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A Level Psychology > Psychopathology > Flashcards

Psychopathology Flashcards

(50 cards)

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1
Q

What are 4 types of abnormality?

A
  • Statistical infrequency
  • Deviation from social norms
  • Failure to function adequately
  • Deviation from ideal mental health
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2
Q

Define statistical infrequency?

A

Statistically rare behaviour would be seen as ‘abnormality’

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3
Q

Define deviation from social norms?

A

Deviation from society’s moral standards

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4
Q

What is the failure to function adequately?

A

Inability to cope with day-to-day life caused by psychological distress.

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5
Q

What is deviation from ideal mental health?

A

Deviation from what clinicians assume to be to neurotypical mental health

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6
Q

What do clinicians consider neurotypical mental health?

A 
PRAISE
P - personal growth
R - reality perception 
A - autonomy
I - Integration 
S - Self-attitudes 
E - Environmental mastery
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7
Q

Evaluation of statistical infrequency?

A

Positive:

  • Obvious and quick to define abnormality
  • Real-life application: easy to determine abnormality using psychometric tests

Negative:

  • Desirability of behaviour (e.g. high IQ)
  • Statistically frequent but still abnormal behaviour (e.g. depression)
  • Cultural relativism (statistically acceptable in one culture e.g. marijuana smoking is statistically frequent in Jamaica).
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8
Q

Evaluation of deviation from social norms

A

Positive:
- Real life application: diagnosis for antisocial personality disorder

Negative:

  • Historical issues (temporal validity): pregnant unmarried women were put into mental institutions.
  • Cultural issues: Japan - considered insane if you didn’t want to work
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9
Q

Evaluation for failure to function adequately?

A

Positive:
Patients perspective - attempts to include the subjective experience of the individual

Negative:
- some people engage in behaviours considered harmful - e.g. base jumpers has a high mortality rate.

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10
Q

Evaluation for deviation from ideal mental health

A

Positive:
- comprehensive: covers a broad range of criteria

Negative:
Cultural relativism - autonomy valued in western cultures, but less so in no-western cultures.

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11
Q

What are emotional characteristics of depression?

A
  • Lowered mood
  • Anger
  • Lowered self esteem
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12
Q

What are behavioural characteristics of depression?

A
  • Activity level changes
  • Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
  • Aggression and self harm
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13
Q

What are cognitive characteristics of depression?

A
  • Poor concentration
  • Attending to and dwelling on the negative
  • Absolutist thinking (black or white thinking)
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14
Q

What did Beck suggest about cognitive approach to depression?

A

3 parts:

  1. Faulty information processing - errors in logic and concentrate on the negative.
  2. Negative self schemas - negative personal self schemas
  3. Negative triad - negative view of self, the world and the future.
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15
Q

Evaluation for Beck (cognitive approach towards depression)

A

Positive:

  • Supporting evidence: woman who were cognitively vulnerable were more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
  • practical application - used in CBT

Negative:
- Explanation doesn’t cover all aspects of depression e.g. delusion you are a zombie.

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16
Q

What did Ellis suggest about cognitive depression?

A

ABC model
A- Activating event
B - Beliefs
C - Consequence

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17
Q

Evaluation for Ellis?

A

Positive:

  • Practical application - CBT
  • Cognitive primacy - supports idea that cognition causes emotion

Negative:
- Doesn’t explain all aspects of depression - e.g. hallucinations

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18
Q

What is the implications of depression on the economy?

A
  • Increased number of sick days

- Reduced productivity

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19
Q

What approach is taken towards phobias?

A

Behavioural approach

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20
Q

What is a phobia?

A

Anxiety disorder that interferes with daily life - may include an irrational fear.

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21
Q

What is the emotional consequences of phobias?

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A
  • Anxiety from fear of the phobias

- Unreasonable emotional response

22
Q

What is the behavioural consequences of phobias?

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A

Panic - crying, screaming and running away
Avoidance - of fear
Endurance - High levels of anxiety of remain in scenario.

23
Q

What is the cognitive consequences of phobias?

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A

Selective attention - hard to look away from stimulus
Irrational beliefs - social phobia (don’t want to appear weak)
Cognitive distortion - perceptions of the stimulus are distorted.

