Eppp--Clinical Psychology--Definitions

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Acculturation

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the conditioning of 1 cultural group or individual to the traits, values, & social patterns of another cultural group.

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automatic thoughts

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CBT--thoughts, healthy or dysfunctional, arise spontaneously in response to specific stimuli or situations; reflects person's appraisal of the situation vs. the situation itself

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behavioral rehearsal

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in-session practice of desired behavior. used in assertiveness training, stress inoculation, CBT

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boundaries

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structural family therapy. demarcations b/w individual family members or family subsystems. according to Minuchin, family dysfunction results when boundaries become too rigid (disengaged) or permeable (enmeshed)

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brief psychotherapy

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usually focuses on specific problems vs. resconstruction of the entire personality structure. retains goals & techniques of psychodynamic therapies; shorter duration

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calibration

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in families, the rule that governs the limits of behavior. in family therapy, this term is associated with the concept of homeostasis; when the "temperature" falls out of the comfort zone in a family, negative feedback recalibrates the system & restores a comfortable balance

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closed family system

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family system in which honest self-expression is viewed as deviant & differences are treated as dangerous. the general rule is that all members must have the same opinions, feelings, & desires. closed systems are unable to receive energy from the environment & thus become highly disorganized (entropic)

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closed group

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therapy group that begins & ends with the same membership, & often has a set termination date. impractical for long-term therapy, but commonly used in short-term, task oriented forms of group work

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cognitive restructuring

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a term which refers to therapeutic techniques (RET CBT) that attempt to alter maladaptive faulty though patterns which are believed responsible for maladaptive behavior & emotional disorders

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Cognitive Therapy

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a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that assumes dysfunctional behavior is the result of automatic thoughts, logical errors, & dysfunctional schemata.

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cognitive triad

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Beck's notion that depression is based on negative beliefs about self, future, & world

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cohesiveness

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groups are cohesive in the sense that group members are bonded together b/c of shared goals, expectations, values, experiences, etc. In family therapy, the desired outcome is often increased cohesion. Many therapists believe that family members long for such closeness, & members should support & nurture each other.

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countertransference

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the therapist's unconscious emotional responses toward a client. can interfere with objectivity & must be monitored & controlled by the therapist. when counter transference occurs, the therapist may choose to share this information with the client to aid the therapeutic process

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crisis intervention

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brief & immediate intervention after a trauma or crisis aimed at immediate symptom reduction, strengthening coping mechanisms, & prevention of further psychological breakdowns & dysfunctions.

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defense mechanisms

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from psychoanalysis--characteristics of a person that have become more or less habitual, & serve as a compromise b/w the basic unconscious drive & the prohibitions & inhibitions imposed by society against those drives. serves to keep unacceptable drives unconscious

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types of defense mechanisms

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repression
projection
reaction formation
displacement

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differentiation of self

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Bowen--the relative degree of independence of the self from others in a relationship system

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disengagement

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Minuchin--the psychological isolation that results when there are strong, impenetrable, or rigid boundaries b/w individuals or subsystems in a family

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double-bind

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communications theory; Jay Haley
Conflict created when an individual receives 2 conflicting messages at different levels of abstraction. the messages cancel out each other

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ego

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psychoanalysis
that part of the psychic structure which mediates reality & encompasses all the self-preservative capacities

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ego-analysts

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theorists & practitioners who adopted a modified version of psychoanalysis that places greater emphasis on the role of the ego in personality functioning

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ego states

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transactional analysis--parent, child & adult which are the 3 distinct & independent levels of psychological functioning that we all adopt depending on the circumstances. dysfunctional transactions occur when an interaction designed to elicit a response from a particular ego state evokes a response from a different one

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emic

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a culture is studied from the prospective of the culture itself--a culture sensitive perspective

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emotional cutoff

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Bowen--flight from an unresolved emotional attachment

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empirical criterion keying

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MMPI method of test construction involving selecting items for a test based on their empirically demonstrated ability to distinguish b/w groups

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enactment

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structural family therapy
simulation of transactions that make up family structure. observation followed by attempt to change

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enactment

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structural family therapy
simulation of the family transactions. observation of the transactions followed by an attempt to change them. classic example: eating with anorectic family

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enmeshed boundaries

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Minuchin
diffuse psychological boundaries b/w subsystems & individuals. Results in loss of autonomy & characterized by high degree of resonance & reactivity b/w individuals

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equifinality

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general systems theory--no matter where one enters the system, the patterning will be the same. different causes can produce the same results. therapist studies patterns of behavior & interaction, rather than individual topics

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equipotentiality

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general systems theory. single cause can produce different results.

