Chapters 1-4 (Exam 1) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapters 1-4 (Exam 1) Deck (37)
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1
Q

Define psychological disorder

A

Psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that’s not a typical or culturally expected response

2
Q

Define phobia

A

A psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation

3
Q

If someone passes out repeatedly from witnessing blood or injury, what is their mental disorder?

A

Blood-injury-injection phobia, a type of specific phobia

4
Q

Define psychological dysfunction

A

A breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning

5
Q

Define personal distress

A

An individual in a state of being extremely upset or impaired

6
Q

Give an example of a cultural expectation being violated

A

For example, if a culture expects to hear voices only during rituals, if someone hears them at other times, then that cultural expectation for behavior is being violated

7
Q

Define abnormal

A

Behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural context and associated with present distress and impairment in functioning or increased risk of suffering, death, pain, or impairment

8
Q

Some scholars argue that we haven’t defined what term properly?

A

Disorder or disease

9
Q

A typical profile of a disorder is called a ____

A

prototype

10
Q

Marriage and family therapists

and mental health counselors typically have what kind of degree? Where are they employed?

A

They typically spend 1–2 years earning a master’s degree and are employed to provide clinical
services by hospitals or clinics.

11
Q

The most important recent development

in psychopathology is what?

A

the adoption of scientific methods to learn more about psychological disorders, their causes, and
their treatment

12
Q

Many mental health professionals take a scientific approach to their clinical work and therefore are
called _________

A

scientist–practitioners

13
Q

Mental health practitioners function as scientist–practitioners in three ways. Describe them.

A

First, they keep up with the latest developments in their field and therefore use the most current diagnostic and treatment procedures. In this sense, they are consumers of the science of psychopathology.
Second, they evaluate their own assessments or treatment procedures to see whether they work. They are accountable not only to their patients, but also to government agencies and insurance companies, so they must demonstrate that their treatments work.
Third, they conduct research that produces new information about disorders or their treatment. Such research attempts three basic
things: describe psychological disorders, determine their causes, and treat them

14
Q

Psychopathology is the scientific study of _____ ______

A

psychological disorders

15
Q

Describe the different professions within the field of psychopathology

A

Examples include clinical and counseling psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers, psychiatric nurses, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. Clinical and counseling psychologists
receive the PhD degree (or sometimes an EdD, doctor of education, or PsyD, doctor of psychology) and follow a course of graduate-level study, lasting approximately 5 years, that prepares them to conduct research into the
causes and treatment of psychological disorders and to diagnose, assess, and treat these disorders. Psychologists with other specialty training, such as experimental and social psychologists, investigate the basic determinants of behavior but do not assess or treat psychological disorders. Psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses are also included.

16
Q

What’s the difference between clinical and counseling psychologists?

A

Counseling psychologists tend to study and treat adjustment and vocational issues encountered by relatively healthy individuals, and clinical psychologists usually concentrate on more severe psychological disorders.

17
Q

What do psychiatric social workers do?

A

They typically earn a master’s degree
in social work as they develop expertise in collecting information about the social and family situation of the individual with a psychological disorder. Social workers also treat
disorders, often concentrating on family problems

18
Q

What do psychiatric nurses do?

A

Psychiatric nurses have advanced degrees and specialize in the care and treatment of patients with psychological disorders, usually in hospitals as part of a treatment team.

19
Q

Define presenting problem

A

Original complaint reported by the client to the

therapist. The actual treated problem may be a modification derived from the presenting problem.

20
Q

Define clinical description

A

Details of the combination of behaviors, thoughts,

and feelings of an individual that make up a particular disorder.

21
Q

Define prevalence

A

Number of people displaying a disorder in the total population at any given time (compare with incidence)

22
Q

Define incidence

A

Number of new cases of a disorder appearing during a specific period (compare with prevalence)

23
Q

Define course

A

Pattern of development and change of a disorder over time.

24
Q

Define prognosis

A

Predicted development of a disorder over time.

25
Q

Define and give examples of the three different courses a disease typically can have

A

Some, such as schizophrenia, follow a chronic course, meaning that they tend to last a long time.
Others, like mood disorders, follow an episodic course, in that the individual is likely to
recover within a few months only to suffer a recurrence of the disorder at a later time.
Still other disorders may have a time-limited course, meaning they will improve without treatment in a relatively short period.

26
Q

What are the two typical types of onset of a disorder and why are they important?

A

Some disorders have an acute onset,
meaning they begin suddenly; others develop gradually over an extended period, which is sometimes called an insidious onset.
It is important to know the typical course of a disorder so we can know what to expect and how best to deal with the problem

27
Q

What aspect of a patient’s demographics is important to consider when evaluating their diagnosis and prognosis?

A

Their age; A disorder occurring in childhood may present differently from the same disorder in adulthood or old age. For example, children experiencing severe anxiety often assume they are physically ill.

28
Q

The study of changes in behavior over time is called _____

A

Developmental psychology

29
Q

The study of changes in abnormal behavior is called _____

A

Developmental psychopathology

30
Q

Study of abnormal behavior across the entire age span is referred to as _______

A

Life-span developmental psychopathology

31
Q

Define and describe etiology

A

The study of origins; has to do with why a disorder begins and includes biological, psychological, and
social dimensions

32
Q

Psychology is rarely simple because the ____does not necessarily imply the ____.

A

effect; cause

33
Q

Humans have always assumed that agents may affect our behavior, which might be divinities,
demons, spirits, or other phenomena such as magnetic fields or the moon or the stars. These things are the driving forces behind the _______ _____

A

supernatural model

34
Q

Explain the split that resulted in the biological model and psychological model

A

The mind has often been called the soul or the psyche and considered separate from the body. Although many have thought that the
mind can influence the body and, in turn, the body can influence the mind, most philosophers looked for causes of abnormal behavior in one or the other. This split gave rise to two traditions of thought about abnormal behavior: the
biological model and the psychological model.

35
Q

Define exorcism

A

Religious ritual that attributes disordered behavior to possession by demons and seeks to treat the individual by driving the demons
from the body

36
Q

The church identified symptoms of depression such as despair and lethargy with the sin of ____

A

acedia (sloth)

37
Q

What happened in the middle ages if an exorcism failed?

A

In the Middle Ages if exorcism failed, some authorities thought that steps were necessary to make the body uninhabitable by evil spirits,
and many people were subjected to confinement, beatings, and other forms of torture (hanging someone over poisonous snakes, dunking them in cold water, etc).