Chapter 02 - Models of Abnormality

Question 1

Model

Answer 1

Set of assumptions and concepts that help scientists explain and interpret observations. Also called a paradigm.

Question 2

Synapse

Answer 2

The tiny space between the nerve ending of one neuron and the dendrite of another.

Question 3

neuron

Answer 3

a nerve cell

Question 4

neurotransmitter

Answer 4

a chemical that, when release by one neuron, crosses the synaptic space to be received by

Question 5

receptor

Answer 5

a site on a neuron that receives a neurotransmitter

Question 6

hormones

Answer 6

the chemicals released by endocrine glands into the bloodstream

Question 7

brain circuit

Answer 7

a network of particular brain structures that work together, triggering each other into action to produce a distinct kind of behavioral, cognitive, or emotional reaction.

Question 8

genes

Answer 8

Chromosome segments that control the characteristics and traits we inherit

Question 9

psychotropic medication

Answer 9

drugs that primarily affect the brain and reduce many symptoms of mental dysfunction

Question 10

brain stimulation

Answer 10

interventions that directly or indirectly stimulate the brain in order to bring about psychological improvement

Question 11

electroconvulsive therapy ECT

Answer 11

a biological treatment in which a brain seizure is triggered when an electric current passes through electrodes attached to the patients forehead

Question 12

psychosurgery

Answer 12

brain surgery for mental disorders

Question 13

Id

Answer 13

according to Freud, the psychological force that produces instinctual needs, drives, and impulses.

Question 14

ego

Answer 14

according to Freud, the psychological force that employs reason and operates in accordance with the reality principle.

Question 15

ego defense mechanisms

Answer 15

according to psychoanalytic theory, strategies developed by the ego to control unacceptable id impulses and to avoid or reduce the anxiety they arouse.

Question 16

superego

Answer 16

according to Freud, the psychological force that represents a person’s values and ideals.

Question 17

fixation

Answer 17

according to Freud, a condition in which the id, ego, or superego do not mature properly and are frozen at an early stage of development.

Question 18

free association

Answer 18

a psychodynamic technique in which the patient describes any thought, feeling, or image that comes to mind, even if it seems unimportant

Question 19

resistance

Answer 19

an unconscious refusal to participate fully in therapy

Question 20

transference

Answer 20

according to psychodynamic theorists, the redirection toward the psychotherapist of feelings associated with important figures in the patient’s life, now or in the past.

Question 21

dream

Answer 21

a series of ideas or images that form during sleep

Question 22

catharsis

Answer 22

the reliving of past repressed feelings in order to settle internal conflicts and overcome problems.

Question 23

working through

Answer 23

the psychoanalytic process of facing conflicts, reinterpreting feelings, and overcoming one’s problems.

Question 24

conditioning

Answer 24

a simple form of learning

Question 25

classical conditioning

Answer 25

a process of learning by temporal association in which two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused in a person's mind and produce the same response.

Question 26

modeling

Answer 26

a process of learning in which an individual acquires responses by observing and imitating others.

Question 27

operant conditioning

Answer 27

a process of learning in which individuals come to behave in certain ways as a result of experiencing consequences of one kind or another whenever they perform the bahavior.

Question 28

social anxiety disorder

Answer 28

a psychological disorder in which people fear social situations

Question 29

exposure therapy

Answer 29

a behavior focused intervention in which fearful people are repeatedly exposed to the objects or situations they dread

Question 30

self-actualization

Answer 30

the humanistic process by which people fulfill their potential for goodness and growth

Question 31

client - centered therapy

Answer 31

the humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers in which clinicians try to help clients by conveying acceptance, accurate empathy, and genuineness.

Question 32

gestalt therapy

Answer 32

the humanistic therapy developed by Fritz Perls in which clinicians actively move clients toward self recognition and self acceptance by using techniques such as role playing and self discovery exercises

Question 33

existential therapy

Answer 33

a therapy that encourages clients to accept responsibility for their lives and to live with greater meaning and value

Question 34

group therapy

Answer 34

a therapy format in which a group of people with similar problems meet together with a therapist to work on those problems

Question 35

self - help group

Answer 35

a group made up of people with similar problems who help and support one another without direct leadership of a clinician. Also called a mutual help group.

Question 36

family therapy

Answer 36

a therapy format in which the therapist meets with all members of a family and helps them to change in therapeutic ways

Question 37

couple therapy

Answer 37

a therapy format in which the therapist works with two people who share a long - term relationship. Also called marital therapy.

Question 38

community mental health treatment

Answer 38

a treatment approach that emphasizes community care

Question 39

multicultural perspective

Answer 39

the view that each culture within a larger society has a particular set of values and beliefs, as well as special external pressures, that help account for the behavior and functioning of its members. Also called culturally diverse perspective.

Question 40

culture - sensitive therapies

Answer 40

approaches that are designed to help address the unique issues faced by members of cultural minority groups

Question 41

gender - sensitive therapies

Answer 41

approaches geared to the pressures of being a woman in Western society. Also called feminist therapies.

Question 42

developmental psychopathology

Answer 42

a perspective that uses a developmental framework to understand how variables and principles from the various models may collectively account for human functioning

Question 43

equifinality

Answer 43

the principle that a number of different developmental pathways can lead to the same psychological disorder

Question 44

multifinality

Answer 44

the principle that persons with a similiar developmental history may nevertheless react to similar current situations in very different ways