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etic

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different cultures are studied using universally accepted criteria

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extended family

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2 or more nuclear families affiliated by blood ties over at least 3 generations

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free association

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psychoanalytic therapy
individual expresses whatever comes to mind

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genogram

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schematic diagram of the family system including at least 3 generations. maps recurring patterns of behavior & includes critical events (births, deaths, marriage, divorce)

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healthy cultural paranoia

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normal response of ethnic minorities to oppression & racism

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homeostasis

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irrational fear of homosexuals or homosexuality

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humanistic psychology

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3rd force. (CBT & psychodynamic/ analytic theories)
emphasizes the individual's inherent capacity for growth, creativity, & self- actualization. focus on person's feeling state--once a person becomes aware of his/her feelings, this in itself is freeing & sufficiently therapeutic

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id

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psychoanalysis
the psychic structure that operates according to the "pleasure principle" to gratify immediate instinctual needs

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inferiority complex

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Adler
constellation of feelings beginning in childhood that the person wishes to overcome & by doing so develops particular character formations

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interest inventories

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assessment of person's interests. used mostly in career counseling
Strong
Kuder inventory

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introjection--Object Relations Theory

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form of identification that takes in aspects of other people which subsequently becomes a part of the self-image

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Introjection--Gestalt Therapy

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acceptance of information (values, beliefs, facts) from the environment without true assimilation

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joining

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structural family therapy--therapeutic technique of adopting a family's typical behaviors & patterns of communication. Allows therapist to enter the family system to re-structure

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marginalization

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member of a minority group does not identify strongly with either the minority or mainstream culture

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meta-analysis

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technique assessing a large body of research on 1 dimension by combining studies & comparing outcomes to the outcomes of the summed control groups

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metacommunication

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every message has 2 levels, report & command; metacommunication is the implicit & often non-verbal message (command) commenting on the intent of the verbal statement (report). May support or contradict the primary statement

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mimisis

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imitation. structural family therapist uses imitation to accomodate a family's style, tempo, affective range

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multigenerational transmission process

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extended family systems therapy
the emotional process that occurs in a family whereby varying levels of immaturity are projected to different children; produces various levels of differentiation. escalation of family dysfunction over several generation

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negative feedback

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efforts to recalibrate a system that is in trouble & to resolve that previous state of equilibrium maintains homeostasis

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object-relations therapy

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theory proposes that characteristic modes of relating to others are due to introjects, internalized mental images of significant others, formed during childhood

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open (ended) group

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members join & leave the group at different times. no set # of sessions; no set ending date

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positive feedback

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feedback forces a family into new ways of behaving by making old way of behaving untenable. used to counteract negative feedback

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paradoxical directive

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prescribing the system--encourage a patient to engage in symptomatic behavior

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parallel process

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clinical supervision
therapist in training behaves toward supervisor in ways that mirror how the client is behaving

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parataxic distortions

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cognitive distortions occurring when a person deals w/others as if they were significant persons from early life.
Sullivan--primary cause of maladaptive behavior

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primary process thinking

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psychoanalysis--type of thinking typical of dreams, young children, slips of the tongue. the opposite is 2ndary process thinking--rational thinking

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projective tests

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psychodynamic principles. Rorschach; TAT;
projection of their character onto neutral stimuli

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rational-emotive therapy

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Ellis--type of CBT
maladaptive behavior based on irrational beliefs/thoughts. Emphasis on altering irrational thoughts (I must be perfect; AWFUL;

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reframing

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structural & strategic family therapy
relabel or redefine family's description of a behavior to make it more amenable to intervention/change

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relabeling

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structural family therapy
define symptom in interpersonal terms vs. individual ones. usually involves changing a label from a negative one to a positive one

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resistance

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psychoanalysis--client's reluctance to permit repressed unconscious material from entering consciousness. can materialize as hostility toward therapist, going off on tangents, being late or missing therapy

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scripts

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transactional analysis
life plan developed early in life & includes one's characteristic manner or giving & receiving strokes

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sexual prejudice

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negative attitudes toward a person based on his or her sexual orientation

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solution -focused therapy

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brief therapy
focus on solution to clients' problems rather than focusing on the problems or causes

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stress inoculation

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cbt technique
improves clients' coping skills via education, behavioral rehearsal, imaginal & in-vivo exposure

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strokes

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TA
recognition from others can be + or -

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style of life

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Adler
pattern of behavior manifested by his/her goals, attitudes toward others, manner of coping, etc. A "mistaken style of life" is characterized by a lack of social interest

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symmetrical communication

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equality between partners, but can result in competition & conflict

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complementary communication

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inequality with one partner taking a dominant role & the other a subordinate role

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superego

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psychoanalytic theory
the psychic structure containing parental & societal standards of right & wrong (one's conscious)

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systematic desensitization

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reduce anxiety via pairing of anxiety response with feelings of relaxation.
procedure is imaginable exposure & relaxation training

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therapeutic alliance

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sum total of + feelings the client has toward the work of therapy. Increases likelihood of success.

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therapy outcome studies

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body of research on differences among various treatments for specific disorders & the interactive variables that predict therapy success
e.g. working alliance, therapist variables, patient variables, the interaction effects of therapy-patient

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transference

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client's experience of feelings, attitudes, etc. toward the therapist represents a projection or displacement & repetition of reactions to a significant other in the client's past

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triangulation

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Bowen & Minuchin
rigid triad usually involves 2 parents & a child. parents avoid conflict by involving the child, thereby stabilizing their relationship

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undifferentiated ego mass

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Bowenian family therapy
occurs when egos of individual family members share a common ego boundary. Ego fusion is most intense in less mature (less differentiated) families