Personality And Illness

Front 1

When is the categorical approach to personality descriptions used?

Back 1

This approach probably applies best to situations in which one repeatedly encounters certain similar types of problem people and wants to find a label to describe them.

Front 2

What are cluster A DSM-IV personality disorders?

Back 2

Cluster A (pretty weird folks)
1. Paranoid
2. Schizoid
3. Schizotypal

Front 3

What are cluster B DSM-IV personality disorders?

Back 3

Cluster B (pretty wild folks)
1. Narcissistic
2. Histrionic
3. Borderline
4. Antisocial

Front 4

What are cluster C DSM-IV personality disorders?

Back 4

Cluster C (pretty worried folks)
1. Obsessive Compulsive
2. Avoidant
3. Dependent

Front 5

What is the dimensional approach?

Back 5

Views people as a blend of differing amounts of various traits. This is probably the best approach for trying to define and study the entire spectrum of personalities.

Front 6

What are the five dimensions of personalities?

*the primary colors of personality

Back 6

1. extroversion
2. agreeableness
3. conscientiousness
4. neuroticism
5. openness

Front 7

What are the traits of extroversion?

Back 7

Active, assertive, energetic, enthusiastic, outgoing , talkative

Front 8

What are the traits of agreeableness?

Back 8

Appreciative, forgiving, generous, kind, sympathetic, trusting

Front 9

What are the traits of conscientiousness?

Back 9

Efficient, organized, planful, reliable, responsible, thorough

Front 10

What are the traits of neuroticism?

Back 10

Anxious, self-pitying, tense, touchy, unstable, worrying

Front 11

What are the traits of openness?

Back 11

Artistic, curious, imaginative, insightful, original, wide interests

Front 12

What are the three ways personality can influence disease incidence and outcome?

Back 12

1. The trait pushes toward greater likelihood of involvement in either risky or healthy behaviors

2. The trait increases a person’s negative reactions to stress, leading to an increase in illness related to autonomic hyperarousal or stress

3. The trait impacts how well or poorly the person interacts with the health care system and personnel, affecting the outcome of attempted treatment

Front 13

What is type A behavior?

Back 13

1. Impatience
2. Aggressiveness
3. An intense achievement drive
4. A sense of time urgency
5. A desire for recognition and achievement

Front 14

What part of type A behavior causes increased CAD?

Back 14

Anger and Hostility; these two emotions can trigger malignant arrhythmias.

If you can decrease type A behavior you can decrease the risk of subsequent MIs

Front 15

What is optimism?

Back 15

people with a “stable, generalized expectation that good things will happen” who therefore react to difficulties with an active attempt at problem solving or coping (expecting to be successful).

Front 16

What is pessimism?

Back 16

expecting bad outcomes, would be more likely to respond with passivity or fatalistism.

Front 17

What affect do optimism and pessimism have on mothers, alcoholics, cardiac surgery pts?

Back 17

1. Mothers who score high on scales of optimism have a lower incidence of post-partum depression

2. Alcoholics who score high on scales of optimism have a greater likelihood of successful recovery

3. Cardiac surgery patients who score high on scales of optimism have fewer intra-operative heart attacks and better post-operative recoveries

Front 18

What is an "internal locus of control"?

Back 18

The patient see themselves as in charge of their health

Front 19

What is an "external locus of control"?

Back 19

a) Powerful others - the patient sees powerful others - the doctor, their spouse, boss, etc. as having the key controlling influence over their health
b) Fate - the patient sees their health as being largely in the hands of an uncontrollable larger force or being

Front 20

What affect does the pts view on their locus of control have on their health?

Back 20

but it can affect how he or she interacts with the medical system, and what kind of outcome your attempts at treatment may bring.

Front 21

What affect does neuroticism have on health?

Back 21

Increases self-reports of illness and symptoms. Can be real diseases or just every little thing causes them to report illness.

Front 22

What is the relationship b/e chest pain and neuroticism?

Back 22

A study of patients with chest pain evaluated by coronary angiography found that those who had clean coronary arteries (no atherosclerotic plaques clogging the arteries to indicate actual coronary artery disease) scored higher on Neuroticism and had the same life expectancy as the general public

Front 23

When is a personality disorder diagnosed?

