of a disorder, new symptoms will arise to replace the old ones because the underlying disorder is still there. Behaviorists/ Cognitive-Behaviorists do not believe this, and frequently aim to relieve specific symptoms
Humanism
A branch of theories which emphasize internal processes, and focus on what distinguishes us from animals. Similar to existential theories, and represented well by some of Gestalt theories
Kurt Lewin: Field Theory
Heavily influenced by Gestalt Psychology, Field theory sees personality as dynamic and changing. Suggests a personality can be broken up into different systems, which in typical adults function in an integrated fashion. However, if a person is under tension/anxiety, the systems are diffused, leading to increased struggle
Abraham Maslow
A humanist theorist, known for his hierarchy of human motives and needs to attain self-actualization. According to Maslow, most people do not reach self-actualization
Maslow: Peak Experiences
Maslow hypothesized that self-actualized people were significantly more likely to have peak experiences, which are experiences which are profound/deeply moving and have lasting effect on the person.
George Kelly
Kelly theorized about human nature using himself as a model. He hypothesized that every human acts as a scientist, trying to test predictions and anticipate what others will do. Kelly asserted that dysfunction arises if someone had trouble making predictions and understanding their environment.
Humanistic-Existentialist Therapies
Tend to emphasize the process of finding meaning in one’s life by making one’s own choices. Thought that dysfunction/disorders arise due to problems of alienation, depersonalization, loneliness, or lack of meaningful existence. Goals of these therapies are to facilitate exploring the client’s thoughts/feelings. Important features are positive regard, empathy, and affirmation.
Carl Rogers
Known as a humanistic psychologist, with phenomenological aspects. Well known for his psychotherapy technique of client centered/person-centered therapy and non-directive therapy which utilizes unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed that people can control their own behavior and make their own choices. Rogers thought that if through therapy the client becomes able to be themselves, it will increase the congruence between their ideal self and reality, leading to less conflict.
Victor Frankl
A nazi concentration camp survivor, he hypothesized that mental illness/dysfunction stem from lives without meaning, and that the human goal is to find meaning for existence.
Type/Trait Theorists
People who attempt to characterize people according to specific types of personality, with the goal of determining the fundamental dimensions of personality.
Type A/Type B
One of the most common Trait Theories. Generally, Type A people are more prone to heart conditions. Type A is also the most prevalent across middle and upper class men.
Raymond Cattell
A trait theorist known for using factor analysis to measure personality in a comprehensive system. He identified 16 basic traits that he thought created the building blocks for personality.
Hans Eysenck
Used factor analysis to develop his theory of personality.He thought there were personality types, which covered broad dimensions, and then traits which were more specific aspects to a personality.
He identified three dimensions of personality: introversion/extroversion, emotional stability/neuroticism, psychoticism/socialization
Gordon Allport
A trait theorist who listed 3 basic types of traits/dispositions: cardinal, central, secondary.
Allport: Cardinal Traits
Traits around which a person organizes their life and is their focus. Not everyone has cardinal traits
Allport: Central Traits
Traits which represent major characteristics of the personality which are easy to infer.
Allport: Secondary Traits
Traits which are more personal, and are more limited in occurance
Allport: Functional Autonomy
The fact that an activity/behavior may become an end or goal itself, due to enjoyment of the activity the behavior became the goal itself.
Allport: Idiographic Approach to Personality
Approach which focuses on studying individual cases to understand personality. Also called the Morphogenic Method, this was the methodology Allport preferred.
Allport: Nomothetic Approach to Personality
Approach which focuses on studying groups of individuals to find commonalities and understand personality. Also called the Dimensional method, Allport insisted this should be avoided.
David McClelland
Known for identifying a personality trait titled the “need for achievement” (aka N-Ach).
N-Ach
Stands for The Need for Achievement- coined by David McClelland - it refers to a personality trait of people who have concern for achievements and pride in their accomplishments. Traditionally, these people avoid high risks (to avoid failure) and avoid low risks (because these tasks won’t result in feelings of pride). N-Ach people tend to set realistic goals and stop striving towards a goal if it seems unlikely.
Herman Witkin
Witkin aimed to draw relationships between individual personalities and the individual’s perception of the world.
Witkin: Field Dependence
Classification system Witkin used. One end of spectrum was field independence. These people had the ability to make specific responses to specific stimuli. On the other end, was field dependence, when people had the tendency to diffuse a response to a mass of undifferentiated stimuli.
Example:
Someone who s influenced by the opinions of others (because they maybe don’t distinguish their ideas from the ideas of others) would be highly field dependent.
Julian Rotter
Known for his work regarding internal and external loci of control.
Rotter: Locus of Control and Self-Esteem
Internal Locus of Control: Higher self-esteem
External Locus of Control: Lower self-esteem
Machiavellianism
Personality traits which are considered to be manipulative and deceitful. The higher one is in Machiavellian traits, the more successful at manipulating others they are
Sandra Bem
Known for her theories on gender identity and how it is related to personality theory. Bem postulates that since people can score very high on both measures of femininity and masculinity, these must be two separate gender dimensions.
Walter Mischel
Known for criticizing the tendency to explain behaviors based on personalities. Mischel asserts that human behavior is determined by the situation, not the individual.
