Test 5 Exam Flashcards
Psychologists
A professional who has completed advanced degrees in psychology
PsyD
Doctor of psychology, lack of emphasis on research characteristics, focuses on clinical practice
PhD
Doctor of philosophy, focus on both clinical practice & research
Freudian psychoanalysis
Focused on the WHY
view that emphasized the unconscious mind & its ability to affect people’s behavior
Free association
Encouraging a patient to say whatever comes to mind without censoring their words, paying close attention to words the unconscious brings out
Resistance
A patient shying away from a certain topic that the therapist brings up
A patients reluctance to accept a therapists interpretation as true meaning that the interpretation is true!
Person-centered therapy
Main humanistic theory
Developed by Carl Rogers
Therapist shows no judgement &I plays a passive role when talking to patient
Systematic desensitization
Relaxing & slowly introducing the feared item
Flooding
The feared item is presented by itself until it no longer produced the conditioned response of fear
Aversion therapy
Pairing something unpleasant with a specific unwanted behavior
Behavioral activation therapy
Used to treat depression
Context/environment is the reason for depression
Therefore it targets avoidance behavior, gets people to recognize the things that make them motivated & the things that don’t.
Cognitive therapy focused on
Based on the notion that the way we think is essential to health
Situations do not cause abnormal behavior, our thoughts about those situations do
Always focused on changing behaviors to be rational, logical ways of thinking instead
Rebt
Rational emotive behavioral therapy
Coined by Albert Ellis
Somewhat confrontational
Therapist is very critical of patients thinking
Focused on cognitive restructuring but deemphasized supportive role of therapist
Cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT
Improves many psychological disorders, including depression & insomnia
Electroconvulsive therapy
Biological treatment in which seizures are induced in an anesthetized patient
Primarily used in the treatment of mood disorders that have not responded to other treatments
Last resort
Frontal lobotomy
Terrible psychosurgery that is no longer used.
Chopped up frontal lobe of brain
1930-1960
Barbiturates
Not used often today, overused in the 60’s, very dangerous
Addictive properties & frequently used in suicides
Benzodiazepines
Discovered after WWII
Used to treat panic disorder & generalized anxiety
Also becoming overused today
Selective serotonin Reuptake inhibitors (Ssri’s)
Treat depression & other mood disorders
They block the Reuptake of serotonin, thus increasing the amount of serotonin in the synapse at a given time
Allows for increased binding to receptors
Lithium Bicarbonate
Main drug used for bipolar disorder.
Still poorly understood what lithium does for bipolar disorder
It has an antioxidant effect which promotes growth of new neurons & prevents further loss of neurons
Phenothiazines (Thorazine)
One medication to treat schizophrenia
Discovered by accident, but allowed many people to return to their communities instead of living in institutions
Reduces positive symptoms, but doesn’t reduce negative symptoms such as: tardive dyskinesia difficulty/slow moving
Clozapine
Other medication for schizophrenia
Treats negative symptoms better
Less tardive dyskinesia
Health psychology
A sub field of psychology focusing on the relationship between mind & body as it related to illness & health
Stress
An unpleasant emotional state that results from the perception of danger
Stressor
A stimulus that serves as a source of stress
Biopsychosocial model
Psychological & social factors influence the development of illness along with biology
Psychology – cognition a, emotions, motivations
Biology – genetics, infectious diseases, physiology
Social – social support, education, family
What does the scale created by Holmes & Rahe measure?
A list of 43 stressful life events that can contribute to illness
Predicts vulnerability to physical illness & psychological disorders because of different stressors
Why is a resilient personality helpful?
It contributes to a person’s ability to cope with and adapt to stress
A lack of resiliency will lead someone to feeling overwhelmed, helpless, & victimized
- Alarm stage
Sympathetic arousal & mental clarity, all resources mobilized for fight or flight
- Resistance stage
Coping w| ongoing stress, adapt as well as possible
- Exhaustion stage
Physical & psychosocial resources are depleted
Often leads to burnout
Hypothalamic- Pituitary- Adrenal Axis (HPA)
Circuit that responds to perceived stress by initiating the release of cortisol
Hypothalamus tells pituitary gland to release cortisol from adrenal glands
Boosts energy, starts slower but last longer
Sympathetic adrenal - medullary system (SAm)
Circuit that responds to perceived stress by initiating the release of adrenaline (epinephrine/norepinephrine)
Adrenaline gets released from adrenal glands in lower back
This travels to brain stimulating fight-or-flight response in nervous system
Short lived, fast, then burns out
What is the risk of chronic stress?
Produces long-term exposure to cortisol (the stress hormone)
Contribute to reduced hippocampal volume, therefore producing memory problems
Also can produce abnormal sleep patterns, depression & neuronal damage & death
What is so negative about Type a personalities?
Super competitive & hostile, always under a lot of stress
Makes someone vulnerable to heart issues!
Stress prevents blood vessels from expanding when they need to
Leads to increased heart rate & blood pressure
Problem- focused coping
Response designed to address specific problems by finding solutions
Altering the environment causing the stress
Problem - focused coping (positive version)
You fail a test so you decide to start going to tutoring every week
Problem - focused coping (negative version)
You fail a test so you decide to stop going to class
Emotion - focused coping
Response designed to target negative emotions arising from situation
Emotion- focused coping (positive version)
You fail a test & feel upset so you go running to blow off some steam
Emotion - focused coping (negative version)
You fail a test & feel upset, so you drink an entire bottle of wine to numb the pain
Locus of control
The extent to which individuals believe they can or can not control events affecting them
Locus of control (external)
Attribute everything to outside world
Someone has no control over events in their life
Locus of control (internal)
Attribute everything to themselves
Someone has total control over everything that happens to them
Goal of positive psychology
Emphasizes normal behavior & human strengths
Created by Martin seligman
3 stages : present life, good life, meaningful life
Flow
State characterized by complete absorption in a current activity, such as work, problem solving, or creativity
Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry & can use medical procedures to treat psychological disorders, MD
Can prescribe medicine
