psychopathology

Question 1

what is flooding

Answer 1

patient is exposed to their phobic stimulus. There is usually no build up or preparation beforehand. It can cure a phobia in one session. The patient is not allowed to engage with their avoidance behaviour.

Question 2

what are some strengths of flooding

Answer 2

• research found that 75% of patients were successfully cured of their phobia
• quick and cheap (as it can only take one session)

Question 3

what are some weaknesses of flooding

Answer 3

• doesn’t work well for all types of phobia e.g social phobias
• can be traumatic and make phobia worse

Question 4

What are the 3 steps of systematic desensitisation

Answer 4

1- build a heirarchy, the patient makes a list of objects that trigger their phobia and arranges from most to least frightening
2- relaxation techniques, the therapist teaches the patient techniques such as deep breathing
3 - gradual exposure, starting with the least frightening stimulus moving up the heirarchy once they feel calm

Question 5

how does systematic desensitisation work

Answer 5

• reciprocal inhibition, it is impossible to feel relaxed and afraid at the same time so the relaxation blocks the anxiety
• countercoding, a new association is formed, the phobic stimulus is associated with the relaxation instead of the traumatic event

Question 6

define statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality

Answer 6

a behaviour is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual. If a variable is normally distributed, we would say that anyone who falls on the extreme ends of the scale

Question 7

what are some strengths of the statistical infrequency definition

Answer 7

real life applications - symptoms easily measured

Question 8

what are some limitations of the statistical infrequency definition

Answer 8

• unusual characteristics can be positive e.g high IQ which doesn’t require treatment
• cut off point is uncertain, abnormal is subjective

Question 9

define deviation from social norms

Answer 9

a behaviour is considered abnormal if the bahviour differs from how society expects them to behave. Most people would judge their behaviour saying that it is unacceptable

Question 10

what are some strengths of the deviation from social norms definition

Answer 10

improves on statistical infrequency as it recognises that unusual characteristics aren’t always bad as long as they are desirable

Question 11

what are some limitations of the deviation from social norms definition

Answer 11

-social norms change across cultures people may be labelled as abnormal due to cultural differences
- social norms change over time

Question 12

define failure to function adequately

Answer 12

a behaviour is classified as abnormal if it means that the person is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in society causing distress to themselves and/or those around them

Question 13

what are some strengths of failure to function adequately

Answer 13

takes into account the patients feelings and perspective

Question 14

what are some weaknesses of failure to function adequately

Answer 14

some abnormal individuals may feel normal e.g schizophrenia

Question 15

define deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 15

Marie Jahoda (1958) devised a set of criteria that describe good mental health. A person is considered abnormal if they deviate from the criteria

Question 16

what were the 6 traits on Marie Jahoda’s criteria

Answer 16

• positive view of self
• ability to act independently
• personal growth/development
• accurate perception of reality
• engages in positive relationships
• ability to deal with stressful situations

Question 17

what are some strengths of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 17

focuses on explaining how we should be rather then how we shouldn’t be which could be helpful to those with bad mental health e.g in therapy

Question 18

what are some weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 18

sets an unrealistic standard, very few people meet the full criteria
it is culturally biased e.g some cultures put more emphasis on family rather then independence

Question 19

what is process 1 in the 2 process model explaining phobias

Answer 19

phobia is aquired through classical conditioning

Question 20

what is process 2 in the 2 process model explaining phobias

Answer 20

phobia is maintained through operant conditioning
- avoidance of phobia
- negative reinforcement

Question 21

what is a strength of the 2 process model

Answer 21

shows how phobias can be treated

Question 22

what are some weaknesses of the 2 process model

Answer 22

• can’t explain all phobias e.g most people in UK have not had traumatic experience with spiders
• may be incomplete , diathesis stress model says gene and triggering event are needed

Question 23

define a phobia

Answer 23

an extreme, irrational fear that is disproportionate to the actual danger and this is disruptive to everyday life

Question 24

what are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia

Answer 24

panic e.g crying, screaming, freezing, running
avoidance e.g making a concious effort to avoid phobic stimulus like not going to the park in case there is a dog