Back 23

1) The personality style is inflexible and maladaptive:
* It impairs work and social relationships.
* It causes significant distress (either in the patient or those around him/her).
2) problem is long-lasting, throughout adulthood
3) global and affects all spheres of life.

Front 24

What is the relationship b/e a personality disorder and health?

Back 24

stroke or ischemic heart disease, w/ a dose effect so the more severe the disorder the higher the risk of stroke and ischemic heart disease.

Front 25

What type of personality disorder that has the highest risk for stroke and ischemic heart disease?

Back 25

Borderline personality disorders where there is a marked instability in relationships and mood. This is b/c of the negative emotional states.

Front 26

When do you learn how to cope w/ stress?

Back 26

When we are little.

Front 27

What is intelligence?

Back 27

An overall competence or "global capacity" that enables an individual to comprehend the world and deal effectively w/ its challenges.

Front 28

What is the mean population IQ?

Back 28

100 +/- 15 s.d.

Front 29

What is the relationship b/e verbal and performance realms on the IQ test?

Back 29

A difference b/e the two IQ scores should be no greater than 15 points, if one is greater it indicates focal brain damage.

*i.e. a verbal IQ score < performance IQ suggests brain damage to language.

Front 30

What is the biopsychosocial model of personality development?

Back 30

There is a raw personality present in babies that is caused by genes or specific brain systems. This raw personality is responsible for how the individual responds to the environment, but the raw personality is malleable and can be modified based on stage of development and life experiences.

*A bi-directional personality response.

Front 31

What is the activity level category of temperament?

Back 31

Level, tempo, and frequency of motor activity

Front 32

What is the rhythmicity category of temperament?

Back 32

Rhythmicity or regularity of repetitive biological functions

Front 33

What is the approach or withdrawal category of temperament?

Back 33

Initial reaction to any new stimulus

Front 34

What is the adaptability category of temperament?

Back 34

Ease of modifying initial response to new or altered situations

Front 35

What is the threshold of response category of temperament?

Back 35

Level of stimulation needed to evoke a discernible response

Front 36

What is the intensity of reaction category of temperament?

Back 36

Energy content of response, regardless of its direction

Front 37

What is the quality of mood category of temperament?

Back 37

Amount of happy vs. unhappy behavior

Front 38

What is the distractability category of temperament?

Back 38

Effectiveness of environmental stimuli in altering ongoing behavior

Front 39

What is the attention span/persistence category of temperament?

Back 39

Length of time an activity is pursued and tendency to continue an activity in the face of obstacles

Front 40

What affect do child temperament styles have on adult temperament?

Back 40

They correlate strongly w/ adult personality traits and styles of interpersonal functioning.

Front 41

What is more important than a child's temperament when considering how at risk they are for a emotional/behavioral problem?

Back 41

More important than the child’s individual set of temperamental traits is the Goodness of Fit with his or her parents’ personalities and expectations. A poor fit increases risk of later behavioral disturbances.

Front 42

When does attachment begin?

Back 42

In the first hours to days of life, infants can engage in reciprocal interactions which are the foundational vehicle of attachment development

Front 43

What does a healthy stable attachment in an infant require?

Back 43

1. sufficient contact with a mothering person
2. ability to distinguish the mother figure from other people
3. some realization that the person continues to exist even when not present

Front 44

What are the long term affects of separation from a parent when a child?

Back 44

1) Brief separations were benign
2) More prolonged separations produced:
a) growing hopelessness, monotonous crying, inactivity, withdrawal
b) eventual apathy even if the mother reappears

Front 45

What is the worst-case scenario for a person in later life when there is traumatic prolonged separation from a mother?

Back 45

a) severe withdrawal
b) little or no speech
c) cessation of eating
d) in some cases, death

Front 46

What are the effects of classical conditioning on personality?

Back 46

This type of conditioning results in the formation of a connection between a stimulus and an autonomic response or other reflex.

Front 47

What is a unconditioned stimulus in classical conditioning?

