Psychiatry Flashcards
(94 cards)
Classical Conditioning
Learning in which a natural response (salivation) is elicited by a conditioned, or learned, stimulus (bell) that previously was presented in conjunction with an unconditioned stimulus (food)
Usually deals with involuntary responses. Pavlov’s classical experiments with dogs - ringing the bell provoked salivation.
Operant conditioning
Learning in which a particular action is elicited bc it produces a punishment or reward. Usually deals with voluntary responses.
1) Positive reinforcement - desired reward produces action (mouse presses button to get food)
2) Negative reinforcement - Target behavior (response) is followed by removal of aversive stimulus (mouse presses button to turn of continuous loud noise)
3) Punishment - Repeated application of aversive stimulus extinguishes unwanted behavior
4) Extinction - Discontinuation of reinforcement (positive or negative) eventually eliminates behavior. Can occur in operant or classical conditioning
Transference
Patient projects feelings about formative or other important persons onto physician (like…Psychiatrist is seen a parent)
Countertransference
Doctor projects feelings about formative or other important persons onto patient (patient reminds physician of younger sibling)
Ego defenses
Unconscious mental processes used to resolve conflict and prevent undesirable feelings (anxiety, depression)
Immature:
1) Acting Out
2) Denial
3) Displacement
4) Dissociation
5) Fixation
6) Identification
7) Isolation (of affect)
8) Passive aggression
9) Projection
10) Rationalization
11) Reaction formation
12) Regression
13) Repression
14) Splitting
Mature:
1) Altruism
2) Humor
3) Sublimation
4) Suppression
Acting out
Expressing unacceptable feelings and thoughts through actions.
Ex/ Tantrums
Ego defense (immature)
Denial
Ego defense (immature)
Avoiding the awareness of some painful reality
Ex/ A common reaction in newly diagnosed AIDS and cancer patients
Displacement
Ego Defense (immature)
Transferring avoided ideas and feelings to a neutral person or object (vs projection)
Mother yells at her child, bc her husband yelled at her
Dissociation
Ego Defense (immature)
Temporary. drastic change in personality, memory, consciousness, or motor behavior to avoid emotional stress
Extreme forms can result in dissociative identity disorder (Multiple personality disorder)
Fixation
Ego Defense (immature)
Partially remaining at a more childish level of development (vs regression)
Adults fixating on video games
Identification
Ego Defense (immature)
Modeling behavior after another person who is more powerful (though not necessarily admired)
Abused child identifies with an abuser
Isolation (of affect)
Ego Defense (immature)
Separating feelings from ideas and events
Describing murder in graphic detail with no emotional response.
Passive aggression
Ego Defense (immature)
Expressing negativity and performing below what is expected as an indirect show of opposition
Disgruntled employee is repeatedly late to work
Projection
Ego Defense (immature)
Attributing an unacceptable internal impulse to an external source (vs displacement)
A man who wants another woman thinks his wife is cheating on him.
Rationalization
Ego Defense (immature)
Proclaiming logical reasons for actions actually performed for other reasons, usually to avoid self-blame
After getting fired, claiming that the job was not important anyway
Reaction formation
Ego defense (immature)
Replacing a warded-off idea of feeling by an (unconsciously derived) emphasis on its opposite (vs sublimation)
A patient with libidinous thoughts enters a monastery
Regression
Ego Defense (immature)
Turning back the maturational clock and going back to earlier modes of dealing with the world (vs fixation)
Seen in children under stress such as illness, punishment, or birth of a new sibling (bedwetting in a previously toilet-trained child when hospitalized)
Splitting
Ego Defense (immature)
Believing that people are either all good or all bad at different times due to intolerance of ambiguity. Commonly seen in borderline personality disorder.
A patient says that all the nurses are cold and insensitive but that the doctors are warm and friendly.
Altruism
Ego defense (mature)
Alleviating negative feelings via unsolicited generosity
Mafia boss makes large donations to charity
Humor
Ego defense (mature)
Appreciating the amusing nature of an anxiety-provoking or adverse situation
Nervous medical student jokes about the boards
Sublimation
Ego defense (mature)
Replacing an unacceptable wish with a course of action that is similar to the wish but does not conflict with one’s value system (vs reaction formation)
Teenager’s aggression toward his father is redirected to perform well in sports
Suppression
Ego defense (mature)
Intentionally withholding an idea or feeling from conscious awareness (vs repression); temporary
Choosing to not worry about the big game until it is time to play
Infant deprivation effects
Long-term deprivation of affection results in:
1) Failure to thrive
2) Poor language/socialization skills
3) Lack of basic trust
4) Anaclitic depression (infant withdrawn/unresponsive)
4 W’s = Weak, Wordless, Wanting (socially), Wary
Deprivation for more than 6 months can lead to irreversible changes
Severe deprivation can result in infant death
Child Abuse
1) Physical Abuse
Evidence = Spiral fractures (or multiple fractures at different stages of healing), burns (cigarette, butt/thighs), subdural hematomas, posterior rib fractures, retinal detachment.
During exam, children often avoid eye contact.
Abuser = Usually biological mother
Epi = 40% of deaths in children less than 1 year old
2) Sexual Abuse
Evidence = Genital, Anal, or oral Trauma; STDs; UTIs
Abuser = Known to victim, usually male
Epi = Peak incidence 9-12 years old