Psychology Chapter 14
couple therapy (marital therapy)
Therapy that focuses on helping distressed couples resolve their conflicts and develop more effective communication skills. -Both members of couple considered unit of treatment -Open communication channels, investigate power imbalances
anticonvulsant drugs
help in treatment of epilepsy
psychotropic drugs (psychiatric or psychotherapeutic drugs)
medication used in the treatment of psychological or mental disorders -groups: antianxiety drugs, antidepressants, and antipsychotics.
Operant Conditioning Methods
reinforcement and punishment to help strengthen desirable behavior and weaken undesirable behavior. -token economy, a behavior modification program used in mental health facilities and other settings such as schools.
Empathy
the ability to accurately mirror or reflect back the client's experiences and feelings—to see the world through the client's eyes or frames of reference.
EBTs (evidence-based treatments)
treatments shown to be effective in carefully designed empirical studies (also called empirically supported treatments, EST's)
mood stabilizing drugs
used to treat mood instability and bipolar disorders; an example is lithium
Multicultural Issues in Treatment
-Background considerations in multicultural treatment 1.Clients, therapists from a multitude of ethnic, racial backgrounds 2.Cultural bias destructive in therapeutic relationship -African Americans-Experienced a long history of oppression, discrimination; Hesitation and reserve to be expected; not a result of paranoid thinking -Asian Americans-culture discourages open display of emotion, feelings; Matters relating to group valued over those relating to an individual; May approach therapist as authority figure, to direct behavior -Hispanic Americans- Strong emphasis on family interdependence; Therapist needs sensitivity regarding linguistic preferences -Native Americans-Remember customs, tribal culture (these may be source of comfort to client); May be expectation that therapist will do most of talking
Client-centered therapy
-Carl Rogers -Problems are a result of blocks on path to self-actualization -Therapy is to restore individual's ability to know own inner self -Emphasis is on empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard
Modern psychodynamic approaches
-Focus is more on present, adaptive functioning -More direct approach by therapist, briefer therapy format
Humanistic Therapy
-Humans have free will, can make conscious, enriching choices -Focus is on the present, client's perception of issues and events
Drug Therapy
-Neurological transmission in the brain depends upon brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) to conduct messages from one neuron to another -Some psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, mood, and eating disorders; schizophrenia) related to irregularities in brain chemical action -Drugs have been developed that help alleviate abnormalities in functioning of these neurotransmitters
Which therapy is best?
-Overall, all therapies better than receiving no treatment at all -Ongoing evaluation: type of therapy relative to particular problem -Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral—help anxiety, eating disorders -Token economies helpful for mental institution patients -Cognitive-behavioral appears helpful in treating schizophrenia -Psychodynamic therapy may help with depression, bulimia, borderline personality disorder -Humanistic best for connecting with inner self, finding direction
Basic Cognitive Therapy
-Root of problem is interpretation of events, rather than events themselves -Therapy is brief; focus is on present
Stimulant drugs
-ex. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and Concerta and others -Improve attention spans, reduce disruptive behavior -Work by increasing activity of dopamine in frontal lobes
Gestalt therapy
-oridiniated by Fritz Perls (1893-1970) -Important to blend conflicting parts of personality into a unified whole -Approach is direct, even confrontational; involves role playing
Evaluating psychotropic drugs
-reduces/controls symptoms of psychological disorders -don't provide a cure, or teach more effective life skills -Each has risk of adverse side effects- Drowsiness from antianxiety drugs; Dry mouth and problems with sexual response (from antidepressants); Muscular tremors(motor problems) from antipsychotic; Most serious side effect of antipsychotic drugs—tardive dyskinesia (TD; permanent neurological damage to motor system); Possible that clozapine (Clozaril, for treatment of schizophrenia) may have fewer neurological side effects -Some lead to dependency, addiction, death(overdose) -Concern (with widespread reliance on Ritalin) is overeagerness for "quick fix" regarding psychological problems -Antidepressants may lead to suicidal thoughts in children and adolescents -Psychotherapy may be more work, but appears crucial for long term drug-free improvement -Combination of psychotherapy and drugs together more effective than psychiatric drugs alone
modeling
A behavior therapy technique for overcoming phobias and acquiring more adaptive behaviors, based on observing and imitating models.
gradual exposure
A behavior therapy technique for treating phobias based on direct exposure to a series of increasingly fearful stimuli. Also called in-vivo ("real-life") exposure.
systematic desensitization
A behavior therapy technique for treating phobias through the pairing of exposure in imagination to fear-inducing stimuli and states of deep relaxation.
MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibitors
A class of antidepressant drugs that increase the availability of neurotransmitters in the brain by inhibiting an enzyme, monoamine oxidase, that breaks down or degrades them in the synapse. -ex. phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate)
tricyclics
A class of antidepressant drugs that increase the availability of neurotransmitters in the brain by interfering with the reuptake of these chemicals by transmitting neurons. -ex. imipramine (Tofranil), amitriptyline (Elavil), and doxepin (Sinequan)
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
A class of antidepressant drugs that work specifically on increasing availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin by interfering with its reuptake. -ex. fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft)
aversive conditioning
A form of behavior therapy in which stimuli associated with undesirable behavior are paired with aversive stimuli to create a negative response to these stimuli.
virtual reality therapy
A form of exposure therapy in which virtual reality is used to simulate real-world environments.
ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)
A form of therapy for severe depression that involves the administration of an electrical shock to the head.
group therapy
A form of therapy in which clients are treated within a group format. -Therapy conducted among small number of participants -Less expensive; particularly helpful for social, interpersonal problems -May not provide sufficient confidentiality, individual attention
CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)
A form of therapy that combines behavioral and cognitive treatment techniques.
behavior therapy
A form of therapy that involves the systematic application of the principles of learning. -Principles of learning are applied to make changes in behavior -Maladaptive behaviors have been learned, can be unlearned -Methods of fear reduction -Aversive conditioning -Operant conditioning methods -Cognitive-behavioral therapy
deinstitutionalization
A policy of reducing the population of mental hospitals by shifting care from inpatient facilities to community-based outpatient facilities.
meta-analysis
A statistical technique for averaging results across a large number of studies. -individuals who receive treatment vs. those who do not -Greatest gains shown in first few months of therapy
prefrontal lobotomy
A surgical procedure in which neural pathways in the brain are severed in order to control violent or aggressive behavior.
free association
A technique in psychoanalysis in which the client is encouraged to say anything that comes to mind.
dream analysis
A technique in psychoanalysis in which the therapist analyzes the underlying or symbolic meaning of the client's dreams.
eclectic therapy
A therapeutic approach that draws upon principles and techniques representing different schools of therapy. —use combination of therapeutic approaches
Psychotherapy
A verbal form of therapy derived from a psychological framework that consists of one or more treatment sessions with a therapist.
fear hierarchy
An ordered series of increasingly fearful objects or situations.
psychosurgery
Brain surgery used to control violent or deviant behavior
Cognitive therapy
Developed by Aaron Beck, a form of therapy that helps clients recognize and correct distorted patterns of thinking associated with negative emotional states. -Ineffective emotional reactions result from errors in thinking -Develop rational alternatives to cognitive distortions
REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy)
Developed by Albert Ellis, a form of therapy based on identifying and correcting irrational beliefs that are thought to underlie emotional and behavioral difficulties. -"ABC" approach explains the causes of emotional distress (Activating event->Beliefs->Consequences)
Antianxiety drugs (minor tranquilizers)
Drugs that combat anxiety -most used: diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), and alprazolam (Xanax) -Act on neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) -Enhance GABA's ability to keep neural flow calm, in check
Antidepressants
Drugs that combat depression by affecting the levels or activity of neurotransmitters (Increase availability of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain) -Use of medication has greatly increased in recent years -Help relieve depression in 50 to 70 percent of cases -Improvement usually modest -SSRIs have less severe side effects, less dangerous regarding overdose -may also help in treating anxiety disorders -Serotonin implicated in regulation of mood, appetite
Antipsychotics (major tranquilizers)
Drugs used in the treatment of psychotic disorders that help alleviate hallucinations and delusional thinking. -First class of drugs (1950s): phenothiazines -Includes Thorazine, Mellaril, and Prolixin -Now possible to control most severe symptoms of schizophrenia -Phenothiazines and newer antipsychotic drugs work by blocking action of dopamine at dopamine receptor sites
psychoanalysis
Freud's method of psychotherapy; it focuses on uncovering and working through the unconscious conflicts that he believed were at the root of psychological problems.
nonspecific factors
General features of psychotherapy, such as attention from a therapist and mobilization of positive expectancies or hope. -Common characteristics shared by different therapies -Include interpersonal relationship; expectation for improvement
insight
In Freudian theory, the realization or awareness of underlying unconscious wishes and conflicts.
resistance
In psychoanalysis, the blocking that occurs when therapy touches upon anxiety-evoking thoughts or feelings.
interpretation
In psychoanalysis, the therapist's attempt to explain connections between what the client discloses during therapy and his or her unconscious conflicts.
placebo effects (expectancy effects)
Positive outcomes of an experiment resulting from a participant's positive expectations about the treatment rather than from the treatment itself.
psychoanalysts
Practitioners of psychoanalysis who are schooled in the Freudian tradition.
Traditional psychoanalysis
Root of problem is unconscious conflict, stemming from childhood, Free association, Dream analysis, Interpretation, Insight, Resistance Transference relationship, Countertransference
Methods of fear reduction
Systematic desensitization, Gradual exposure, Modeling
countertransference
The tendency for therapists to relate to clients in ways that mirror the relationships they've had with important figures in their own lives.
transference relationship
The tendency of clients to reenact earlier conflicted relationships in their lives in the relationships they develop with their therapists.
Genuineness
The therapist is able to express genuine feelings and demonstrates that one's feelings and actions can be congruent or consistent.
Unconditional positive regard
The therapist is unconditionally accepting of the client as a person, even though he or she may not approve of all the client's choices or behaviors.
Family therapy
Therapy for troubled families that focuses on changing disruptive patterns of communication and improving the ways in which family members relate to each other.
