Psychological Development/Psychotherapy

Question 1

Psychodynamic theory proposes that behavior is ___

Answer 1

Behavior is the end product of a complex, often contentious internal discussion about how one should behave

Question 2

Id:

Answer 2

basic drives, motives, instincts
● The is a mostly subconscious process that seeks self gratification or pleasure. Freud proposed that most Id instincts are sexual

Question 3

Ego:

Answer 3

This is a counterbalance that develops in
childhood to reduce the drive of the Id. It is more related to conscious thought and it takes into account the requirements of external reality:
● External constraints
● Probable consequences of actions
● Desire for specific pleasurable experiences

Question 4

Superego:

Answer 4

one’s conscience – the image of
what one wants to be
● This begins as a person gains some social awareness. It initially incorporates his/her parents’ standards as the superego. Gradually, it expands to include more personal standards

Question 5

____ are unconscious strategies
for reducing anxiety aroused by thoughts, desires, or impulses. (Mediated by the ego)

Answer 5

Defense mechanisms

Question 6

Some defenses are considered mature when they _____

Answer 6

function without compromising
functioning

Question 7

Other defenses are considered primitive
because they involve behavior that is
immature or irrational and _____

Answer 7

impacts
appropriate functioning.

Question 8

Some of the primal and immature defense mechanisms:

Answer 8

Acting out
Avoidance
Denial
Identification or introjection
Regression

Question 9

Some of the Immature but more complex
defense mechanisms:

Answer 9

Passive aggression
Projection
Rationalization
Compensation
Splitting
Transference

Question 10

Some of the defense mechanisms that are considered somewhat more mature:

Answer 10

Repression
Displacement
Reaction formation

Question 11

These defense mechanisms are often
considered the most mature:

Answer 11

Anticipation
Humor
Suppression
Sublimation

Question 12

_____ suggests that actions and behaviors are due to learned associations, called conditioning.

Answer 12

Behaviorism

Question 13

Classical Conditioning is the idea that:

Answer 13

A response (UR) elicited naturally by one
stimulus (US) will in time be elicited by a
second stimulus (CS) after a period
when the two stimuli are occurring
consistently together.

Question 14

____ – stimulus that produces response naturally without the need
for conditioning

Answer 14

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Question 15

_____ – the natural response to an unconditioned stimulus

Answer 15

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Question 16

_____ – a neutral stimulus with no natural response that is “trained” to elicits a new response

Answer 16

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Question 17

______ – New response
attached to the conditioned stimulus

Answer 17

Conditioned Response (CR) –

Question 18

______: When stimulus “A”, that
has never been conditioned to elicit
response “C”, produces response “C”
because it is similar to “B”, which
naturally elicits response “C”.

Answer 18

Generalization:

Question 19

_____: The natural or effortful
process of “forgetting” a conditioned
response so that the CS no longer
produces the CR

Answer 19

Extinction:

Question 20

Operant Conditioning

Answer 20

The idea that rewards and punishment
change behavior, and that learning occurs
as we experience the consequences of our actions
● Sort of a trial & error learning

Question 21

______ rats were placed in a box and
deprived of food. Upon randomly
pressing a bar, food was presented. The
food reinforced the bar pressing.

Answer 21

Skinner’s

Question 22

Punishment in the behaviorist perspective

Answer 22

aversive stimulus that
decreases behavior

Question 23

Reinforcement in the behaviorist perspective

Answer 23

stimulus likely to increase behavior

Question 24

Discriminative Stimuli:

Answer 24

● Stimuli that signals the availability of
reinforcement (the antecedent stimulus)

Question 25

Extinction:

Answer 25

● Occurs when behavior is no longer
reinforced
● Pace of extinction depends on history of
reinforcement

Question 26

Secondary reward conditioning

Answer 26

● Instrumental behavior to get a stimulus
has no biological usefulness itself but
has in the past been associated with a
biologically significant stimulus
(Money, money, money, money!)

Question 27

Avoidance conditioning

Answer 27

● Response to a cue is instrumental in
avoiding a painful experience (e.g.
examples in the field of medicine?)

