Psychopathology Flashcards
Define deviation from social norms.
Abnormal behaviour is classified in this way as any behaviour that goes against societal expectations about how to and not to behave. Often these social expectation are rooted in a desire to make society more pleasant.
Describe the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of depression.
Behavioural:
- Activity levels
- Disruption to sleep and eating behaviours
- Aggression and self harm
Emotional:
- Lowered mood
- Anger
- Lowered self harm
Cognitive:
- Poor concentration
- Attending to and dwelling on the negative
- Absolutist thinking
How are phobias initiated through classical conditioning ?
A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (that causes fear) so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus to produce a conditioned response of fear.
Describe systematic desensitisation.
This is a treatment for phobias that attempts to replace the association between fear and the phobic stimulus with an association between relaxation and the phobic stimulus. Patients are exposed to scenarios that progressively cause more anxiety than the last stage in their hierarchy.
Why is systematic desensitisation preferred to flooding ?
This is because flooding is not a viable form of treatment for all phobic individuals, no matter how effective it is, this is because it can be highly traumatic form of treatment. Although patients are aware of this before beginning treatment, many find themselves unable to compete the treatment, limiting its overall effectiveness at treating phobias.
Describe the diathesis-stress model.
The diathesis stress model suggests that certain genes create a vulnerability for mental disorders, and that after an activating event or trauma, mental disorders develop in these individuals.
What is a negative triad ?
This is a cognitive approach to understanding depression, focusing on how expectations (schema) about the self, world and future lead to depression.
Define failure to function adequately.
Abnormality is defined in this way as an inability to cope with everyday life, especially if this is causing the individual or others around them distress. In some instances, the individual may not be aware that their behaviour is causing distress to others, like if they are schizophrenic.
How does the SLT explain phobias ?
The social learning theory suggests that phobias may be acquired through modelling the behaviour of others. If a child sees an adult react fearfully to a dog, they are likely to imitate the behaviour themself because the behaviour is rewarding - it gets them attention.
Define the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of OCD.
Behavioural:
- Panic
- Avoidance
- Endurance
Emotional:
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Unreasonable emotional response
Cognitive:
- Selective attention to phobic stimulus
- Irrational beliefs
- Cognitive distortions
How are phobias maintained by operant conditioning ?
If a behaviour produces a favourable outcome, it is likely to be repeated in the case of phobic individuals, avoidance of their phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, so they are likely to continue to avoid it. This is an example of negative reinforcement.
How does the cognitive theory explain depression ?
Depression is due to irrational thinking, and cognitions that are skewed towards negative thoughts.
Define statistical infrequency.
Abnormality is defined in this way as behaviour which is extremely rare, or as characteristics not displayed by many people.
How does the biological theory explain OCD ?
OCD is caused by abnormal levels of dopamine and serotonin, and a non-functioning worry circuit in which signals about potentially worrying things from the OFC are not suppressed by the caudate nucleus.
Describe the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of phobias.
Emotional:
- Accompanying depression
- Guilt and disgust
- Anxiety and distress
Behavioural:
- Compulsions reduce anxiety
- Avoidance
- Compulsions are repetitive
Cognitive:
- Obsessive thoughts
- Cognitive coping strategies
- Insight into excessive anxiety
How is depression treated using the cognitive approach ?
It’s treated using CBT which is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy.
Briefly describe the case of Little Albert.
In this study by Watson and Rayner (1920) a fear of fluffy white objects was conditioned in young baby. Initially, the white objects began as a neutral stimulus, garnering no response from the baby. An unconditioned stimulus banging a steel rod by the baby’s ear produces an unconditioned response if fear in the baby. Through pairing the NS and the UCS, a conditioned response of fear was produced a fear response even in the absence of the UCS.
How is OCD treated using the biological approach ?
This involves the treatment of mental disorders by administering drugs to reduce the symptoms of the disorder. This involves using SSRIs to increase the levels of serotonin in the body.
Define deviation from ideal mental health.
It was recognised by Jahoda, that when assessing for physical illness, we look for the absence of physical health. Jahoda concluded that the same should be done for mental illnesses. As a result, abnormality is defined in this way as displaying the absence of the ideal mental health criteria set by Jahoda.
Why is the deviation from ideal health definition criticised ?
The issue with this definition is that the criteria it is found on is unrealistic, it is very unlikely that any one individual will display all of the traits suggested by Jahoda all of the time.
