Psychopathology Key Terms

Question 1

Statistical infrequency

Answer 1

Occurs when an individual has a less common characteristic, eg being more depressed or less intelligent than most of the population.

Question 2

Deviation from social norms

Answer 2

Concerns behavior that is different from the accepted standards of behavior in a community or society.

Question 3

Failure to function adequately

Answer 3

Occurs when someone is unable to cope with the ordinary demands of day to day living.

Question 4

Deviation from ideal mental health

Answer 4

Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health.

Question 5

Phobia

Answer 5

An irrational fear of an object or situation.

Question 6

Behavioral

Answer 6

Ways in which people act

Question 7

Emotional

Answer 7

Related to a persons feeling or mood

Question 8

Cognitive

Answer 8

Refers to the process of ‘knowing’, including thinking, reasoning, remembering or believing.

Question 9

Depression

Answer 9

A mental disorder characterized by low mood and low energy levels.

Question 10

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)

Answer 10

A condition characterized by obsessions and/or compulsive behavior. Obsessions are cognitive whereas compulsions are behavioral.

Question 11

Behaviorist approach

Answer 11

A way of explaining behavior in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning.

Question 12

Two processed model

Answer 12

An explanations for the onset and persistence of disorders that create anxiety eg phobias. The two processes are classical conditioning for onset and operant conditioning for persistence

Question 13

Classical conditioning

Answer 13

Learning by association. Happens when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together. The neutral stimulus will eventually produce the same response as the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 14

Operant conditioning

Answer 14

A form of learning in which behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behavior include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment.

Question 15

Systematic desensitization

Answer 15

A behavioral therapy designed to reduce an unwanted response such as anxiety. SD involves drawing up an hierarchy of anxiety provoking situations related to a persons phobic stimulus, teaching them to relax and exposing them to these stimulus. They should maintain relaxation as they work through the hierarchy.

Question 16

Flooding

Answer 16

A behavioral therapy in which a person with a phobia is exposed to an extreme form of a phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by their stimulus. This takes place in a short number of long therapy sessions

Question 17

Cognitive approach

Answer 17

The term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes effect behavior.

Question 18

Negative triad

Answer 18

Beck proposed that there is three types of negative thinking that contribute to becoming depressed: negative view of the world, Negative view of the future, Negative view of the self. Such negative views lead a person to interpret their experience in a negative way and so make them more vulnerable to depression.

Question 19

ABC model

Answer 19

Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an Activating event triggers an irrational Belief which in turn produces a Consequence eg an emotional response like depression. The key to the process is the irrational belief.

Question 20

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Answer 20

A method for treating a medical disorder based on cognitive and behavioral techniques. From cognitive view point the therapy aims to deal with the thoughts eg challenging negative thoughts. Such therapy also deals with behavioral techniques including behavioral activation.

Question 21

Irrational thoughts

Answer 21

Also called dysfunctional thoughts. In Ellis’ model and therapy these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a persons happiness. Such dysfunction thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression.

Question 22

Biological approach

Answer 22

A perspective that emphasizes the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function.

Question 23

Genetic explanations

Answer 23

Genes make up chromosomes and consist of DNA which codes the physical features of an organism eg eye color and psychological features eg mental disorders. Genes are inherited from parent to offspring.

Question 24

Neural explanations

Answer 24

The view that physical and psychological characteristic are determined by behavior are determined by the behavior of the nervous system, particular the brain.

Question 25

Drug therapy

Answer 25

Treatment involving drugs eg chemicals that have a particular effect of the functioning of the brain or some other body system. In the case of psychological disorders such drugs usually effect neurotransmitter levels.