Abnormal Psychology #2 Flashcards
Rare, bewildering disorders. Not well understood. Absentmindedness, experience separation from our body, or watch ourselves as if we were dreaming. Marked by serious, long term gaps in memory. Often the rood is an extreme traumatic experience. Leads to loss of memories.
Dissociative Disorders
Most common dissociative disorder. Partial or complete loss of self relevant memories. Can last seconds, minutes, or hours, in response to physical trauma or intoxication. Only self-relevant memories are blocked from awareness. They retain procedural knowledge: driving, speaking etc, but forget their name or what day it is.
Amnesia
More extensive lapses in memory. Lapses or losses of memory that are more profound or extensive than amnesia. In extreme cases, people may forget their name, wander from home, make a new identity, remarry, get a new job, and start a new life. Can last several hours or years - people wake up suddenly and feel disoriented and confused. Who am I, where am I, why have I been living this new life?
Fuge States
Extremely rare condition, in which the person displays two or more distinct personalities. Two or more personalities control the same person. May think they’re just putting gone a show, but each personality has its own voice and pattern of speech, habits, mannerisms, memories, sexual orientation, and physical characteristics, like different brainwave factions, blood pressure, allergic reactions. The central personality has no idea that the other personalities exist. Correlated to repeated, extreme abuse. 9x more prevalent in women
Dissociative identity disorder
The case of Jonah. Jonah: “the square” the central personality. He was pretty boring, but known to act differently on different days. First, Sammy, “the mediator” was created, when J was 6. He witnessed his mother kill his father with a kitchen knife. Second, King Young “The Lover” arose when he was 8. his mother dressed him in girls clothes and sent him to school. He was severely made fun of. Usoffah Abulla, “The Warrior” arose when he was 9, after a group of white kids beat him up. All knew about the other personalities, except Jonah.
Dissociative Disorder
Mood disorder. Marked by deep sadness and despair, prolonged hopelessness, and lethargy (lack of energy, feeling alive) all to the point that it is hard to do everyday life. 1. Diminished pleasure in typical joys 2. Intense feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and self-blame 3. Restlessness, agitation, anxiety 4. Fatigue and lack of energy 5. Recurring thoughts of suicide and death.
Major depressive disorder
Mood disorder. Characterized by uncontrollable fluctuations between states of depression and mania. Depression is a state of hopelessness, and mania is a euphoric, overactive state in which we have boundless energy and creative ideas. May alternate over days or months.
Bipolar Disorders
Understanding Mood Disorders, perspective. Genetic influences, MD tend to run in families. The depressed brain-during states of depression, there is less activity in the brain, and looks and functions differently than a non-depressed brain. Norepinephrine boosts mood and increases arousal, scarce in depression and overactive in mania.
The biological perspective
Understanding Mood Disorders, perspective. How we thinking and behave can contribute to mood disorders. People’s thoughts and behavior can contribute to mood disorders. Tend to ruminate (hold on to) failures. Negative explanatory style, attribute factors as internal, stable and global causes for negative life events.
Social-cognitive perspective
One of humanity’s most dreaded disorders. Effects 1 in 100 people. “Split mind” There is not a split within a person, but rather, the split occurs between the person and reality. 1. Disorganized thinking, 2. Disturbed perceptions 3. Inappropriate emotions and actions. People have emotions for and act in ways that are inappropriate for the situation
Schizophrenia
Symptoms of ___. Incoherent thinking (mentally disorganized and confused, operate on a different wavelength than the rest of us. Their speech tends to drive illogically from one topic to another), delusions (persistent false beliefs), hallucinations (sensory exp that aren’t real), Disturbance of affect (can sit still for hours), and bizarre behavior
Schizophrenia
Types of —-, persistent false beliefs that take one of four forms. Influence - belief that one’s thoughts are being broadcast in public or stolen, grandeur - belief that he/she is famous or powerful, reference -person believes that he/she is the primary recipient of other people’s actions. Persecution - believes that he/she is the target of secret plots by other people.
Delusions (Schizophrenia)
Understanding ____. Brain abnormalities: dopamine over-activity, their brains have 6x more receptors for dopamine than others, may contribute to paranoia. Abnormal brain activity - low activity in the frontal lobes. Activity in the frontal lobes is responsible for reasoning, planning, and problem solving.
Schizophrenia
Understanding ____. Genetic factors - strong basis for ___. Identical twins much more likely to both have it than maternal. Psychological factors: Diathesis-stress-model of schizophrenia. Mother with schizophrenia, birth complications, separation from one’s parents, having a short attention span and poor muscle coordination, disruptive or withdrawn behavior, emotional unpredictability, poor peer relations
Schizophrenia
____ Disorders. Marked by two factors: high inflexibility and maladaptive behaviors. No motivation for change, yet are trapped in their own rigid, self-defeating pattern of behaviors, emerge in adolescence, become rigid in adulthood.
Personality
