NUR 114 Final Exam Review
Arbitrary inference
Drawing a specific conclusion without sufficient evidence, i.e., jumping to (negative) conclusions
Magnification and minimization
Over- or undervaluing the significance of a particular event, i.e., one small negative event is the end of the world or a positive experience is totally discounted
Delusion
a fixed, false belief not based in reality
Body language
a nonverbal form of communication: gestures, postures, movements, and body positions
Social zone
a space of 4 to 12 feet, which is the distance acceptable for communication in social, work, and business settings
Dissociation
a subconscious defense mechanism that helps a person protect his or her emotional self from recognizing the full effects of some horrific or traumatic event by allowing the mind to forget or remove itself from the painful situation or memory
Decatastrophizing
a technique that involves learning to assess situations realistically rather than always assuming a catastrophe will happen
Assertive communication
ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest, and direct way
Personality
an ingrained, enduring pattern of behaving and relating to self, others, and the environment; includes perceptions, attitudes, and emotions
Therapeutic communication
an interpersonal interaction between the nurse and the client during which the nurse focuses on the client's specific needs to promote an effective exchange of information
Directive role
asking direct, yes/no questions and using problem-solving to help the client develop new coping mechanisms to deal with present, here-and-now issues
Response prevention
behavioral technique that focuses on delaying or avoiding performance of rituals in response to anxiety-provoking thoughts
Flat affect
showing no facial expression
Specific Abstraction
Focusing on a single (often minor) detail while ignoring other, more significant aspects of the experience, i.e., concentrating on one small (negative) detail while discounting positive aspects
Overgeneralization
Forming conclusions based on too little or too narrow experience, i.e., if one experience was negative, then all similar experiences will be negative
Reactive attachment disorder
Reactive attachment disorder is a rare but serious condition in which an infant or young child doesn't establish healthy attachments with parents or caregivers. Reactive attachment disorder may develop if the child's basic needs for comfort, affection and nurturing aren't met and loving, caring, stable attachments with others are not established.
Personalization
Tendency to self-reference external events without basis, i.e., believing that events are directly related to one's self, whether they are or not
Absolute dichotomous thinking
Tendency to view everything in polar categories, i.e., all or none, black or white
No-selfharm contract
a client promises to not engage in self-harm and to report to the nurse when he or she is losing control
Spirituality
a client's beliefs about life, health, illness, death, and one's relationship to the universe; involves the essence of a person's being and his or her beliefs about the meaning of life and the purpose for living
Positive self-talk
a cognitive-behavioral technique in which the client changes thinking about the self from negative to positive
Thought stopping
a cognitive-behavioral technique to alter the process of negative or self-critical thought patterns
Adjustment disorder
a group of symptoms, such as stress, feeling sad, or hopeless, and physical symptoms that occur following a stressful life event; the reaction is stronger than would be expected for the event that occurred
Alogia
a lack of any real meaning or substance in what the client says
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event
Distance zones
amount of physical space between people during communication; in the United States, Canada, and many Eastern European nations, four distance zones are generally observed: intimate zone, personal zone, social zone, and public zone
Disinhibited social engagement disorder
an attachment disorder that consists of "a pattern of behavior in which a child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults."
Limit setting
an effective technique that involves three steps: stating the behavioral limit (describing the unacceptable behavior), identifying the consequences if the limit is exceeded, and identifying the expected or desired behavior
Exposure
behavioral technique that involves having the client deliberately confront the situations and stimuli that he or she is trying to avoid
Passive agressive behavior
characterized by a negative attitude and a pervasive pattern of passive resistance to demands for adequate social and occupational performance
Dependent personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of, which leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation
Depressed behavior
characterized by a pervasive pattern of depressive cognitions and behaviors in various contexts
Schizoid personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings
Antisocial personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others and with the central characteristics of deceit and manipulation
Histrionic personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking
Narcissistic personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy
Obsessive compulsive personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control, and orderliness at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency
Schizotypal personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with and reduced capacity for close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and behavioral eccentricities
Avoidant personality disorder
characterized by a pervasive pattern of social discomfort and reticence, low self-esteem, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
Dystonic reactions
characterized by intermittent spasmodic or sustained involuntary contractions of muscles in the face, neck, trunk, pelvis, extremities, and even the larynx.
