PSYC 236 definitions Flashcards
(101 cards)
psychological abnormality
behaviour, speech or thought that impairs the ability of a person to function in the way that is generally expected of them in the context of the situation where the usual functioning occurs
psychopathology
the scientific study of psychological abnormality and the problems faced by people who suffer from these disorder
psychological disorder
a clinically significant disturbance in a person’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviours
mental illness
term used to convey the same meaning as psychopathology, but implies a medical rather than psychological cause
statistical concept
behaviour is judged as abnormal if it appears infrequently within a population
personal distress
disorders have to cause distress to the affected individual to be considered problems/disorders
personal dysfunction
maladaptive behaviours are considered to be abnormal
violations of norms
behaviours and thoughts of people with disorders may run counter to what we view as appropriate
clinical psychologists
provide services to individuals, couples, and families across the lifespan, and populations for all ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds
psychiatrist
a medical doctor who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders
methodism
viewpoint developed from rejecting Hippocrates ideas, and instead regarded mental illness as being from either constriction of body tissue or form of relaxation of those tissues due to exhaustion
theory
a well-sustained explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment
single-factor explanation
attempts to trace the origin of the issue to one direct instance for a cause
interactionist explanation
view behaviour as the product of the interaction of a variety of factors, generally making more satisfactory theories in describing mental disorders, takes into account the biology, behaviour, social cognitive, and cultural aspects
biological determinism
what a person is, is determined by their inherited characteristics
conscious
contains info of which we are currently aware
preconscious
holds info not presently within our awareness but can readily be brought into awareness
unconscious
contains the majority of our memories and drive that unfortunately can only be raised to awareness with great difficulty and typically only in response to particular techniques
the ID
acts according to the pleasure principle
the structure present at birth and it contains or represents the biological instincts or drives, these drives demand instant gratification without concern for the consequences to self and other
the Ego
governed through the reality principle
it clashes with the Id but evens out overtime with normal ego development, attempts to satisfy the Id without offending the superego
develops in the first year of life to curb the effects of the Id, so that the individual does not suffer any undesirable consequences, no concern for right or wrong, only the avoidance of pain or discomfort to one’s self to maximize unpunished pleasure
superego
the internalization of moral standards of society inculcated by the child’s parents, operating guide is the moral principle serving as the moral conscious by monitoring the ego
classical conditioning
an individual learns to associate a neural stimulus with a stimulus that naturally produces a behaviour, considered the basis for learning by Pavlov
operant conditioning
a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behaviour, through operant conditioning, behaviour that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behaviour that is punished is prone to happen less
social learning theory
suggests that although classical and operant conditioning experiences are important, the majority of these experiences occur within a social context and are primarily acquired vicariously - by observation of others rather than direct personal experience