Psychology Applications - readings (trauma, crime and cognition) Flashcards
What are the features of a good theory of trauma response? (what should it be able to do?)
Explain, describe, predict and direct treatment
In socio-cognitive constructionist theories of trauma response - what are the two types of self-blame suggested by Janoff-Bulman? and is one type associated with better recovery from trauma?
Behavioural self-blame: Traume happened because of victim behaviour, e.g victim made a mistake. Characterological self-blame: When a victim blames his/her self because of who s/he is e.g “ it happened because I’m bad” Behavioural self-blame associated with better recovary in motorcycle crash victims. - but was not upheld in rape victims. any-type of self-blame could be considered maladaptive.
Why is the assumption that positive beliefs are shattered by trauma, a problem for socio-cognitive constructionist (e.g Janoff-Bulman) views of trauma response?
Belief-sets/world view could be negative before trauma, thus trauma would only confirm this view and not ‘shatter positive cognitions’. There is evidence that a history of trauma and depression/anxiety is associated with PTSD - this goes against Janoff-Bulmans theory.
In Brewin’s dual-representation theory, what are the three possible end points to the emotional processing?
- Completion integration (no memory bias, no attentional bias, no symptoms)
- Chronic emotional processing (memory bias, attentional bias, phobic state, depression, panic, anxiety, substance abuse)
- Premature inhibition of processing (attentional biases, avoidance schema, impaired memory, phobic state, dissociation, somatization)
In Dual-Representation (cognitive) theory of trauma response, what are SAMS and what are VAMS
SAMS are: Situationally Accessed Memories (as suggested by Information Processing Theories), comprised of sensory information which may be accessed automatically when a person is exposed to a stimulus situation that is similar in some fashion to the trauma.
VAMS are: Verbally Accessible Memories (as suggested by socio-cognitive theories), containing some sensory information, information about emotional and physical reastions and the personal meaning of the event.
What are the two types of emotional reactions proposed by dual-representation theory?
- Emotional reactions conditioned during the event (e.g fear, anger) and recorded in the SAM
- Secondary emotionsresulting from the consequences and implications (meaning) of the trauma. May also include fear and anger, but can also include guilt, shame and sadness.
roughly how does Dual-representation theory suggest treating traumas (hint: two parts, SAMs and VAMS)
As suggested by information processing theory: purposefull activation of the SAM, pairing this activation with different bodily states or different conscious thoughts to alter the SAM/aid in the creation of new info SAMS. - reduction in negative emotions and subsequent reduction in attentional bias and accessibility of the memory.
As suggested by social-cognitive theories: purposfull attempts to edit ones autobiographic memory (VAMs), conscious attempt to search for meaning, ascrive cause or blame and to resolve conflicts between the event and prior expectations and beliefs. = restoring a sense of relative safety and control in one’s environment.
Explain the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory of trauma response. What is it’s biggest limitation.
Proposes that stress is a reaction to losses of resources or threats to resources (e.g objects, conditions, personal characteristics and energies). Trauma is a sudden loss of resources, traumatic events attack ‘high-value’ resources (e.g self-esteem, control) and cause a loss spiral.
Limitation: Although COR descrives stress reponse generally, it does not explain symptoms after trauma or point to how to treat them.
In Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, what is a loss spiral and what is a gain spiral? which is said to be more common?
Loss spiral: expenditute of resources trying to cope with loss of other resources (that fails)
Gain spiral: Gaining resources make future gains more likely.
Loss spiral is said to be more likely.
Outline psychoanalytical theories of trauma response.
Focus predominately on intrapsychic conflict, reducing or ignoring the role of external stressfull events(freud). Modern day, does acknowledge external stressors but focuses on intrapschic conflicst as being activated by traumatic events.
Fixation of traumatic events, conflict between pre- and post- trauma ego, defense mechanisms (e.g repression). JANET: focused on dissociative processes, the need to integrate traumatic evenst which caused vehement emotion, which prevents the person from matching the event with existing mental shcema (unconscious) - aka “ a phobia of memory)
In learning theory (behavioural theory) of trauma response, what is Mowrer’s two-factor theory?
What is the main limitation to behavioural theories of trauma response?
That trauma response occurs from both operant and classical conditioning.
Traumatic event (UCS) evokes extreme response (UCR) — the UCR becomes associate with cues (previously neutral stimuli) that were present during the traumatic event, these cues become CS. Through generalisation and higher-order conditioning - other stimuli also become conditioned.
Then avoidance of the CS that produce the CR (e.g anxiety) is negatively reinforced (operant conditioning). Thus, extinction between trauma ces CS and anxiety CR is prevented and symptoms become chronic.
Main limitation is: does not explain intrusive behaviours (only fear and avoidance)
According to Wagner and Linehands behavioural explanaition of trauma dissociative symptoms, what is the effect of an ‘invalidating environment’ ?
Invalidating encironment is when one is punished or ignored for communicating their emotional experiences.
Trauma + subsequent invalidation = reinforcement of dissociative behaviours.
how does Information Processing Theory (Foa, cognitive), explain and propose treating trauma responses?
Theory: PTSD emerges due to a fear-network (guides interpretation of events as dangerous, attentional bias) in memory that is always active in PTSD (potential) people and is broadly generalised.
Activation of fear-network explains intrusive symptoms, avoidance is an attempt to avoid activation of the fear-network.
Treatment: repetitive and prolonged exposure to the traumatic memory in a safe environment will result in habituation of fear.
How do Social-cognitive theories (Resnick) explain and suggest treating trauma responses?
Focuses on the social context of trauma, the MEANING of trauma (the content of the victims cognitions)
Suggests that trauma shatters people’s beliefs/world views/self views.
PTSD: is a failure to integrate the trauma experience with existing beliefs.
Symptoms are cause by: non reconciling trauma info into active memory, but avoiding it because of emotional pain - occilating between intrusions and defence mechanism (avoidance)
Briefly outline the ‘history’ of trauma respose theories.
Psychoanalytical (intrapsychic conflic) –> Conservation of Resources (COR) –> Behavioural (Mowrer’s two-factor-theory ) —> cognitive (information/emotional processing theory [Foa], socio-cognitive theories [Resick], Ehlers and Clark’s cognitive model of PTSD) —> integrated cognitive theory (Brewin’s Dual-representational theory)