Back 47

The original encounter to a stimulus (needle puncture in a child, before the puncture the child is not afraid of the needle or the doctor. After the child is stuck it provokes a unconditioned response (crying) to the pain of the needle stick.

Front 48

What is a conditioned stimulus in classical conditioning?

Back 48

The next time the child sees a doctor or a needle he will begin crying even before being stuck because he is afraid, a conditioned response.

Front 49

What is extincition in classical conditioning?

Back 49

A conditioned stimulus loses its power to elicit a conditioned response if it is no longer paired w/ the unconditioned stimulus.

Front 50

What is generalization in classical conditioning?

Back 50

Once a conditioned stimulus has been established, similar stimuli can also elicit the conditioned response

Front 51

What is conditioning by environment cues?

Back 51

When a pt starts crying when carried into the hospital even though they will not see a needle or a doctor but are just visiting their dad. Or a person trying to abstain from alcohol will crave it more if he walks into a familiar bar or sees his old drinking buddies.

Front 52

What is operant conditioning?

Back 52

changes behavior by manipulating the type of consequence which the behavior elicits. Uses positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

Front 53

What is positive reinforcement?

Back 53

Reward! something valued or necessary is presented following a desired behavior.

*if you go to swim practice all week you get a doughnut on friday.

Front 54

What is negative reinforcement?

Back 54

Relief! after a desired response occurs, an unpleasant (aversive) stimulus is removed.

*if you take these pills your HTN will go away and your discomfort will stop.

Front 55

What is positive punishment?

Back 55

an unpleasant stimulus is presented following an undesired behavior (e.g., a patient is reprimanded for smoking)--known as aversive conditioning

Front 56

What is negative punishment?

Back 56

something valued or necessary is removed following an undesired behavior (e.g., a patient is not seen for an appointment when he/she arrives more than 15 minutes late)

Front 57

Why is punishment not always effective?

Back 57

1) Engenders resentment
2) Does not point the learner toward desirable alternative behaviors
3) Sometimes can be positively reinforcing when the attention given outweighs the unpleasantness of the stimulus

Front 58

What does the effectiveness of the reinforcer or punishment depend on?

Back 58

1) Reinforcer must be presented contingently
2) Most effective procedure is immediate presentation of the reinforcer after the behavior has occurred
3) Reinforcer must remain potent to be effective--too much can result in satiation

Front 59

How do you shape the development of behavior in people and pets?

Back 59

1) Identify the new behavior to be learned and reinforce any behavior that approximates that.

2) Then begin differentially reinforcing behaviors that come closer and closer to desired behavior - called method of successive approximations or shaping

Front 60

What is "the Unconscious"?

Back 60

it sounds deep and mysterious, but it really just means aspects of our motivations and mental functioning which are out of our current awareness

Front 61

What are dynamics in personality?

Back 61

used quite broadly to refer to the mostly unconscious forces or desires (especially those stemming from early life relationships) which influence how we react and behave.

Front 62

What is the tripartite psychic system?

Back 62

The id, Ego and Superego

Front 63

What is the Id?

Back 63

Collection of the instinctual drives, primarily sexual and aggressive. It is invested with an energy that presses for gratification of those instincts.

*It is the devil on your shoulder.

Front 64

What is Superego?

Back 64

split off portion of the Ego that represents the ethical and aesthetic demands of society internalized by the individual. Creates guilt.

*The angel on your shoulder

Front 65

What is the ego?

Back 65

The agency that mediates between the instinctual demands of the Id and the limits of the external world.

Front 66

How does the ego inhibit the strivings of the id?

Back 66

By exercising defense mechanisms.

Front 67

What is the purpose of personality defense mechanisms?

Back 67

They allow impulses to be expressed in a socially acceptable manner.

Front 68

What is the most basic defense mechanism?

Back 68

repression or involuntary exclusion of memories associated w/ unacceptable feelings.

Front 69

What are the psychosexual developmental stages?

