Chapter 4: Anxiety

Question 1

agoraphobia

Answer 1

an anxiety disorder in which a person is afraid to be in public situations from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic-like or embarrassing symptoms were to occur

Question 2

anxiety

Answer 2

the central nervous system’s physiological and emotional response to a vague sense of threat or danger

Question 3

anxiety sensitivity

Answer 3

a tendency to focus on one’s bodily sensations, assess them illogically, and interpret them as harmful

Question 4

basic irrational assumptions

Answer 4

the inaccurate and inappropriate beliefs held by people with various psychological problems, according to Albert Ellis

Question 5

behavioral inhibition

Answer 5

from the earliest days of life, such children show a withdrawn, isolated, and cautious pattern; they are wary of new objects, people, and environments, and always seem on guard against potential threats. Research indicates that this inhibited temperament often endures throughout a person’s life and places some individuals at heightened risk for the development of anxiety-related disorders

Question 6

benzodiazepines

Answer 6

the most common group of antianxiety drugs, which includes Valium and Xanax

Question 7

biological challenge test

Answer 7

a procedure used to produce panic in participants or clients by having them exercise vigorously or perform some other potentially panic-inducing task in the presence of a researcher or therapist

Question 8

body dysmorphic disorder

Answer 8

a disorder in which individuals become preoccupied with the belief that they have certain defects or flaws in their physical appearance; such defects or flaws are imagined or greatly exaggerated

Question 9

brain circuit

Answer 9

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 10

classical conditioning

Answer 10

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 11

client-centered therapy

Answer 11

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

Question 12

compulsion

Answer 12

a repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety

Question 13

cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit

Answer 13

a brain circuit that includes such brain structures as the orbitofrontal cortex (just above each eye), cingulate cortex, striatum (including the caudate nucleus and putamen, two other structures at the back of the striatum), and thalamus. The circuit is hyperactive in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 14

developmental psychopathology

Answer 14

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

Question 15

excoriation disorder

Answer 15

a disorder in which people repeatedly pick at their skin, resulting in significant sores or wounds (also called skin-picking disorder)

Question 16

exposure and response prevention

Answer 16

a cognitive-behavioral technique used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder that exposes clients to anxiety-arousing thoughts or situations and then prevents them from performing their compulsive
acts (also called exposure and ritual prevention)

Question 17

exposure treatment

Answer 17

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

Question 18

family pedigree studies

Answer 18

a research design in which investigators determine how many and which relatives of a person with a disorder have the same disorder

Question 19

fear

Answer 19

The central nervous system’s physiological and emotional response to a serious threat to one’s wellbeing

Question 20

fear circuit

Answer 20

The brain circuit that produces and manages fear reactions. Generalized anxiety disorder is related to dysfunction in this circuit, which includes such brain structures as the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and amygdala.

Question 21

flooding

Answer 21

an exposure treatment for phobias in which clients are exposed repeatedly and intensively to a feared object and made to see that it is actually harmless

Question 22

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Answer 22

a neurotransmitter whose low activity in the brain’s fear circuit has been linked to anxiety

Question 23

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 23

disorder marked by persistent and excessive feelings of anxiety and worry about numerous events and activities

Question 24

hoarding disorder

Answer 24

a disorder in which individuals feel compelled to save items and become very distressed if they try to discard them, resulting in an excessive accumulation of items

Question 25

locus coeruleus

Answer 25

a small area of the brain that seems to be active in the regulation of emotions; many of its neurons use norepinephrine

Question 26

metacognitive theory

Answer 26

a theory suggesting that people with generalized anxiety disorder implicitly hold both positive and negative beliefs about worrying

Question 27

mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy

Answer 27

a type of therapy that teaches clients to be mindful of (just notice) and accept their dysfunctional thoughts or worries

Question 28

modeling

Answer 28

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

Question 29

neutralizing

Answer 29

a person's attempt to eliminate unwanted thoughts by thinking or behaving in ways that put matters right internally, making up for the unacceptable thoughts

