Psychology Chapter 12
le belle indifference
a French term descriptive of the lack of concern for their (imagined) medical problem sometimes shown by people with conversion disorders
wavy flexibility
a feature of catatonic schizophrenia in which people can be molded into postures that they maintain for quite some time
borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by instability in relationships, self-image, mood, and lack of impulse control
Neuroticism
a personality trait characterized largely by persistent anxiety
conversion disorder
characterized by a major change in, or loss of, physical functioning, although there are no medical findings to explain the loss of functioning. The behaviors are not intentionally produced. That is, the person is not faking.
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
characterized by a rapid heart rate and feelings of anxiety and helplessness that are caused by a traumatic experience.
acute stress disorder
characterized by feelings of anxiety and helplessness that are caused by a traumatic event. Happens a month after stressor
schizod personality disorder
characterized by indifference to relationships and flat emotional response. People with this disorder are "loners." They do not develop warm, tender feelings for others. They have few friends and rarely maintain long-term relationships.
biopsychosocial model
explains psychological disorders in terms of a combination of (a) biological vulnerabilities; (b) psychological factors such as exposure to stress; and (c) sociocultural factors such as family relationships and cultural beliefs
delusions
false, persistent beliefs that are unsubstantiated by sensory or objective evidence
dissassociative identity disorder
two or more identities or personalities, each with distinct traits and memories, "occupy" the same person. Each identity may or may not be aware of the others or of events experienced by the others.
illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)
People with this disorder insist that they are suffering from a serious physical illness, even though no medical evidence of illness can be found. They become preoccupied with minor physical sensations and continue to believe that they are ill despite the reassurance of physicians that they are healthy. They may run from doctor to doctor, seeking the one who will find the causes of the sensations. Fear of illness may disrupt their work or home life.
catatonia
a psychotic condition characterized by striking motor impairment
delusional disorder
a psychotic disorder characterized by persistent false beliefs.
learned helplessness
a serious to severe depressive disorder in which the person may show loss of appetite, psychomotor retardation, and impaired reality testing
major depressive disorder
a serious to severe depressive disorder in which the person may show loss of appetite, psychomotor retardation, and impaired reality testing
schizophrenia
a severe psychological disorder that touches every aspect of a person's life. It is characterized by disturbances in thought and language, perception and attention, motor activity, and mood, as well as withdrawal and absorption in daydreams or fantasy.
specific phobias
are excessive, irrational fears of specific objects or situations, such as spiders, snakes, or heights.
medical model
assumes that illnesses have physical or biological causes that can be identified and that people afflicted by them are to be cured through treatment or therapy.
psychological disorders
behaviors or mental processes that are connected with various kinds of distress or significant impairment in functioning. However, they are not predictable responses to specific events.
schizotypal personality disorder
characterized by peculiarities of thought, perception, or behavior, such as excessive fantasy and suspiciousness, feelings of being unreal, or the odd use of words. There are no complex delusions, no hallucinations, and no unusual motor activities, so this disorder is schizotypal, not schizophrenic.
somatoform disorders
complain of physical problems such as paralysis, pain, or a persistent belief that they have a serious disease. Yet no evidence of a physical abnormality can be found.
social anxiety disorder
defined by excessive fears of social situations in which the individual is exposed to the scrutiny of others or might do something that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Excessive fear of public speaking is a common social phobia.
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
defined by recurrent, anxiety-provoking thoughts or images that seem irrational and beyond control (obsessions) and seemingly irresistible urges to engage in thoughts or behaviors that tend to reduce the anxiety (compulsions)
depersonalization/derealization disorder
experience episodes of feeling detached from themselves or feeling that the world around them is unreal. They may feel as if they are in a walking dream or as if they are going through "the motions" like a robot.
avoidant personality disorder
generally unwilling to enter a relationship without some assurance of acceptance because they fear rejection and criticism. As a result, they may have few close relationships outside their immediate families. Unlike people with schizoid personality disorder, however, they have some interest in, and feelings of warmth toward, other people.
bipolar disorder
have mood swings from ecstatic elation to deep depression. The cycles seem to be unrelated to external events. Imbalances in the neurotransmitter serotonin apparently play a role
anxiety disorders
have psychological and physical symptoms. The psychological symptoms include worrying, fear of the worst happening, fear of losing control, nervousness, and inability to relax. The physical symptoms reflect arousal of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system: trembling, sweating, a racing heart, elevated blood pressure (a flushed face), and faintness.
paranoid personality disorder
is a tendency to interpret other people's behavior as threatening or demeaning.
panic disorder
is an abrupt anxiety attack that is apparently unrelated to specific objects or situations.
dissassociative amnesia
is suddenly unable to recall important personal information (i.e., explicit episodic memories).
demonological model
led to brutal "treatments"—from drilling holes in the skull to permit evil spirits to escape, as in prehistoric times, to burning at the stake, as practiced during the Middle Ages.
dissassociative disorders
mental processes such as thoughts, emotions, memory, consciousness, even knowledge of one's own identity—the processes that make a person feel whole—may seem to be split off from one another.
antisocial personality disorder
often show a superficial charm and are at least average in intelligence. They do not form strong bonds with other people. Though they are often heavily punished by their parents and rejected by peers, they continue in their impulsive, careless styles of life. Women are more likely than men to have anxiety and depressive disorders
generalized anxiety disorder
persistent anxiety that cannot be attributed to a phobic object, situation, or activity. Rather, it seems to be free floating. The core of the disorder appears to be pervasive worrying about numerous stressors (Behar et al., 2009). Symptoms include motor tension (i.e., shakiness, inability to relax, furrowed brow, and fidgeting); autonomic over arousal (i.e., sweating, dry mouth, racing heart, lightheadedness, frequent urinating, and diarrhea); and excessive vigilance, as shown by irritability, insomnia, and a tendency to be easily distracted.
attributional styles
the tendency to attribute one's behavior to internal or external factors, stable or unstable factors, and global or specific factors
positive symptoms
those symptoms of schizophrenia that indicate the presence of inappropriate behavior, such as hallucinations, delusions, agitation, and inappropriate giggling
negative symptoms
those symptoms of schizophrenia that reflect the absence of appropriate behavior, such as blank faces, monotonic voices, and motionless bodies