Psychopathology

Question 1

What are the 4 definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

• Failure to Function Adequately
• Deviation from Social Norms
• Statistical Infrequency
• Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Question 2

Define Failure to Function Adequately.

Answer 2

Failure to function adequately is a definition of abnormality where a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in society.

Question 3

Define Deviation From Social Norms.

Answer 3

Deviation from social norms is a definition of abnormality where behaviour is seen as abnormal if it violates unwritten rules (social norms) about what is acceptable in society.

Question 4

Define Statistical Infrequency.

Answer 4

Statistical Infrequency defines people as abnormal if they are a statistical anomaly for example really high/low IQ.(top/bottom 1%)

Question 5

Define Deviation From Ideal Mental Health.

Answer 5

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health defines people as abnormal if they fail to meet all aspects of Jahoda’s criteria this includes having a positive view of yourself and being resistant to stress.

Question 6

What are the 6 parts of Jahoda’s criteria?

Answer 6

• Resistant from stress
• Positive view of self
• Not having to rely on others
• Having an accurate perception of reality.
• Self-actualisation
• ?

Question 7

Give one Give one cognitive, emotional and behavioural characteristic of OCD.

Answer 7

C- Obsessive thoughts.
E- Anxiety, Worry, Distress.
B- Repetitive irrational actions.

Question 8

How does the genetic explanation, explain OCD?

Answer 8

Genetics is the study of genes and inheritance. OCD seems to be a polygenic condition, where several genes are involved in its development. Family and twin studies suggest the involvement of genetic factors. The prevalence of OCD in the random population (about 2–3%) is the baseline against which the concordance rates can be compared.

Question 9

How do SSRIs work?

Answer 9

SSRIs treat depression and OCD by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain, they do this by blocking the reuptake of serotonin into the neurons.

Question 10

Give one cognitive, emotional and behavioural characteristic of depression.

Answer 10

C- Negative thoughts, Lack of concentration.
E- Worthlessness, Intense sadness, irritability.
B- Low energy, Irregular sleep patterns, Withdrawal, Loss of appetite.

Question 11

What are the three parts of Beck’s negative triad?

Answer 11

• Negative view of self
• Negative thoughts about the world
• Negative thoughts about the future

Question 12

Explain Ellis’s ABC model.

Answer 12

(A)ctivating event
Irrational (B)elief
(C)onsequences

Question 13

Explain CBT.

Answer 13

The therapist challenges the irrational thoughts of the client working to disprove them in the hopes of leading to a change in behavior as a response to new thinking patterns.

Question 14

Give one Cognitive, Behavioural and Emotional characteristics of phobias.

Answer 14

C- A person is aware their fear is irrational and overstated however cannot shake it.
E- Exposure to a phobic stimulus nearly always produces a rapid anxiety response.
B- The phobic stimulus is either avoided or responded to with great anxiety.

Question 15

How does negative reinforcement maintain phobias?

Answer 15

When we avoid phobic stimuli the negative emotions are taken away thus we get negatively reinforced.

Question 16

How does the two-process model explain phobias?

Answer 16

• Phobias are created through classical conditioning
• As a conditioned stimuli they are retained through operant conditioning.

Question 17

Compare systematic desensitisation to flooding.

Answer 17

Systematic desensitisation- The patient is slowly over a long period exposed to their phobic stimuli upping the scary each time (the patient rates scary before this starts).

Flooding- The patient is put in close proximity to their phobic stimuli with no opportunity to avoid it for a few hours until their body has no choice but to calm down,