Question 30

norepinephrine

Answer 30

neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression and panic disorder

Question 31

obsession

Answer 31

persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that is experienced repeatedly, feels intrusive, and causes anxiety

Question 32

obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer 32

a disorder in which a person has recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both

Question 33

obsessive-compulsive-related disorders

Answer 33

disorders in which obsessive-like concerns drive people to repeatedly and excessively perform certain abnormal patterns of behavior

Question 34

overprotective parenting

Question 35

panic attacks

Answer 35

periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak within minutes, and gradually pass

Question 36

panic circuit

Answer 36

the brain circuit that helps produce panic reactions, consisting of structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, central gray matter, and locus coeruleus

Question 37

panic disorder

Answer 37

an anxiety disorder marked by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks

Question 38

phobia

Answer 38

a persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation

Question 39

preparedness

Answer 39

a predisposition to develop certain fears

Question 40

rational-emotive therapy

Answer 40

a cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that helps clients identify and change the irrational assumptions and thinking that help cause their psychological disorder

Question 41

sedative-hypnotic drugs

Answer 41

drugs that calm people at lower doses and help them fall asleep at higher doses

Question 42

social anxiety disorder

Answer 42

a psychological disorder in which people fear social situations

Question 43

social skills training

Answer 43

a therapy approach that helps people learn or improve social skills and assertiveness through role-playing and rehearsing of desirable behaviors

Question 44

specific phobia

Answer 44

a severe and persistent fear of a specific object or situation

Question 45

systematic desensitization

Answer 45

an exposure treatment that uses relaxation training and a fear hierarchy to help clients with phobias react calmly to the objects or situations they dread

Question 46

trichotillomania

Answer 46

a disorder in which people repeatedly pull out hair from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other parts of the body

Question 47

unconditional positive regard

Answer 47

full, warm acceptance of a person regardless of what they say, think, or feel; a critical component of client-centered therapy

Question 48

an anxiety disorder in which a person is afraid to be in public situations from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic-like or embarrassing symptoms were to occur

Answer 48

agoraphobia

Question 49

the central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a vague sense of threat or danger

Answer 49

anxiety

Question 50

a tendency to focus on one's bodily sensations, assess them illogically, and interpret them as harmful

Answer 50

anxiety sensitivity

Question 51

the inaccurate and inappropriate beliefs held by people with various psychological problems, according to Albert Ellis

Answer 51

basic irrational assumptions

Question 52

from the earliest days of life, such children show a withdrawn, isolated, and cautious pattern; they are wary of new objects, people, and environments, and always seem on guard against potential threats. Research indicates that this inhibited temperament often endures throughout a person’s life and places some individuals at heightened risk for the development of anxiety-related disorders

Answer 52

behavioral inhibition

Question 53

the most common group of antianxiety drugs, which includes Valium and Xanax

Answer 53

benzodiazepines

Question 54

a procedure used to produce panic in participants or clients by having them exercise vigorously or perform some other potentially panic-inducing task in the presence of a researcher or therapist

Answer 54

biological challenge test

Question 55

a disorder in which individuals become preoccupied with the belief that they have certain defects or flaws in their physical appearance; such defects or flaws are imagined or greatly exaggerated

Answer 55

body dysmorphic disorder

Question 56

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

Answer 56

brain circuit

Question 57

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

Answer 57

classical conditioning

Question 58

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

Answer 58

client-centered therapy

Question 59

a repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety

Answer 59

compulsion

Question 60

a brain circuit that includes such brain structures as the orbitofrontal cortex (just above each eye), cingulate cortex, striatum (including the caudate nucleus and putamen, two other structures at the back of the striatum), and thalamus. The circuit is hyperactive in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer 60

cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit

Question 61

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

Answer 61

developmental psychopathology

Question 62

a disorder in which people repeatedly pick at their skin, resulting in significant sores or wounds (also called skin-picking disorder)