Question 25

what are the emotional characteristics of having a phobia

Answer 25

fear - a strong immediate unpleasant response anxiety - a long term, unpleasant state of high arousal

Question 26

what are the cognitive characteristics of having a phobia

Answer 26

selective attention - they will focus on the phobia stimulus and nothing else irrational beliefs - they may have a faulty schema about the phobic stimulus

Question 27

what are the behavioural characteristics of depression

Answer 27

activity - anhedonia, stop doing the things that they used to enjoy sleep - reduced (insomnia) or increased (hypersomnia) eating - more or less

Question 28

what are the emotional characteristics of depression

Answer 28

low mood - extreme sadness, some feel empty with no emotions anger - directed to self or others] low self esteem - may hate themselves

Question 29

what are the cognitive characteristics of depression

Answer 29

poor concentration - bad memory or struggle to focus on tasks negative schema - they focus on the negatives and avoid the positives. Find it easier to remember sad memories then happy absolutist thinking - may see bad situations as an absolute disaster

Question 30

what does cognitive behavioural therapy aim to do (CBT)

Answer 30

identify and challenge the irrational beliefs that cause the depression

Question 31

What does Ellis' ABC model stand for

Answer 31

Activating events trigger Beliefs which are irrational which then produces a Consequence - depression

Question 32

Ellis then added DE to his ABC model, what do these stand for?

Answer 32

Dispute the irrational thoughts Exhange old beliefs for new ones D + E make up the therapy stage

Question 33

how can a therapist dispute irrational beliefs

Answer 33

- asking patient to examine if the belief makes sense - asking patient if the belief matches reality - emphasise that the belief is not helpful

Question 34

what are some examples of irrational beliefs

Answer 34

- absolutist thinking - mental filtering, focus on negative and disqualify positive - overgeneralisation, e.g bad grade on one exam and think they will fail all - jumping to conclusions, mind reading think if friend is distracted it has to do with you, fortune telling prediuct date will go bad - blaming, don't take responsibility for actions and think everything is to hurt you - catastrophizing, not acknowledging acomplishments or assuming the worst

Question 35

what are some strengths of CBT

Answer 35

most people treated with CBT improved so must have helped reverse the irrational beliefs

Question 36

what are some limitations of CBT

Answer 36

- more then half relapsed which shows CBT doesn't completely remove the irrational thoughts - takes a long time so is a big time commitment so people may not be able to attend every session

Question 37

What is beck's negative triad

Answer 37

- negative views of the world - negative views about of the future - negative views about themselves negative schema aquired through childhood. In new situations negative schema activated, faulty information processing

Question 38

what are the behavioural characteristics of OCD

Answer 38

compulsions - these are repetitive behaviours that the person feels compelled to do. Compulsions are carried out to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. avoidance - person will attempt to reduce the anxiety by staying away from situations that may trigger it

Question 39

what are the emotional characteristics of OCD

Answer 39

anxiety and distress - emotions caused by unpleasant thoughts and the urge to carry out compulsions could trigger these feelings guilt - person may feel irrationally guilty about their behaviour disgust - person may feel disgusted by themselves or their surroundings

Question 40

what are the cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 40

obsessions - intrusive, unpleasant thoughts that occur repeatedly. They may think they need to carry out compulsions to avoid their obsessions becoming reality. awareness - someone with OCD knows their obsessions and compulsions are irrational but they are unable to control them.

Question 41

Outline the genetic explanation of OCD

Answer 41

- polygenic trait which means there are several genes involved - inherit specific genes - COMT gene , when inactive in OCD causes dopamine levels to rise. Dopamine produced in brain as a reward which encourages compulsions - SERT gene, when mutated in OCD causes reduced serotonin. Serotonin helps to regulate mood.

Question 42

Outline the neural explanations for OCD

Answer 42

- abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in particular serotonin and dopamine - brain structures in particular basal ganglia which in normal brain controls movements, thinking and judgement but in OCD brain cause repetitive behaviours and the frontal cortex which in normal brain makes decisions and anticipates rewards and punishments but in OCD brain sends 'worry' signals