Question 28

Therapeutic Use of Conditioning

Answer 28

● Systematic desensitization
● Aversion Therapy (Aversive Conditioning)
● Contingency management - individuals
are ‘reinforced’, or rewarded, for
evidence of positive behavioural
changes

Question 29

Major premise of cognitive-behavioral perspective

Answer 29

○ There is more to a person’s actions than what behaviorism has to offer.
○ People’s thoughts have a powerful impact on their behavior.
○ There is a cognitive process (subconscious and conscious) that occurs prior to behavior
○ The way people respond to their environment is largely a function of how they perceive & interpret it

Question 31

Cognitive Distortions

Answer 31

Inaccurate or flawed thoughts or conclusions which are consciously or subconsciously believed. These often reinforce negative thinking or emotions, causing an inaccurate perception of
reality. These can be thought of as distorted assumptions

Question 32

Common Cognitive Distortions

Answer 32

Maginification/minimization - catastrophizing
Selective abstraction
overgeneralization
jumping to conclusions
“should” or “must” statements
polarization
fallacy of fairness
personalization
blaming
emotional reasoning

Question 33

Magnification or minimization

Answer 33

Exaggerating or minimizing the significance of an event or circumstance
- Catastrophizing: Predicting a negative outcome and believing that would be a catastrophe.

Question 34

Selective abstraction:

Answer 34

Drawing conclusions on the
basis of a single piece of data while ignoring contradictory data

Question 35

Overgeneralization

Answer 35

Inferring meaning or
drawing conclusions based on a single event.

Question 36

Jumping to Conclusions:

Answer 36

Making negative assumptions without enough evidence.
- Mind Reading: Making conclusions that one knows what someone else believes or is thinking

Question 37

“Should” or “Must” statements:

Answer 37

telling oneself that things should or must be a certain way without exceptions. Ignores circumstances.

Question 38

Polarization (All-or-Nothing Thinking)

Answer 38

Categorizing events into either all good or all bad

Question 39

Fallacy of Fairness

Answer 39

feeling they know for
certain what is fair and what isn’t and therefore leads to social conflict

Question 40

Personalization:

Answer 40

Taking the blame for something
that is clearly not one’s fault

Question 41

Blaming:

Answer 41

The opposite of personalization.
Blaming someone else for something that is not their fault

Question 42

Emotional reasoning:

Answer 42

The way a person feels about something makes them believe it is accurate

Question 43

Automatic Thoughts

Answer 43

Thoughts triggered by events. These are
automatic, outside conscious control, and
habitual.
● They affect a person’s mood and actions
● Examples:
○ Recurring thoughts about a person’s actions
○ Resurfacing of memories
○ “I can’t believe I said that”
○ “I screwed again, just like last time”
○ “She thinks I am too outspoken”

Question 44

____ are useful subconscious mental shortcuts used to arrive at decisions more easily or quickly. Often focused on what is perceived to be the most important aspect of a problem or situation

Answer 44

Heuristics

Question 45

_____: relying too heavily on one piece of
information

Answer 45

Anchoring

Question 46

_____: overestimating the likelihood of
outcomes with greater “availability” to our minds

Answer 46

Availability bias:

Question 47

_____: searching for and interpreting
information in a way that confirms beliefs/feelings

Answer 47

Confirmation bias

Question 48

_____: drawing different conclusions from
the same information based on how it is presented

Answer 48

Framing effect

Question 49

Basic Ideas of humanistic perspective

Answer 49

● People are essentially good and
constructive
● If allowed, people have the tendency to
move toward self-actualization. Therefore, the goal is to help patients/client become self-actualized, fulfilling one’s human potential
● It treats people with unconditional,
positive regard

Question 50

What is Psychotherapy?

Answer 50

Psychotherapy is the group of treatment techniques that aim to help a
person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and
behaviors. It is about helping patients understand themselves and
learn skills to adapt in the future.

Question 51

Major premise of existential perspective

Answer 51

○ Each person is free and responsible for
finding meaning in life and to make
rational decisions in an irrational
universe
○ Some people are willing to find
meaning…others are not
○ Healthy people?
■ Accept individual responsibility,
make choices within the constraints
imposed by their situation
○ Poor outcomes result when people fail to
accept individual responsibility