PSYCHOPATHY Flashcards

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1
Q

Definitions of abnormality.

A
  • Deviation from social norms.
  • Failure to function adequately.
  • Deviation from ideal mental health.
  • Statistical infrequency.
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2
Q

Deviation from social norms.

A
  • Stepping away from behaviour we expect or accept as the norm, decided by society /culture.
  • E.g of norms= Manners, queuing.
  • Norms can be implicit or explicit.
    -E.g of disorder= Anti social personality disorder (psychopathy). - Failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour.
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3
Q

Deviation from sn.- evaluation.

A

+ Norms flexible depending on situation + easy to identify and help those in need.- appropriate clothing- people not adhering are easy to identify and help increases usefulness.
- Norms are subjective.- individuals norms may differ- not reliable.
- Norms are culturally relative.- only meaningful to culture they belong in - definition not always applied, inconsistent not reliable.
- Norma can change overtime (historical context) - homosexual attitudes- limits reliability.

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4
Q

Failure to function adequately.

A
  • Inability to cope with everyday situations.
  • Used in DSM to diagnose mental health disorders.
  • Measured by:
    • Global assessment of functioning. Scores range from 10-100. 10=suicidal.
    • Behavioural indications. Dangerous, irrational, unpredictable, personal/ observer distress (observer discomfort).
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5
Q

Ftfa - evaluation.

A

+ Measured objectively.- GAF- Less bias.
+ Practical applications.- used to diagnose disorders.- DSM - real world applications.
- Subjective methods.- Observing behavioural indications.- Invalid, bias, unreliable.
- Depends on context (x2).
1. not coping can be more appropriate/ situation, e.g grief pregnancy.
2. People with mental health issues can function adequately.
unreliable.

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6
Q

Deviation from ideal mental health.

A
  • Jahoda positive psychology.
  • Focuses of positives rather than negatives- health rather than illness.
  • Unable to show qualities = vulnerable to disorder.
  • 6 Criteria=
    1. Positive attitude towards self.
    2. Self- actualisation of one’s potential.
    3. Resistance to stress.
    4. Personal autonomy.
    5. Accurate perception of reality.
    6. Adapting to changing environment.
  • E.g= schizophrenia + depression.
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7
Q

Deviation from imh.

A

+ Focuses on positives rather than negatives.- E.g.= focuses on mental health rather than illness.- more positive outlook / approach than others.
+ Easy to use + identify what’s missing. - use criteria to assess patient.- can identify who is suffering and give psychological help. increases use.
- Meeting all 6 criteria is demanding. - most people don’t meet all criteria therefore most would be considered abnormal.- defeats purpose and decreases use.

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8
Q

Statistical infrequency.

A
  • Uses statistics to define abnormality.
  • Rare or statistically unusual behaviour is considered abnormal.
  • If behaviour is displayed by a small minority it is considered abnormal.
  • Uses normal distribution curves to help determine statistical infrequency.
    -Example= intellectual disability disorder (mental retardation). - IQ of under 70. + schizophrenia (1%).
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9
Q

Evaluation of SI.

A

+ Definition is more objective than others.- Uses statistics.- more scientific + credible.
+ Practical applications. - Diagnoses disorders where traits can be measured numerically.- Intellectual disability disorder.- Increases usefulness.
- Cultural relative - behaviours that are rare in one culture may be common in another. - not consistent and decreases reliability.
- Some rare behaviours are considered desirable.- e.g.= high IQ, talented musician.- not always problematic and signal mental health issues. not always applicable.

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10
Q

Clinical characteristics of phobias.

A
  • Behavioural.
  • Cognitive.
  • Emotional.
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11
Q

Behavioural characteristics of phobias.

A

PANIC.
- E.g. Crying, screaming, freezing, running away.

AVOIDANCE.
- Alot of effort to avoid phobic stimulus which could make it hard to go about daily life.

ENDURANCE.
- Remain in presence of phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety. May be unavoidable.

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12
Q

Emotional characteristics of phobias.

A

ANXIETY.
- Unpleasant high state of arousal. Prevents relaxing. Very difficult to experience positive emotion. Can be long term. Immediate and unpleasant response.

UNREASONABLE RESPONSE.
- Wildy disproportionate to danger posed.

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13
Q

Cognitive characteristics of phobias.

A

SELECTIVE ATTENTION.
- Hard to look away from stimulus when is presence. Not useful when fear is irrational.

IRRATIONAL BELIEFS.
- Increases pressure on sufferer to perform well in social situations.

COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS.
- Perceptions of stimulus may be distorted.

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14
Q

Types of phobias.

A
  • Specific.
  • Social.
  • Agrophobia.
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15
Q

Behavioural explanation of phobias.