24
Q

What is the two process model?

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A

This suggests that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.

25
How does operant conditioning take place in the two process model?
Avoiding a phobia reinforces avoidance behaviour, maintaining the phobia.
26
Evaluation for two process model
Positive: Good explanatory power - major step forward Negative: - Not all avoidance behaviour is caused to reduce stress, but just as a feeling of safety. - Incomplete explanation of phobias - may have evolutionary factors
27
What are two types of behaviour therapy for phobias
Systemic desensitisation | Flooding
28
What is systemic desensitisation?
- Gradually reducing phobic anxiety through classical conditioning. - Creates a new response called “counter conditioning”
29
What are the positive evaluations for desensitisation?
- Effective - reduced aragnagphobia in 42 patients. - Suitable for diverse range of phobias - Not as traumatic as flooding
30
What is flooding?
- Immediate exposure to a frightening experience. - No option of avoidance, therefore patient quickly learns that phobic stimulus is harmless. A patient may also become tired of being frightened therefore leading to relaxation - this is called extinction.
31
Evaluation for flooding
Positive: - Cost effective - and much quicker Negative: - Less effective - Highly traumatic - Symptom substitution - said that another phobia replaces it.
32
What is OCD? and explain the definition.
Obsessive compulsive disorder Obsession: persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that feels intrusive and causes anxiety. Compulsion: A repetitive mental act that a person feels driven to perform to reduce anxiety.
33
What are emotional consequences of OCD?
- May feel negative emotions. | - Guilt or disgust.
34
What are behavioural consequences of OCD?
- Repetitive actions carried out. | - Avoidance of situation that can trigger anxiety
35
What are the cognitive consequences of OCD?
- Plagued with obsessive thoughts. | - Anxiety
36
Describe the OCD cycle.
Obsessive thought Anxiety Compulsive behaviour Temporary relief
37
What approach is for OCD?
Biological
38
What is the biological approach for OCD?
- Suggests that genetics may be partly involved in the explanation of OCD.
39
What is a candidate gene in OCD?
A gene that could play a role in the developed of OCD.
40
What candidate genes could be involved in the development of OCD?
SERT - a neurotransmitter which involves regulating SEROTONIN. COMT - regulates the production of dopamine. (dopamine effects motivations and drive)
41
What is the diathesis model?
Suggestion that people gain a vulnerability towards OCD through genes, but an environmental stressor is also required. e.g. a stressful event such as a bereavement.
42
Explain “OCD is thought to be polygenic”
This means that OCD’s development is determined by many genes (around 230), and not a single gene.
43
Define aetiologically heterogenous
a number of different combinations of genes can lead to the illness.
44
Evaluation of genetic explanations for OCD
Positive: - Twin studies support this theory Negative: - Too many genes involved (as many as 230 genes)
45
Evaluation for the diathesis model
Positive: - Considers environmental factors Negative: - Difficult to untangle environmental and genetic factors
46
What are neutral explanations for OCD?
- Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters - Basal ganglia could be involved (involved in cleaning and safety etc...) - Orbital Frontal Cortex - increased anxiety - Thalamus - increased motivation to clean etc...
47
Evaluation for neurotransmitters as a cause of OCD.
Positive: - Allows medication to help sufferers. Negative: - Drugs aren’t completely effective. - Time delay between taking drugs and any improvements made anyways.
48
Evaluation for areas of the brain as a cause for OCD
Positive: - Advances in technology confirm that OFC may be involved (of overly active) - Cleaning are “hard-wired” in the thalamus. Negative: - Inconsistencies in research in OCD.
49
What are biological treatments for OCD?
SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) - prevents reabsorption of serotonin. can be used alongside CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) - drugs may reduces anxiety or depression, making CBT more effective. SNRIs and NASSAs can also be used alternatively.
50
Evaluation for drug therapy to treat OCD.
Positive: - Effective - Cost effective and non disruptive Negative: - Side effects e.g. weight gain, loss of memory. - Unreliable evidence - not all research published - Some OCD cases follow trauma.

A Level Psychology (6 decks)

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