Answer 62

excoriation disorder

Question 63

a cognitive-behavioral technique used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder that exposes clients to anxiety-arousing thoughts or situations and then prevents them from performing their compulsive acts (also called exposure and ritual prevention)

Answer 63

exposure and response prevention

Question 64

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

Answer 64

exposure treatment

Question 65

a research design in which investigators determine how many and which relatives of a person with a disorder have the same disorder

Answer 65

family pedigree studies

Question 66

The central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a serious threat to one's wellbeing

Answer 66

fear

Question 67

The brain circuit that produces and manages fear reactions. Generalized anxiety disorder is related to dysfunction in this circuit, which includes such brain structures as the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and amygdala.

Answer 67

fear circuit

Question 68

an exposure treatment for phobias in which clients are exposed repeatedly and intensively to a feared object and made to see that it is actually harmless

Answer 68

flooding

Question 69

a neurotransmitter whose low activity in the brain's fear circuit has been linked to anxiety

Answer 69

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Question 70

disorder marked by persistent and excessive feelings of anxiety and worry about numerous events and activities

Answer 70

generalized anxiety disorder

Question 71

a disorder in which individuals feel compelled to save items and become very distressed if they try to discard them, resulting in an excessive accumulation of items

Answer 71

hoarding disorder

Question 72

a small area of the brain that seems to be active in the regulation of emotions; many of its neurons use norepinephrine

Answer 72

locus coeruleus

Question 73

a theory suggesting that people with generalized anxiety disorder implicitly hold both positive and negative beliefs about worrying

Answer 73

metacognitive theory

Question 74

a type of therapy that teaches clients to be mindful of (just notice) and accept their dysfunctional thoughts or worries

Answer 74

mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy

Question 75

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

Answer 75

modeling

Question 76

a person's attempt to eliminate unwanted thoughts by thinking or behaving in ways that put matters right internally, making up for the unacceptable thoughts

Answer 76

neutralizing

Question 77

neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression and panic disorder

Answer 77

norepinephrine

Question 78

persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that is experienced repeatedly, feels intrusive, and causes anxiety

Answer 78

obsession

Question 79

a disorder in which a person has recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both

Answer 79

obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 80

disorders in which obsessive-like concerns drive people to repeatedly and excessively perform certain abnormal patterns of behavior

Answer 80

obsessive-compulsive-related disorders

Answer 81

overprotective parenting

Question 82

periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak within minutes, and gradually pass

Answer 82

panic attacks

Question 83

the brain circuit that helps produce panic reactions, consisting of structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, central gray matter, and locus coeruleus

Answer 83

panic circuit

Question 84

an anxiety disorder marked by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks

Answer 84

panic disorder

Question 85

a persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation

Answer 85

phobia

Question 86

a predisposition to develop certain fears

Answer 86

preparedness

Question 87

a cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that helps clients identify and change the irrational assumptions and thinking that help cause their psychological disorder

Answer 87

rational-emotive therapy

Question 88

drugs that calm people at lower doses and help them fall asleep at higher doses

Answer 88

sedative-hypnotic drugs

Question 89

a psychological disorder in which people fear social situations

Answer 89

social anxiety disorder

Question 90

a therapy approach that helps people learn or improve social skills and assertiveness through role-playing and rehearsing of desirable behaviors

Answer 90

social skills training

Question 91

a severe and persistent fear of a specific object or situation

Answer 91

specific phobia

Question 92

an exposure treatment that uses relaxation training and a fear hierarchy to help clients with phobias react calmly to the objects or situations they dread

Answer 92

systematic desensitization

Question 93

a disorder in which people repeatedly pull out hair from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other parts of the body

Answer 93

trichotillomania

Question 94

full, warm acceptance of a person regardless of what they say, think, or feel; a critical component of client-centered therapy

Answer 94

unconditional positive regard