A

MOWRER’S 2 PROCESS MODEL.
- 2 stages =
1. Acquired through classical conditioning.
2. Maintained through operant conditioning.

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16
Q

Stage 1.

A
  • Fear learnt through association (c.c).
  • Negative / traumatic experience at same time of phobic stimulus.
  • Associate phobic stimulus with experience.
  • Explained with Classical conditioning formula.
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17
Q

Classical conditioning formula.

A

NS (Phobic stimulus) = No response. UCS (Neg exp) = UCR (fear).
NS + UCS = UCR.
CS (Phobic stimulus) = CR.

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18
Q

Stage 2.

A
  • Phobia maintained by operant conditioning / negative reinforcement.
  • Avoidance = Takes unpleasant away = Negative reinforcement.
19
Q

Evaluation of Behavioural explanation of phobias.

A

+ RS - Little Albert. - Learnt to associate rat with fear from loud bang. = Learnt phobia by classical conditioning.
+ RS - Barlow + Durand. - 50% of people with phobia of driving had a negative/ traumatic experience with driving which caused fear.- Learnt through association (CC).
+ Practical applications. - Can be used to treat. -Systematic desensitisation and flooding. - Both effective and work of the principle that phobia is learnt through classical conditioning.
- RR - Menzie + Clarke. - Only 2% had a direct traumatic experience with water. - Against CC. - Decreases validity.
- Alternate explanation. - Phobias are innate.- Protect us and help us survive.- explains phobias of things we haven’t had a traumatic experience with. - Better explanation for some phobias.
- Reductionist. - reduces to one factor - Classical conditioning. - over simplistic and most likely to be multiple factors.

20
Q

Treatments of phobias.

A
  1. Systematic desensitisation.
  2. Flooding.
21
Q

Systematic desensitisation.

A
  • Wolpe.
  • Uses principles of classical conditioning.
  • New response is learned. (counter conditioning).
  • Works on the principle that it is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time.
  • One emotion prevents another. (reciprocal inhibition).
  • 5 stages.
  • Create a hierarchy of fear inducing situations.
22
Q

Evaluation of SD.

A

+ RS - Gilroy. - 42 patients who have been treated for spider phobia in 3 45min sessions of SD. Spider phobia assessed with spider questionnaire and response to spider. Control group treated by relaxation without phobia. At 3 and 33 months after, the SD group was less fearful than relaxation.- Treatment is more effective.
+ More ethical than flooding. - Relaxed and gradually exposed, less traumatic. - more appropriate.
- Wouldn’t work for everyone. - Individual differences make everyone respond differently. - May not be appropriate.
- Not work for all phobias. - Only specific. - Not always appropriate.

23
Q

Flooding.

A
  • Immediate exposure to phobic stimulus.
  • No avoidance.
  • Taught that the phobic stimulus is harmless.
  • No negative UCS. (extinction)
  • Stops phobic responses quickly.
  • Become exhausted by fear.
24
Q

Evaluation of flooding.

A

+ RS - Ougrin (2011). - Compared flooding to other cognitive therapies. - F is more effective and quicker. - More appropriate.
+ Cost effective. - Quicker. - Spend less money.
- Not work for all phobias. - more complex such as social. - More effective.
- Traumatic. - Some patients refuse to start or finish treatment.

25
Q

Clinical characteristics of depression.

A

Behavioural = Reduced energy levels, Disruption of sleep/ eating patterns, Aggression and self-harm.
Cognitive = Low self-esteem, Poor concentration, Absolutist thinking, Dwelling on negative.
Emotional = Low mood, Anger.

26
Q

Cognitive explanations of depression.

A
  • Main principle = Focused on thinking.
  • Caused by faulty thinking.
  • Key theorists = Beck + Ellis.
    1. Cognitive theory. (Beck).
    2. ABC Model. (Ellis).
27
Q

Cognitive theory.

A
  • Beck.
  • Depression is a result of automatic faulty thinking.
  • 3 elements. =
    1. Focus on negatives.
    2. Negative self-schemas. - Package of information we have about ourselves.
    3. Cognitive triad. - Negative views on the future, world and self.
28
Q

ABC Model.

A
  • Ellis.
  • Depression caused by thoughts in response to negative events.
    A. Activating event. - Negative event that triggers irrational beliefs.
    B. Beliefs. - Irrational beliefs such as musturbation (belief that we must succeed) and utopianism (belief that life is unfair).
    C. Consequences. - Irrational beliefs lead to emotional and behavioural consequences.
29
Q

Evaluation of Cognitive explanations.

