Psychology test Flashcards
what are the four goals of psychology
to explain, describe, predict, and control behaviour
what is a psychologist
studies how we think, feel and behave from a scientific viewpoint and applies this knowledge to help people understand, explain and change their behaviour.
what is a psychiatrist
medical doctors who go on to specialize in mental health and mental disorders. Psychiatrists often use medication to help their clients manage their mental disorders and there are some disorders for which medications are very necessary (schizophrenia and some depressions for examples).
what are the 4 schools of thought
cognitive, humanist, behavioural, psychoanalytic/psychodymanic
what is the psychodynamic/psychoanalytic school of thought
focuses on life experiences and connections between the conscious and unconscious mind in order to understand human behaviour and relationship
Behaviour is Motivated by inner conflicts such as past traumas and childhood experiences
Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic
- what is free association
client says whatever comes to mind without censoring thoughts. Client relaxes on couch while therapist is sitting behind them, therapist listens and provides limited feedback, therapist does not distract the client in any way. Therapist acts as a blank slate for the client to project their thoughts onto.the study and application of how the brain learns to better understand how people think, understand, and know about the world
Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic - what is dream analysis
unconscious mind is released when we dream because the ego’s guard is down. Clients are asked to talk about their dreams while the therapist interprets them. Dreams are thought to be a manifestation of unconscious material, including repressed desires, fears, and conflicts. There are two basic components of dream interpretation: manifest content and latent content. Manifest is the actual images and visions you see in your dream, like a bunny or school. Latent content is the symbolic, psychological meaning behind the actual images and visions.
slips of the tongue
analysis of a patient’s unintentional verbal mistakes, such as mispronunciations, omissions, and substitutions. these verbal errors reveal unconscious thoughts and feelings that the patient may not be aware of. By analyzing these verbal errors, the therapist could gain access to this material and use it to inform the therapy.
Freud’s theory - unconscious mind
governs behaviour (and shapes personality), has more control over conscious
Freud’s theory - tripartite psyche
ID, most primitive part that seeks instant gratification. no regard for social conventions, legal ethics, or moral restraint. EGO, finds practical ways to gratify a need. ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. It stands for reason and basically exists to balance the id and superego. SUPEREGO, conscience-like part of our personality that holds all of the internalized moral standards and ideals. It functions to perfect and civilize our behaviour, to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id, and to make the ego act upon idealistic standards known as the morality principle.
Freud’s theory - defence mechanisms
if a person’s ego is weak, or if the conflicts and anxieties are too great, the ego can become overwhelmed and begin to fail. leads to mental disorder and emotional breakdown. In order to avoid such a catastrophe, the ego employs various tricks to keep unresolved conflicts from being revealed. These little tricks your ego uses (without us even being aware) are known as unconscious defense mechanisms.
Freud’s theory - Stages of psychosexual development (name all 5)
he believed that children were also sexual beings, children had to successfully go through all stages to become a proper adult. 1. Oral Stage (birth to 18 months) → Involving the mouth 2. Anal Stage (18 months to 3 years) → Toileting 3. Phallic Stage (4 to 5 years) → Focus on genital area 4. Latency Stage (6 to 11 years) → Period of little activity 5. Genital Stage (11 to 12 years through adulthood) → Sexuality
Freud’s theory - Oedipal Complex
during the phallic stage, the child develops a sexual attraction to his or her opposite-sex parent and hostility toward the same-sex parent.
Explain the behavioural approach to therapy and its various methods
Focus on learning and human behaviour
Belief that psychologists need empirical, concrete evidence to understand and change human behaviour
behavioural - classical vs. operant conditioning
Classical - A type of learning that links two or more stimuli which causes one to anticipate future events.
Operant - A type of learning that is strengthened when followed by a reward and diminished when followed by a punishment.
Explain the humanistic approach to therapy and its various methods
Believe that the client should be involved in their own recovery rather than relying on therapist’s interpretations of the issues
Individual is the best source of their own help and learning (client focused)
Tend to favour qualitative to quantitative research
humanistic psychology - what are the 3 principles
Three principles - 1. Recognize and acknowledge that the client wants to improve. 2. Believe that every person has the potential to reach their best “sense of self.” 3. Practice with empathy and look for the inherent good in all people
humanist - carl rogers, client centred therapy
Treats client with warmth, understanding(empathy), and respect. Emphasises current and future circumstances. Focus on the conscious mind. Therapist should prompt and guide the client to self-discovery, rather than providing it for them. With this the client can become aware of their emotional triggers an their reactions to their triggers. Through sense of self, self-awarness can be improved.
humanist - Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Physiological: The basic needs of the body such as to eat, sleep, and breathe.
Safety: Strive to build our resources—obtain shelter, food reserves, and money.
Love/Belonging: We look for love and belonging. Seek out friendship, a social circle, intimacy, and family. Whether in groups or with individuals, it’s important for us to accept and be accepted.
Esteem: Strive for respect both from ourselves and from others. We build ourselves as a person through hobbies or in our profession in order to be accepted and valued by others.
Self-Actualization: Stage of enlightenment and expression of creativity, a lack of prejudice, and a moral compass. The reaching of one’s full potential.
Explain the cognitive approach to therapy and its various methods
Focuses on the mental processes of the brain to explain behaviours, desires, and neurotic disorders
s the study and application of how the brain learns to better understand how people think, understand, and know about the world
Often works with behavioural psychology
study thoughts, expectations, memory, language, perception, problem-solving, consciousness, creativity, and other mental processes.
focuses on the importance of thoughts, as a person’s thoughts about a particular situation are believed to influence their behaviour
