Final! Flashcards
psychopathology
the study of abnormal behavior
situational context
the social or environmental setting of a person’s behavior
subjective discomfort
emotional distress or emotional pain
maladaptive
anything that does not allow a person to function within or adapt to the stresses and everyday demands of life
sociocultural perspective
perspective in which abnormal behavior (as well as normal behavior) is seen as the product of the learning and shaping of behavior within the context of the family, the social group to which one belongs, and the culture within which the family and social group exist
cultural relativity
the need to consider the unique characteristics of the culture in which behavior takes place
culture-bound syndromes
disorders found only in particular cultures
psychological disorder
any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm others, or harms their ability to function in daily life
biological model
model of explaining behavior as caused by biological changes in the chemical, structural, or genetic systems of the body
cognitive psychologists
psychologists who study the way people think, remember, and mentally organize information
biopsychosocial model
perspective in which abnormal behavior is seen as the result of the combined and interacting forces of biological, psychological, social, and cultural influences
anxiety disorders
disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or unrealistic anxiety and fearfulness
free-floating anxiety
anxiety that is unrelated to any realistic, known source
phobia
an irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity
social phobia
fear of interacting with others or being in social situations that might lead to a negative evaluation
specific phobia
fear of objects or specific situations or events
claustrophobia
fear of being in a small, enclosed space
acrophobia
fear of heights
agoraphobia
fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or impossible
panic attack
sudden onset of intense panic in which multiple physical symptoms of stress occur, often with feelings that one is dying
panic disorder
disorder in which panic attacks occur frequently enough to cause the person difficulty in adjusting to daily life
panic disorder with agoraphobia
fear of leaving one’s familiar surroundings because one might have a panic attack in public
obsessive-compulsive disorder
disorder in which intruding, recurring thoughts or obsessions create anxiety that is relieved by performing a repetitive, ritualistic behavior or mental act (compulsion)
acute stress disorder
a disorder resulting from exposure to a major stressor, with symptoms of anxiety, dissociation, recurring nightmares, sleep disturbances, problems in concentration, and moments in which people seem to “relive” the event in dreams and flashbacks for as long as 1 month following the event