Back 69

1. oral stage - 0-18mos
2. anal stage - 18mos-3years
3. phallic (oedipal) stage - 3 years to 5/6years
4. latency stage - 5/6years to 11/13 years
5. genital stage - 11/13 years - young adult

Front 70

What is the purpose of the psychosexual developmental stages and development of defense mechanisms and personality?

Back 70

specific personality traits and typical defense mechanisms become evident according to how successfully the individual has negotiated each of the first 3 stages

Front 71

What is fixation?

Back 71

occurs if one receives too little or too much gratification at any one stage. The individual retains a disproportionate number of personality characteristics from that state and over-relies on the defense mechanisms characteristic of that stage.

Front 72

What does the outcome of a stressful event depend on?

Back 72

The event and the person's response to the event.

Front 73

How do defense mechanisms help someone cope?

Back 73

1. Alter the perception of the relationship b/e oneself and another ("you are better off without her")
2. Dampen awareness to disturbing input
3. allow a period of respite

Front 74

What are primitive/immature defense mechanisms?

Back 74

Ones which are maladaptive and must distort reality to cope.

Front 75

What are mature defense mechanisms?

Back 75

do not distort reality

Front 76

What is the relationship b/e defense mechanisms and problem encounters?

Back 76

the fewer and more immature a person’s usual repertoire of defenses is, the more interpersonal problems the person encounters and causes.

Front 77

How do you deal with difficult people?

Back 77

By realizing the purpose of the defense mechanism is to hold fear and anger at bay. The best way to deal with people is not to challenge their defense mechanism but to respond with EMPATHY.

Front 78

What personality traits are more likely to cause people to be able to adapt and be successful problem solvers?

Back 78

1. optimism
2. low neuroticism
3. internal locus of control

Front 79

What is the relationship b/e religious people and non-religious people and their defense mechanisms?

Back 79

Religious commitment has a protective effect - those with higher religious commitment have a lower incidence of physical and mental health problems

Front 80

What is the Splitting defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 80

Classifying all people as “all good” or “all bad” (angels or devils, rescuers or persecutors)

Primitive/immature

Front 81

What is the externaliation of blame defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 81

Consistently seeing the fault for one’s difficulties as residing in others, not oneself.

*Primitive/Immature

Front 82

What is the rationalization defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 82

To ascribe one’s actions to causes which superficially seem reasonable but actually serve to shield one from responsibility and from facing the actual cause.

primitive/immature

Front 83

What is the passive-aggressive behavior defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 83

Aggression toward others expressed indirectly through passivity.

primitive/immature

Front 84

What is the acting out defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 84

Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse in order to avoid facing or dealing with the emotions or ideas that accompany it.

primitive/immature

Front 85

What is the projection defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 85

A process whereby the individual ascribes their own unacceptable thoughts, desires, or behaviors to others.

Front 86

What is the denial defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 86

A process in which unacceptable impulses and associated ideas reach awareness but their implications are rejected or denied.

primitive/immature

Front 87

What is the displacement defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 87

The redirection of uncomfortable feelings toward a relatively less important object than the person or situation arousing the feelings.

neurotic/intermediate

Front 88

What is the reaction formation defense mechanism?immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 88

The manifestation of behavior that is directly opposite to unconscious unacceptable feelings and attitudes.

neurotic/intermediate

Front 89

What is the intellectualization defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 89

The control of emotions and impulses by way of thinking about them, instead of experiencing them.

neurotic/intermediate

Front 90

What is the repression defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 90

Involuntary expelling or withholding from conscious awareness of an unacceptable idea or feeling.

neurotic/intermediate

Front 91

What is the altruism defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 91

Vicarious but constructive and instinctually gratifying service to others.

mature

Front 92

What is the humor defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 92

Overt expression of feelings without individual discomfort or immobilization and without unpleasant effect on others.

mature

Front 93

What is the suppression defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 93

The capacity to hold all components of a conflict in mind and then to postpone action, emotional response, or worrying. *not to completely repress but to wait a few days before responding.

Mature

Front 94

What is the sublimation defense mechanism? immature (primitive)/neurotic (intermediate)/ mature?

Back 94

Channeling an unacceptable, unsatisfied impulse into a socially acceptable activity.

mature