Abnormal Psychology By James Butcher, Susan Mineka, Jill Hooley, Ch1-4

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Abnormal Psychology

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is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder.

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Family aggregation

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Whether a disorder runs in families

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Why is abnormality so difficult to define?

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Culture plays a role in determining what is and is not abnormal.

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What characteristics help us recognize abnormality?

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suffering
Maladaptiveness
Statistical Deviancy
Violation of the standard of society
social discomfort
irrationality and unpredictability
dangerousness

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What is stigma?

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unwanted social or occupational consequences or discrimination. Ex: negative attitudes toward the mentally ill.

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Retrospective research

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involves collecting information back in time

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prospective research

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involves looking ahead in time

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longitudinal design

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a study that follows people over time

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Prevalence

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refers to the number of active cases in a population during any given period of time. It is used as an estimate of how common a disease is within a population over a certain period of time. Ex: what is the % of children having chickenpox during 2000-2005?

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Epidemiology

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the study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health related behaviors in a given population

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lifetime prevalence

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refers to an estimate of the number of people who have had a particular disorder at anytime in their lives .

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psychoneuroimmunology

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study of the interactions between the immune system and the nervous system and the influence of these factors on behavior

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stress

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effects created within an organism by the application of a stressor

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posttraumatic stress disorder

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disorder that occurs following an extreme traumatic event in which a person re-experiences the event, avoids reminders of the trauma, and exhibits persistent increased arousal

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humanistic perspective

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approach to understanding abnormal behavior that views basic human nature as good and emphasizes peoples inherent capacity for growth and self actualization

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cognitive behavioral perspectives

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a theory of abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to maladaptive emotions and behavior

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anxiety disorders

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an unrealistic, irrational fear or anxiety of disabling intensity. It is a blanket term covering several different forms of a type of mental illness of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety.

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agoraphobia

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fear of being in places or situations where a panic attack may occur and from which escape would be physically impossible or immediate help is unavailable

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generalized anxiety disorder

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Chronic excessive worry about a number of events or activities with no specific threat present

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somatoform disorders

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conditions involving physical complains or disabilities that occur without any evidence of physical pathology to account for them

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conversion disorder

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pattern which symptoms of some physical malfunction or loss of control appear without any underling organic pathology originally called hysteria

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anorexia nervosa

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intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat coupled with refusal to maintain adequate nutrition and with severe loss of body weight

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bulimia nervosa

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frequent occurrence of binge eating, purging causing weight loss

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alcoholism

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dependence on alcohol that seriously interferes with life adjustment

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correlation research

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examines factors as they currently are

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experimental research

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involves manipulating one variable (independent) and observing the effect it produces of another variable (dependent).

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classical conditioning

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a basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response

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operant (instrumental) conditioning

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form of learning in which if a particular response is reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on similar occasions

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behavioral perspective

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a viewpoint organized around the theme that learning is central in determining human behavior

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behaviorism

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the study of overt behavior

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mental disorder

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a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture.