Psych 101 Flashcards
what is the Personality definition
- The distinctive and relatively enduring ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that characterise a person’s response to life situations.
what is the psychoanalytical approach?
- psychoanalysis is both an approach to therapy and theory of personality
who was Psychoanalytic approach created by?
- Sigmund Freud
Where is Psychoanalytic approach used?
-used free association and dream interpretation to access unconscious motivation
define conscious
- the region of the psyche that contains thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and other aspects of mental life currently present in awareness.(tip of iceberg)
define preconscious
- thoughts, feelings, memories, that we are not consciously aware of but we can get to (middle of iceberg)
What is ID
- institution drives present at birth
- pleasure principle
-exists totally within unconscious
-does not distinguish between reality and fantasy
define unconscious
- wishes, impulses, desires, that we cannot access (bottom of iceburg/bulk).
- This is the bulk of your personality according to Freud.
define ego
-develops second, after the id in infancy
-reality principle
-mediator between id and superego (i.e CEO of personality)
-operated primarily at conscious level
define superego
-last to develop (4-5 years of age when emerges)
-based on idealistic principle
-internalisation of society and families moral standards
-blind quest for moral perfection
how do these systems work tg?
- -Constant struggle between the ids impulses and the counterforces of the ego and superego
-Anxiety results when the ego confronts impulses that threaten to get out of control
what are defense mechanisms?
-unconscious mental processes that are employed by the ego to reduce anxiety by denying or distorting reality
NORMATIVE: almost everyone uses these at times; maladjusted people use them excessively
what are the different types of defense mechanisms
- Repression
- Displacement
- Reaction formation
- Sublimation
- Projection
- Rationalization
- regression
- denial
- intellectualization
define repression according to Freud
- preventing painful or dangerous thoughts from entering consciousness
define displacement
- substituting a less threatening object for the original object of impulse
define reaction formation
- refusing to acknowledge unacceptable urges, thoughts, or feelings by exaggerating the opposite state
define sublimation
- working off unmet desires or unacceptable impulses in activities that are constructive
define projection
- -transferring unacceptable motives or impulses to others
define rationalization
- substituting socially acceptable reasons or thoughts or action based on unacceptable motives
define regression
- responding to a threatening situation in a way appropriate to an earlier age or level of development (ex: adult having a temper tantrum)
define denial
- protecting oneself from an unpleasant reality by refusing to perceive it
define intellectualization
- ignoring the emotional aspects of a painful experience by focusing on abstract thoughts, words, or ideas
What are some psychosexual stages?
- periods of development in which the id’s pleasure-seeking tendencies are focused on specific pleasure-sensitive areas of the body (erogenous zones)
define fixation
- a state of arrested psychosexual development in which instincts are focused on a particular theme
what is the oral stage (birth - infancy)?
- pleasure through the mouth
- weaning a child can lead to fixation if not handled correctly
- fixation can lead to oral activities in adulthood (e.g. excessive gum chewing)
what happens in the anal stage? and what age is it?
- 2 - 3 years
-pleasure from withholding and expelling from anus
-toilet training can lead to fixation of not handled correctly - Fixation can produce compulsions, obsessive cleanliness, orderliness, and rigidity or extreme messiness and disorganization
what is the phallic stage? and how old do you have to be>
- 4- 5 years
-children begin to realise sex differences
-direct sexual impulses toward opposite sex parent; hostility toward same sex partner
-Boys -castration anxiety
-girls- anger over lack of penis (penis envy)
define the oedipal complex
- desire mother leads to rivalry toward father
-fears contraction from father (castration anxiety)
-conflict resolves by idealising same sex parent
Electra complex: desire for father, hostility toward mother; leads to penis envy
what is Electra complex?
- desire for father, hostility toward mother; leads to penis envy
what is the latency stage? How old do you have to be?
- 6 - 12 years
-dormant sexuality
-children participate in hobbies, school and same sex friendships
what is the genital stage? 12+
-sexual feelings re-emerge and are oriented towards others
-healthy adults find pleasure in love and work – - fixated adults have their energy tied up in earlier stages
who are Alder and Jung and what are their psychodynamic theories?
Alder- humans are inherently social and are motivated by desire to support others welfare
Jung: personal and collective unconscious which are represented by archetypes
What is phenomenal within the humanistic perspective?
- emphasis on the primary of immediate experience
- Focuses attention on present instead of past
- Emphasizes the individual’s creative potential and inborn striving toward personal growth
- Self-awareness and self-actualization are important components of that growth
What is Carla Rogers theory of the self?
- ## belief that our natural forces will direct us toward self-actualization, the highest realization of human potential
according to carla roggers, define “The Self”
- an organized consistent set of perception of believe about oneself
what is real/preserved vs. ideal self
- Self consistency: an absence of conflict among self-perceptions
- Congruence: consistency between self-perception and experience (important for adjustment)
what do inconsistent experiences invoke?
- Threat and anxiety
what do well adjusted individuals do according to the humanistic perspective?
- Well- adjusted individuals modify the shelf concept in response to experiences that challenge self concept
what do poor adjusted ppl do according to the humanistic perspective?
- Poorly adjusted ppl have inflectable self consists of that cannot accommodate inconsistent experiences (more ridged)
define the need for positive regard
- an inborn need for acceptance, sympathy, and love from others
define unconditional psotove regared
- communicates that the personal is inherently worthy of love, regardless of accomplishments or behavior
define conditonal positive regard.
- dependent on how the child behaves
what were the conditions of the humanistic perspective?
- Self perception is key to personality
- Consider positive aspects of humans nature
- Emphasize conscious experiences
what ere the cirtistisms?
- Too optimistic about human nature
- Promotes self love & narcissism
define trait theories
- relatively stable cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of ppl; that help establish their individual identities and distinguish them from others
what is Eysenck’s early trait theories?
- biological, genetic basis for personality traits
- Differences in customary levels of arousal
- ## Introverts are over aroused, extraverts are under aroused
what does it mean when there are Suddenness of shifts in arousal?
- unstable (neurotic) ppl shows large and sudden shifts in arousal, stable ppl does not
what is Eysenck two-dimensional theory?
fit somewhere between unstable and stable, and introversion and extroversion
what are the 5 big trait theories?
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
-neuroticism
what is the cognitive behavioral social cognitive perspective?
- Based on research, learning, cognition, and social influence
what does Julian rotter believe?
- believe that regards are controlled by one’s own effect
- External vs. internal locus of control
define self efficacy?
- Belief about one’s ability to perform certain behaviors needed to achieve desired outcomes
-Can be high or low
when assessing personality what does the projective test do?
- I show something and ask you what they see
Images are vage, so it’s subject to interpretation - Your interpretations suggest something about your personality
- You project your personality on what you say the image is
- Examples: rorschach, thematic apparition test (TAT)
define stress
mental and physical condition that occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to conditions in the environment
define a stressor
- condition of event in the environment that challenges our streets the person
define what a social condition of stress is
- Social condition that promote stress (greater levels of daily hassles & life events)
- ex: poverty, racism, discrimination, crime
what is general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
- Alarm
- Resistance
- Exhaustion
what are some psychological reactions to stress??
- Anxiety: PTSD
- Anger/aggression
- depression/apathy (learned helplessness)
what are some factors that influence how we experience a stressor?
Perceptions of:
- Control
- Predictability
- Challenge
define optimism.
- Make external, unstable & specific explanations for negative events, glass half full
define pessimism.
- Make internal stable, & global explanations for negative events (glass half empty)
what is a type A personality?
- Urgency
- General hostility
- Intense and competitiveness
- Associated with heart disease
What does type B personally look like?
- More easygoing
- No heart disease
what does excessive amount of stress lead to?
- leads to suppressed immune function
- Indirect effects: promote operating behaviors (ex: drinking and smoking)
- Direct effects: psychosocial illness (ex: hypertension & headache)
how does stress accelerate the aging process?
- Telomeres: structures found at the tips of chromosomes, shorten with repeated cell divisions
- Eventually, telomeres become too short for the cell to divide and the cell dies
- Telomerase: enzyme that rebuilds telomeres
- Chronic levels of stress associated with shortened telomeres and less telomerase activity speeds up the aging process
what are the different types of coping styles?
- Problem focused coping
- Emotion-focused coping
- Gender, culture, & coping
- CBT
- biofeedback
- relaxation training
- meditation
- Exercise
- Religion
define problem focused coping
- Planful problem solving
- Managing or changing the stressor
- Use if problem seems alterable
Ex: what can I do next time to do better on this exam?
define emotion focused coping
- Try to feel better about situation
- Use if problem is out of your control
what are some examples of emotion focused coping?
- Wishful thinking
- Seeking social support (calling a friend)
- Positive reappraisal maybe this will be a good thing at the end)
- Downward compassion (this could be worse)
define Gender, culture, & coping
Men & women show similar patterns of coping
define collelectivist
- More originated to social support
- Favor emotion focused coping
define what a indivialist is
- Less likely to use social support
- Favor problem focused coping
what are vulnerability factors when relating to resistance
- personal and environmental factors that ppl make reactive to stressful events
what are the characteristics of resilient children?
