Behavioural, Emotional, Cognitive Characteristics

• Behavioural - phobias


  panic -> may involve crying, screaming or running away

  avoidance -> avoiding phobic stimulus

  endurance -> a sufferer remains in the phobia but continues to experience high anxiety
• Emotional - phobias


  anxiety -> emotional response to fear

  emotional responses are unreasonable -> e.g. strong emotional responses to a small spider
• Cognitive - phobias


  selective attention to the phobic stimulus -> if they see it, they focus on the phobia

  irrational beliefs -> may hold irrational beliefs in relation to phobic stimuli

  cognitive distortions -> perceptions may be distorted e.g. ophidiophobic people may see snakes as alien + aggressive looking
• Behavioural - depression


  activity levels -> typically have reduced levels of energy

  disruption to sleep + eating behaviour -> reduced or increased

  aggression + self harm -> can become verbally or physically aggressive
• Emotional - depression


  lowered mood -> feeling sad

  anger -> sufferers tend to experience more negative emotions + fewer positive ones

  lowered self-esteem -> emotional experience of how much we like ourselves
• Cognitive - depression


  poor concentration - unable to stick to a task

  attending to and dwelling on the negative -> when suffering a depressive episode, people are inclined to pay more attention to negative aspects

  absolutist thinking -> most thinking aren't all-good and all-bad
• Behavioural - OCD


  compulsions -> to be repetitive or to reduce anxiety

  avoidance -> attempt to reduce anxiety by keeping away from situations that trigger it
• Emotional - OCD


  anxiety + distress -> thoughts are frightening and unpleasant

  accompanying depression -> OCD is often accompanies by depression - low mood, lack of enjoyment

  guilt and disgust -> OCD often involves other negative emotions such as irrational guilt
• Cognitive - OCD


  obsessive thoughts -> thoughts that recur over and over again

  cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions -> adopting coping strategies

  insight into excessive anxiety -> sufferers are aware their obsessions and compulsions are irrational
• Definition of OCD


  condition characterised by obsessions (recurring thoughts) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviours). obsessions are cognitive and compulsions are behavioural

  e.g. excoriation disorder - skin pulling/picking
• Definition of Depression


  a mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels
• Definition of Phobia


  irrational fear of an object or situation