Psychopathology Key Words

Question 1

Statistical infrequencey

Answer 1

Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, for example being more depressed or less intelligent than most of the population

Question 2

Deviation from social norms

Answer 2

Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society

Question 3

Statistics

Answer 3

A method of collecting, summarising and analysing data for the purpose of drawing some conclusions about the data

Question 4

Normal distribution

Answer 4

A symmetrical spread of frequency data that forms a bell-shaped pattern. The mean, median and mode are all located at the highest peak

Question 5

IQ

Answer 5

Stands for Intelligence Quotient because it was originally calculated by dividing test score by age. More recent tests use norms to work out a person’s IQ based on their score and age

Question 6

Intellectual disability disorder

Answer 6

Impaired cognitive functioning that is apparent in childhood. Must include some elements of lack of normal functioning

Question 7

Social norms

Answer 7

Something that is standard, usual or typical of a group

Question 8

Antisocial personality disorder

Answer 8

A mental health condition where a person has a repeated pattern of behaviour manipulating or violating their rights of others. Often leads to crimes against people

Question 9

Failure to function adequately

Answer 9

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with the ordinary demands of day-to-day living

Question 10

Deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 10

Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health

Question 11

Maladaptive

Answer 11

The extent to which a behaviour is not adaptive. Something that is adaptive increases and individual’s well-being and survival

Question 12

Phobia

Answer 12

An irrational fear of an object or situation

Question 13

Behavioural

Answer 13

Ways in which we act

Question 14

Emotional

Answer 14

Ways in which we feel

Question 15

Cognitive

Answer 15

The process of thinking - knowing, perceiving and believing

Question 16

Anxiety disorders

Answer 16

A group of mental disorders characterised by levels of fear and apprehension which are disproportionate to any threat posed

Question 17

Arachnophobia

Answer 17

An irational fear of spiders

Question 18

Podophobia

Answer 18

An irrational fear of feet

Question 19

Depression

Answer 19

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels

Question 20

Psycho-motor agitation

Answer 20

Unintentional and purposeless motions associated with high levels of distress

Question 21

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer 21

A condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour

Question 22

The two-process model to explaining phobias

Answer 22

The idea that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 23

Systematic defamation

Answer 23

A behavioural therapy which involves drawing up a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations related to a phobic stimulus, teaching the patient to relax, then helping thme make thir way up the hierarchy by exposing them to the phobic situations

Question 24

Flooding

Answer 24

A behavioural therapy in which a phobic patient is exposed to an extreme form of a phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by the stimulus. This takes place across a small number of long therapy sessions

Question 25

Negative triad

Answer 25

Beck proposed that there were three kinds of negative thinking that contributed to becoming depressed: negative views of the world, the future and the self. Such negative views lead a person to interpret their experiences negatively making them more vulnerable to depression

Question 26

ABC model

Answer 26

Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A) triggers an irrational belief (B) which in turn produces a consequence (C) i.e. an emotional response like depression . The key to this is the irrational belief.

Question 27

Reactive depression

Answer 27

Depression that can be attributed to a reaction to a life event such as the death of a loved one

Question 28

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Answer 28

A method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques. From the cognitive viewpoint the therapy aims to deal with thinking, such as challenging negative thoughts. The therapy also includes behavioural techniques such as behavioural activation

Question 29

Irrational thoughts

Answer 29

In Ellis’s model and therapy, these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a person’s happiness. Dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression

Question 30

Genetic explanations

Answer 30

Genes make up chromosomes and consist of DNA which codes the physical features of an organism and psychological features. Genes are transmitted from parents to offspring

Question 31

Neural explanations

Answer 31

The view that physical and psychological characteristics are determined by the behaviour of the nervous system, in particular the brain as well as individual neurons

Question 32

Drug therapy

Answer 32

Treatment involving drugs i.e. chemicals that have a particular effect on the functioning of the brain or some other system. In the case of psychological disorders such drugs usually affect neurotransmitter levels

Question 33

SSRIs

Answer 33

Selective serotonin reuptake indicator - An antidepressant group of drugs that increase available amounts of serotonin by preventing their re-absorption by the transmitting neuron