Paranoid personality disorder
characterized by pervasive mistrust and suspiciousness of others
Derealization
client senses that events are not real, when, in fact, they are
Ideas of reference
client's inaccurate interpretation that general events are personally directed to him or her, such as hearing a speech on the news and believing the message has personal meaning
Adaptive disclosure
combat-specific therapy for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); eight sessions designed to help identify unhelpful beliefs about the trauma and find ways to move forward
Oniomania
compulsive buying; possessions are acquired compulsively without regard for cost or need for the item
Trichotillomania
compulsive hair pulling from scalp, eyebrows, or other parts of the body; leaves patchy bald spots that the person tries to conceal
Onychophagia
compulsive nail biting
Dermatillomania
compulsive skin picking, often to the point of physical damage; an impulse control disorder
Active listening
concentrating exclusively on what the client says, refraining from other internal mental activities
Character
consists of concepts about the self and the external world
Personality disorders
diagnosed when personality traits become inflexible and maladaptive and significantly interfere with how a person functions in society or cause the person emotional distress
Acute stress disorder
diagnosis is appropriate when symptoms appear within the first month after the trauma and do not persist longer than 4 weeks
Command hallucinations
disturbed auditory sensory perceptions demanding that the client take action, often to harm self or others, and are considered dangerous; often referred to as "voices"
Hallucinations
false sensory perceptions or perceptual experiences that do not really exist
Depersonalization
feelings of being disconnected from himself or herself; the client feels detached from his or her behavior
Anhedonia
having no pleasure or joy in life; losing any sense of pleasure from activities formerly enjoyed
Grounding techniques
helpful to use with the client who is dissociating or experiencing a flashback; grounding techniques remind the client that he or she is in the present, as an adult, and is safe
Echopraxia
imitation of the movements and gestures of someone an individual is observing
Process
in communication, denotes all nonverbal messages that the speaker uses to give meaning and context to the message
Akathisia
intense need to move about; characterized by restless movement, pacing, inability to remain still, and the client's report of inner restlessness
Nonsuicidal self-injury
intentional physical damage to the body, such as cutting or burning; results from self-harm urges or thoughts; injury is not an attempt at suicide
Exposure therapy
involves exposing the target patient to the anxiety source or its context without the intention to cause any danger. Doing so is thought to help them overcome their anxiety or distress.
Eye contact
looking into the other person's eyes during communication
Repressed memories
memories that are buried deeply in the subconscious mind or repressed because they are too painful for the victim to acknowledge; often relate to childhood abuse
Dysphoric
mood that involves unhappiness, restlessness, and malaise
Closed body positions
nonverbal behavior such as crossed legs and arms folded over chest that indicate the listener may be failing to listen, may be defensive, or not accepting
Borderline personality disorder
pervasive and enduring pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect; marked impulsivity; frequent self-mutilation behavior
Catatonia
psychomotor disturbance, either motionless or excessive motor
Obsessions
recurrent, persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that cause marked anxiety and interfere with interpersonal, social, or occupational function
Latency of response
refers to hesitation before the client responds to questions
Temperament
refers to the biologic processes of sensation, association, and motivation that underlie the integration of skills and habits based on emotion
Echolalia
repetition or imitation of what someone else says; echoing what is heard
Excoriation
repetitive and compulsive picking of skin which results in tissue damage".
Time-out
retreat to a neutral place to give the opportunity to regain self-control
Extrapyramidal side effects
reversible movement disorders induced by antipsychotic or neuroleptic medication
compulsion
ritualistic or repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person carries out continuously in an attempt to neutralize anxiety
Blunted affect
showing little or a slow-to-respond facial expression; few observable facial expressions
Intimate zone
space of 0 to 18 inches between people; the amount of space comfortable for parents with young children, people who mutually desire personal contact, or people whispering; invasion of this intimate zone by anyone else is threatening and produces anxiety
Public zone
space of 12 to 25 feet; the acceptable distance between a speaker and an audience, between small groups, and among others at informal functions
Personal zone
space of 18 to 36 inches; a comfortable distance between family and friends who are talking
Hyperarousal
symptoms that arise from high levels of anxiety, including insomnia, irritability, anger outbursts, watchfulness, suspiciousness, and distrustfulness. Often seen with PTSD
Confrontation
technique designed to highlight the incongruence between a person's verbalizations and actual behavior; used to manage manipulative or deceptive behavior
Nonverbal communication
the behavior that accompanies verbal content, such as body language, eye contact, facial expression, tone of voice, speed and hesitations in speech, grunts and groans, and distance from the listener
Communication
the processes that people use to exchange information
Proxemics
the study of distance zones between people during communication
Circumstantiality
the use of extraneous words and long, tedious descriptions
Verbal communication
the words a person uses to speak to one or more listeners
Cognitive restructuring
therapy that focuses on changing the way one thinks about or interprets one's self, relationships, and/or environment
Dissociative disorders
these disorders have the essential feature of a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or environmental perception; they include amnesia, fugue, and dissociative identity disorder
Abnormal involuntary movement scale (AIMS)
tool used to screen for symptoms of movement disorders (side effects of neuroleptic medications)
Abstract messages
unclear patterns of words that often contain figures of speech that are difficult to interpret
Nondirective role
using broad openings and open-ended questions to collect information and help the client to identify and discuss the topic of concern
Content
verbal communication; the literal words that a person speaks
Cues (overt and covert)
verbal or nonverbal messages that signal key words or issues for the client
Survivor
view of the client as a survivor of trauma or abuse rather than as a victim; helps to refocus client's view of himself or herself as being strong enough to survive the ordeal, which is a more empowering image than seeing oneself as a victim
Active observation
watching the speaker's nonverbal actions as he or she communicates
Congruent message
when communication content and processes agree
Incongruent message
when the communication content and process disagree
Concrete message
words that are as clear as possible when speaking to the client so that the client can understand the message; concrete messages are important for accurate information exchange