A

+ RR - Seligman. - Found that he could teach dogs to passively accept an electric shock that they couldn’t avoid, suggesting we learn helplessness/ depression.
+ RS - Clarke + Beck (1999). - Reviewed research to support cognitive vulnerability factors that can be seen before depression occurs.
+ RS - Grazioli + Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after pregnancy, High cognitive vulnerability = more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
- Alternative explanation - Biological. - Link between depression and low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

30
Q

CBT.

A
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy.
  • Short-term - around 6 weeks.
  • Aim= Change and challenge negative processes.
  • 5 Stages =
    1. Assessment = Patient and therapist work together to clarify patients’ problems.
    2. Identify = Central to the therapy is to identify negative/ irrational thoughts that need to be challenged.
    3. Plan = Identify goals and make a plan.
    4. Challenge = MAIN THERAPEUTIC WORK. Work through plan by challenging and changing thoughts.
    5. Behaviour = Behaviour is changed due to changed thoughts.
31
Q

Beck’s CBT.

A
  • Identify automatic thoughts.
  • Challenge elements of the cognitive triad.
  • Often given homework to investigate reality of negative beliefs.
  • ‘Patient as a scientist’.
32
Q

Ellis’ CBT.

A
  • Rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT).
  • ABCDE model.
  • D = Dispute - Challenging.
    1. Empirical dispute - Evidence?
    2. Logical dispute - Do thoughts logically follow facts?
  • E = Effect - Effects thoughts and feelings.
33
Q

CBT evaluation.

A

+ RS - March e al. - Compared effects of CBT, anti-depressants and a combination of both on adolescents with depression. - All groups significantly improved. - CBT is equally as effective as medication. - Appropriate choice of treatment in NHS.
- May not always work. - Those with severe depression may not be motivated to engage with CBT and homework as well as not being able to fully focus in sessions. - May have to be on anti-depressants before treatment.
+ Practical method. - Quick, cheap and has positive outcomes. - economical and practical. - Most appropriate.
- Can depend on relationship between therapist and client rather than the method of CBT. - Quality of relationship may determine success of treatment rather than the technique.
- Reductionist. - Overemphasis on cognitions and minimises importance of circumstances of patients. - Homeless, abused, poverty etc may cause depression rather than irrational negative thoughts. - May not always be appropriate.

34
Q

OCD behavioural characteristics.

A
  • Compulsions = Repetitive, feel you have to do it, temporarily reduces anxiety.
  • Avoidance = Avoiding situations that trigger anxiety.
35
Q

OCD emotional characteristics.

A
  • Guilt + disgust.
  • Anxiety + distress = Thoughts can be frightening and unpleasant.
  • Depression = Low mood and lack enjoyment in activities.
36
Q

OCD cognitive characteristics.

A
  • Insight = Being aware that thoughts are not rational.
  • Obsessive thoughts = Repetitive and unpleasant thoughts.
  • Cognitive coping strategies = Develop to deal with obsessions.
37
Q

OCD cycle.

A
  1. Obsessive thoughts.
  2. Anxiety.
  3. Compulsive behaviour.
  4. Temporary relief.
38
Q

Genetic explanation of OCD.

A
  • Lewis - 37% parents with OCD, 21% siblings with OCD.
  • Genetic vulnerability.
  • Passed through generations.
  • Diathesis-stress model - Genes leave people more vulnerable to OCD.
  • Candidate genes. - Genes identified to create vulnerability for OCD - regulate development of serotonin system - 5HTI-D beta.
  • Polygenic. - Several genes involved - 230 genes involved.
  • Aetiologically heterogeneous.- One group of genes can cause OCD is one person but not another.
39
Q

Neural explanation of OCD.

A
  • Role of serotonin. - Low levels = OCD - Reduction of functioning in the serotonin system.
  • Lateral frontal lobes . - Responsible for logical thinking and decision making.
  • Left parahippocampal gyrus. - associated with processing unpleasant emotions.
40
Q

Biological approach to treating OCD.

A
  1. SSRI. (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors).
  2. SNRI.
  3. Trycyclics.
41
Q

SSRI.

A
  • Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor.
  • Standard medical treatment for OCD and depression.
  • Prevents re absorption of serotonin at the synapse.
  • Increased levels of serotonin in the synapse so the serotonin keeps stimulating the post-synaptic neuron.
  • Daily dose of Fluoxetine (Prozac) - 20mg.
  • Up to 4 months to be effective.
42
Q

SNRI.

A
  • More recent, less common.
  • Increases serotonin and noradrenaline.
  • Second option to SSRI.
43
Q

Trycyclics.

A
  • Older.
  • More side effects.
44
Q

Evaluations of biological treatments.

A

+ RS. - Soomro. - Placebo v SSRI. 100% = SSRI decreased symptoms. - Effective.
+ Cost effective. - Cheaper than psychological treatments. Non-disruptive to routine. - Appropriate.
_ Side effects. - Indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive etc. - Less effective.