Basis of DSM-5 Classification
DSM5 classifications are not based upon theories/etiologies but instead upon atheoretical symptom presentations. DSM5 does not use any theoretical terms (such as neurosis)
DSM Organization
18 disorder classifications
DSM-IV-TR had a multi-axial assessment system, which was dropped for DSM-5
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Disorders linked to the development of the nervous system. Typically present during infancy, childhood, or adolescence. Includes LDs, ADHD, Tourettes, ASD, and communication disorders.
Etemology of “Schizophrenia”
Coined in 1911 by Eugen Bleuler. Before, it was called dementia praecox. Schizophrenia literally translates to “split mind” due to the mind “splitting” from reality.
Schizophrenia Symptoms
Positive Symptoms: Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganized Speech, Catatonic Behavior, etc. Split into two dimensions: Psychotic and Disorganized.
Negative Symptoms: Flat Affect, Blunted Emotional Expression, etc
Schizophrenia Symptoms
Positive Symptoms: Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganized Speech, Catatonic Behavior, etc. Split into two dimensions: Psychotic and Disorganized.
Negative Symptoms: Flat Affect, Blunted Emotional Expression, etc
Common Delusion Types
Reference: belief others are talking about them or items are directed at them.
Persecution: belief that others are plotting against them
Grandeur: belief that they are a remarkable person
Thought Broadcasting: belief that their inner thoughts are directly broadcast to world
Thought Insertion: belief that thoughts are being inserted into their head.
Neologisms
When someone with schizophrenia invents new words as a part of their “word salad”
Process Schizophrenia
When schizophrenia development is slow/insidious. Often face much poorer outcomes.
Reactive Schizophrenia
When schizophrenia development is intense/sudden. Associated with a much better prognosis that process schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia: The Dopamine Hypothesis
Positive symptoms are due to excess dopamine in certain areas. OR that the levels of dopamine are typical, but people have too many receptors or over-sensitivity to dopamine. One form of evidence for this hypothesis is the effectiveness of anti-psychotic drugs in treatment.
Schizophrenia: The Double Bind Hypothesis
Theory that as a child, they received contradictory/incompatible messages from their primary caregiver. Hypothesis suggests that this leads to internalized disorganization, and the child begins to not trust their perceptions of reality. (Not much support for this, but we do know that family communications issue may have a role in development of schizophrenia).
MDD: Monoamine Theory of Depression
Also called the Catecholamine Theory of Depression.
Theory holds that too much norepinephrine and seratonin leads to mania, and too little leads to depression. Research demonstrates that it’s not really that simple, but this is still an important and valued theory.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PDD)
A controversial disorder, but supported by empirical research. Effects as many as 20% of vagina-havers, and is characterized by dysphoric/depressed mood, anger, and physiological symptoms in the days before menstruation.
Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder Information
Compulsions = behaviors
Obsessions = thoughts
Includes, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, and excoriation (skin picking disorder).
Somatoform disorders
Disorders which present physical symptoms which seem medical, but are psychologically based.
Conversion Disorder
Characterized by unexplained symptoms affecting voluntary motor/sensory functions. Previouslly called hysteria.
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Previously called hypochondriases. When someone is preoccupied with fears they have a serious disease. These fears continue despite complete medical exams which prove they are physically fine.
Dissociative Disorders
Marked by when a person avoids stress by escaping from their identity by dissociating, but continue to have an intact sense of reality.
Dissociative Amnesia
Inability to recall past experiences, but not due to a neurological disorder.
Dissociative Fugue
Amnesia which accompanies a sudden/unexpected move away from home. A person in a fugue state might be confused about their identity, or assume a new one.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Previously multiple personality disorder. Famous cases include: Sybil (who had 15 personalities) and Truddi Chase (who had 92 personalities). Generally, people with DID experienced severe physical/sexual abuse.
Four Most Common Personality Disorders
Schizoid PD: pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and restricted emotional expression. Little desire/interest in social interactions, few friends, and poor social skills.
Narcissistic PD: grandiose sense of self importance, preoccupation with fantasies of success, need for constant admiration/attention. Generally have very fragile self-esteem, which when questioned leads to intense reactions.
Borderline PD: pervasive instability with interpersonal relationships and self-image. Abandonment fears, self harm, suicidality are common.
Antisocial PD: Previously called psychopathic or sociopathic disorder. Known for it’s pattern of disregard/violation of the rights of others.
Primary Prevention
Efforts to seek out and eradicate environmental conditions which foster mental illness and efforts to establish conditions which foster good mental health. AKA just preventative measures.
David Rosenhan
- Studies with psuedopatients, suggesting that no-one looks sane in an insane environment, but also suggesting that once someone is labelled as mentally ill, others perceive them differently and interpret their actions under their diagnosis.
Thomas Szasz
Known as a major critic of the label “mentally ill” and believes that most mentally ill people do not have actual illnesses, but just have behaviors which differ from the cultural norm. He believes that mentally ill labels try to force people to conform to society, rather than changing society.
Functionalism
Key people: James & Dewey. Studies how the mind functions to help people adapt to environments. In opposition to structuralism. Utilizes stream of consciousness.
Systems Psychology
School of psych which suggests behavior must be considered within the context of a complex system. Applications like family therapy are generally suggested.
