Unit 8: Clinical Psychology

Question 1

psychological disorder

Answer 1

a syndrome(collection of symptoms) marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior

Question 2

medical model

Answer 2

the concept that diseases (ex: psychological disorders) have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated and in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hostpital

Question 3

epigenetic

Answer 3

“above” or “in addition to” genetics; the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without DNA changes

Question 4

DSM-5

Answer 4

the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

Question 5

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Answer 5

a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

Question 6

major depressive disorder

Answer 6

a disorder in which a person experiences 2+ weeks with five or more symptoms (one of which must be depressed mood o rloss of interest/pleasure)

Question 7

bipolar disorder

Answer 7

a disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania

Question 8

anxiety disorder

Answer 8

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

Question 9

social anxiety disorder

Answer 9

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

Question 10

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Answer 10

persistent, uncontrollable tenseness and apprehension, inability to identify or avoid the cause; lasts for longer than 6 months

Question 11

panic disorder

Answer 11

having a panic attack → worrying about additional attacks (not someone with a recurring experience of panic attacks but they have to have a fear of having this experience again)
Prevalence: 2-3%

Question 12

agoraphobia

Answer 12

panic attack→worry about experiencing panic attacks in public (not afraid of the public itself)

Question 13

Panic attack

Answer 13

minutes-long episodes of intense dread including feelings of terror, chest pains, choking etc.

Question 14

phobias

Answer 14

anxiety provoked by exposure to object/situation, recognition that fear is excessive

Question 15

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 15

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions) or both

Question 16

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 16

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lasts for 4+ weeks after a traumatic experience

Question 17

psychotherapy

Answer 17

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions b/w a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

Question 18

biomedical therapy

Answer 18

prescribed medication or procedures that act on the person’s physiology

Question 19

psychoanalysis (clinical psych)

Answer 19

Freud’s therapeutic technique used in treating psychological disorders; Freud believed the patient’s free association, resistances, dreams, and transferences, as well as the therapist’s interpretations of them–released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

Question 20

resistance

Answer 20

in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material

Question 21

interpretation

Answer 21

in psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight

Question 22

transferring

Answer 22

in psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)

Question 23

psychodynamic therapy

Answer 23

therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

Question 24

insight therapy

Answer 24

therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses (psychodynamic and humanistic)

Question 25

client-centered therapy

Answer 25

a humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as an active listening within an accepting genuine, empathetic environment to facilitate clients’ growth

Question 26

active listening

Answer 26

empathetic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies; feature of Rogers’ client-centered therapy

Question 27

behavior therapy

Answer 27

therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors