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Psychology A-Level > Psychopathology > Flashcards

Psychopathology Flashcards

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1
Q

Outline statistical infrequency (SI)

A

Abnormality is defined as statistically rare behaviour, which can be expressed in terms of normal distribution (bell curve), where the most common behaviour is normal, and uncommon behaviour is abnormal

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2
Q

What are the weaknesses of SI?

A
  • Doesn’t account for infrequent desirable behaviours (e.g. high IQ)
  • Cut-off point for infrequency is still subjective; can deprive people of help if incorrectly placed
  • Some mental illnesses are common (e.g depression); not all abnormal behaviours are uncommon
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3
Q

What is a strength of SI?

A

Evaluation from a clinician would be objective since patient meets a statistical requirement

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4
Q

Outline failure to function adequately (FFA)

A

Abnormality is defined as an inability to cope with daily life and its demands

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5
Q

What are the weaknesses of FFA?

A
  • Assessing whether client is coping is subjective to clinician
  • Doesn’t account for people who are abnormal but coping (e.g. psychopaths can function in society)
  • Not all maladaptive behaviour is mental illness; we wouldn’t call those who engage in extreme sports mentally ill
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6
Q

What is a strength of FFA?

A

Respects the individual’s personal experience, compared to other methods

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7
Q

Outline deviation from social norms (DSN)

A

Social norms are unwritten behavioural expectations that differ according to culture, time, and context: to violate them is to be abnormal

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8
Q

What is a weakness of DSN?

A

It is susceptible to abuse - prevailing social and moral attitudes in a certain time period could influence what is deemed abnormal (e.g. homosexuality, opposing political views)

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9
Q

What is a strength of DSN?

A

It is not ethnocentric as social norms differ across cultures, therefore it doesn’t impose a Western view of abnormality onto non-Western cultures

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10
Q

Outline deviation from ideal mental health (DIMH)

A

Uses a humanistic approach to define features of ideal mental health, and deviation from the features indicates abnormalities

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11
Q

What are the features of ideal mental health? (DIMH)

A
  • Positive self-attitude
  • Personal growth (self-actualisation and achieving full capability)
  • Resistant to stress
  • Autonomy (independent and self-regulating)
  • Accurate view of reality
  • Environmental mastery (being able to love, function at work, etc…)
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12
Q

What is a weakness of DIMH?

A

The criteria are hard to achieve, therefore most people would be deemed abnormal

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13
Q

What is a strength of DIMH?

A

It is a holistic approach that provides suggestions for personal developments based on multiple factors - it can suggest how to overcome problems (optimistic)

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14
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of a phobia?

A
  • Anxiety that is disproportionate to level of danger (excessive and irrational)
  • Fear
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15
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia?

A
  • Avoidance of phobic stimulus
  • Panic via stress response: freezing, fainting
  • Marked distress that distinguishes phobia from a daily fear
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16
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

A
  • Irrational thoughts; resistant to rational arguments
  • Aware of how the fear is excessive (may not be present in children; also distinguishes disorder from delusional mental illness such as schizophrenia)
17
Q

What are the features that define failure to function adequately (FFA)?

A
  • maladaptive behaviour (self harm)
  • personal distress (being affected by feelings)
  • observer discomfort
  • unpredictability (impulsive)
  • irrationality (illogical)
18
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

A
  • Fatigue leading to lessened activity
  • Change in eating/appetite leading to weight gain or loss
  • Aggression to self or others (self harm)
19
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of depression?

A
  • Persistent low mood
  • Feelings of guilt, helplessness, lack of value
  • Anhedonia (no longer taking pleasure in activities)
20
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

A
  • Poor concentration
  • Negative schemas regarding self, world and future
21
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Compulsions (that aim to reduce anxiety caused by obsessions)
  • Avoidance of things that trigger obsessions
22
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Anxiety (from obsessions)
  • Depression due to lack of control over thoughts
23
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Obsessions (intrusive thoughts of unpleasant or catastrophic thoughts/imagery)
  • Hypervigilance as the patient is looking out for the source of obsessions
24
Q

Outline the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (2-process model)

A

2-process model aims to explain how phobias are learned:
- 1st stage is initiation via classical conditioning, where fear and neutral stimulus are paired to create a conditioned fear response
- 2nd stage is maintenance via operant conditioning, where avoidance behaviour negatively reinforces phobia

25
Q

Outline the role of classical conditioning in the behavioural approach of explaining phobias

A

Phobia is acquired through association of a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus that triggers an unconditioned response of fear

Little Albert was conditioned to fear furry white objects (overgeneralisation) since a rat was paired with a loud noise, leading to a conditioned fear response - shows behavioural is applicable to people too

26
Q

What is the social learning view of explaining phobias?

A

Neo-behaviourist view that claims phobias may be acquired through **modelling and vicarious reinforcement (e.g. seeing someone get attention for bejng fearful)

27
Q

What is a criticism of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias?

A

2-process model ignores cognitive factors - irrational thinking could lead to a phobia, e.g. “what if i get trapped in this elevator?”

28
Q

Outline flooding as a behavioural treatment for phobias

A
  • Patient is immersed in a phobic experience for one long session, experiencing phobia at its worst
  • Session continues until patient’s anxiety disappears
  • E.g. arachnophobic patient has a big spider on their hand and can’t leave until calm
29
Q

What is the rationale behind flooding as a behavioural treatment of phobias?

A

It operates under the belief that the fear response and adrenaline release has a limit, so as adrenaline decreases, new stimulus-response links can be made to replace fear response

30
Q

Name the 3 features of systematic desensitisation as a behavioural treatment of phobias

A
  1. Counterconditioning: learn new association to counter old association - reciprocal inhibition
  2. Relaxation: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation
  3. Desensitisation hierarchy: gradual introduction to feared situation via stages
31
Q

Outline counterconditioning as a feature of systematic desensitisation

A

Basis of SD is to learn a new association that counters the original fearful association - anxiety is reduced by reciprocal inhibition (can’t be relaxed and calm), leading to desensitisation

32
Q

Outline relaxation as a feature of systematic desensitisation

A

Therapist teaches client relaxation techniques to practice during the stages of exposure: deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation

33
Q

Outline desensitisation hierarchy as a feature of systematic desensitisation

A

The patient is gradually introduced to the feared situation in stages; at each stage the patient does relaxation to diminish anxiety, and can only pass a stage once anxiety is fully dissipated

34
Q

What is a weakness of flooding?

A

It is traumatic for the patient; not all individuals will find it beneficial

35
Q

What is a strength of flooding?

A

Research suggests it can be just as effective as systematic desensitisation; practical application

36
Q

What are the strengths of systematic desensitisation?

A
37
Q

What are the weaknesses of systematic desensitisation?

A

Psychology A-Level (12 decks)

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