Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the four explanations for abnormality
Statistically rare
Failure to function adequately
Going against social norms
Deviation from ideal mental health
Explain statistical deviation
Further away from average behaviour
Not often found
Statistically rare
Evaluate statistical deviation
Face validity +
Abnormality not always a detriment -
Doesn’t explain depression -
Cultural issues -
Explain deviation from social norms
Behaving in a way that is different to what we expect
Culturally relative
Evaluate social norm deviation
Cultural relativism -
Modern definitions abuses people’s right to be different -
Era dependant -
Takes into account desirability +
Explain failure to function adequately
No longer able to cope with demands of day to day life
Seligman (1989) - not coping if they don’t conform to interpersonal rules, severe distress or behaviour is dangerous
Evaluate failure to function adequately
Labelling gives a sticky label and stigma
Gender stereotypes stop men from asking for help
Takes into account perspective of patient
Explain deviation from ideal mental health
Jahoda (1958) PRAISE Personal growth Reality perception Autonomy Integration Self attitudes Environmental mastery
Focuses on positives
Evaluate ideal mental health
Comprehensive definition +
Ethnocentric to western countries as others value family more -
Unrealistic expectations -
DSM5 categorises mental disorders into 4 major groups
Depressive disorders
Anxiety disorders
OC and related disorders
Feeding and eating disorders
What are the 3 types of phobia
Specific - object or situation
Social anxiety - social situation
Agoraphobia - fear of outside
What is a phobia
An irrational fear of something
Name the three behavioural characteristics of phobias
Panic
Avoidance
Endurance - alternative to avoidance (may be unavoidable)
Name the two emotional characteristics
Anxiety
Unreasonable response - widely disproportionate view of danger
Name the three cognitive characteristics of phobias
Selective attention to stimulus
Irrational belief
Cognitive distortions
Explain the two process model of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
Mowrer 1960
Phobias acquired by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning
Why type of operant conditioning is involved
Negative reinforcement
Avoidance prevents anxiety
Evaluate the two process model
Good explanatory power of maintenance and helps for therapy
Avoidance may be motivated by anxiety reduction (agoraphobia)
Evolutionary past -
How long does a phobia have to appear for to be classified
6 months
Explain counter conditioning of phobias
Based off classical conditioning
Remove association with fear
Replace with calm response
Both emotions cannot co exist - reciprocal inhabitation
Explain Wolfe 1958 systematic desensitisation
Construct an anxiety hierarchy
Relaxation training through gradual exposure
Explain flooding
Inescapable exposure
High amount of anxiety cannot be sustained
Breaks/extincts the association
Evaluate systematic desensitisation and flooding
60-90% success with simple phobias (Barlow et al 2002) systematic
Wider range of people than flooding
Flooding is time and cost effective
Flooding is not as good for social phobias and is traumatic
What are the DSM 5’s 4 types of OCD
OCD
Trichotillamania -hair pulling
Hoarding disorder
Excoriation disorder - skin picking
What are the two behavioural characteristics of OCD
Compulsions - repetitive and reduce anxiety
Avoidance
What are the three emotional characteristics of OCD
Anxiety and distress
Accompanying depression
Guilt and disgust
What is the feedback loop for OCD
Obsessive thought
Anxiety
Compulsive behaviour
Temporary relief
What are the 3 cognitive characteristics of OCD
Obsessive thoughts
Cognitive strategies
Know actions are irrational
What is depression characterised by
changes in the mood and energy of a person
Name and explain the 4 types of depression
major depressive - severe but short term
persistent depressive - long-term and reocurring
disruptive mood dysregulation - childhood temper tantrums
premenstrual dsyphoric
Name 3 behavioural characteristics of depression
energy levels reduced
disruption to sleep and eating behaviours
aggression and self harm
Name 3 emotional characteristics of depression
lowered mood
anger
lowered self esteem
Name 3 cognitive characteristics of depression
poor concentration
dwelling on negative
absolutist thinking (both extremes)
Explain Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
faulty information processing
negative self schemas
negative triad (world, self and future)
Explain Ellis’ ABC model of cognitive depression
Activating event
beliefs are irrational
consequences (behavioural and emotional)
What do irrational beliefs trigger
the response, not the event itself
Evaluate Becks approach
research evidence (Grazioli and Terry 2000) found that women with high cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depression practical applications for CBT does not explain all aspects of depression as some have extreme anger and some have cotard syndrome (they believe they are zombies)
Evaluate Ellis’ approach
can only really account for reactive depression
practical applications for CBT