- adequately intellectual functioning
- Self-efficacy
- Faith
- Relationship with at least one caring adult !!!!!!!
what are protective factors when relating to resistance
- personal and environmental resources that help ppl cope more effectively with stressful events
How can behavior be characterized as?
- Distressing to the individual
- Dysfunctional (either for the individual or society)
- Deviates from the norm
- Dangerous (to them or others)
what did Szasz theorize about mental health?
- “Myth of mental illness” by Szasz
- labeling /diagnosis way of stigmatizing societal deviance
- Problems in living rather than illnesses
- Saying mental illness isn’t real
what are the advantages of getting a diagnosis?
- Provides a common basis for communication
- Helps clinician make predictions and treatment planning
- Naming the disorder can provide comfort
- Facilitate research
what are the disadvantages of being dignosied?
- Stima (shame, negative reputation)
- Medical terminology implies internal cause
- Focuses on weakness, ignore strengths
- Misdiagnosis
- Self - fulfilling prophecy
define emotional contagion relating to how transmittable mental health problems are
- When one person’s emotions are related behaviors directly tigger similar emotions and behaviors in other ppl
what are the Multi Level Approach to Understanding the etiology
Biological
- Focus on brain, neurotransmitters, genes, etc
Psychological
- Focus on experiences thoughts emotions personality
Sociocultural
- Focus on social contexts including culture
what is the Biopsychosocial Diathesis- Stress Model
- disorders= stress x vulnerability
- Disorder emerges when challenge exceeds individuals ability to cope
- Diathesis = vulnerability/ risk factor
what are anxiety disorders?
- distressing , persistent fears that are disproportionate and disruptive
- Feel uncontrollable
what are the 4 comments of anxiety disorders?
- Subjective-emotional
- Cognitive
- Psychological
- Behavioral (avoidance)
what causes anxiety disorders?
Biological:
- overactive ANS
Psychological: (cognitive)
- exaggerated mistinerinpreperations of stimuli (catastrophizing)
Social (environmental)
- Classically conditioned fear responses after a traumatic experience
- Observational learning: others as models
- Operant conditioning: what gets reinforced?
what impacts a phobia
- Degree of impairment depends on how often the stimulus is encountered in the person’s normal activities
- specific phobias are related to how often you see the stimulus
define panic disorder
- recurrent, sudden onsets of intense terror that often occur without warning
define GAD
- Persistent anxiety for at least 6 months
- Inability to specific reason for the anxiety
define social anxiety disorder
- Intense fear of being embraced in public situations
define OCD
- Obsessions: persistent anxiety provoking thoughts (hands are germy, or worried that things are gonna happen)
what are compulsions?
- reduces the anxiety associated with the intrusive thoughts (obsessions) through performing repetitive, realistic behaviors to prevent or produce a situation
Define PTSD
- Human actions (ex:rape) 5x more likely than natural disasters to cause PTSD
- Women 2x more likely
- Women experience PTSD twice as often as men
- PTSD rate of 20 % in those living close to world trade center
- Severe symptoms that were not present before the trauma
Ex: flashbacks, nightmares, feeling numb, avoidance
define what characterizes depressive disorders
- Characterized by disruptions in mood/affect
what are some symptoms of depressive disorders?
- Conative (low self worth,
- Motivated (know that something may make them feel better but they can’t make themselves do it)
- Bodily functions (weight changes, sleep ect)
- Interpersonal difficulties (problems in relationships, irritability, sad disengaged)
what is major depressive disorder:
- Two or more weeks of depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities
- Disruptions in sleep and appetite
define Persistent Depressive Disorder: Dysthymia
- 2 years or longer, depressed mood for more days then not
- Depression but less server, and longe
define bipolar disorder
person alters between depression & mania
what are the symptoms of mania
- Euphoric, no limits to what he or she can do
- Hyperactive, frantic behavior
- Irritated and aggressive when questioned
- Rapid speech lessened need for sleep
what are some Enviromental causes of depression
Lewinsohn (1985): depression is usually triggered by a loss
Person stops performing positive behaviors which lead to a loss positive reinforcements in continuing the cycle
what are some psychological(cognitive) causes of depression
- Depressive cognitive triad
- Depressive attributional pattern (if something happens to someone else it’s okay, but if it happens to someone else it’s all my fault)
- Learned helplessness (no matter what I do it’ll turn out badly)
what are some biological factors of depression?
- Detractively in a family of neurotransmitter that include norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin
- Strong generic factors
define schizophrenia
cherished by major departures from reality
what are some biological factors?
- Strong genetic predisposition
- Brain abnormalities
