psychopathology

Created by

Bicepking

Cards (43)

whats a phobia ?
an anxiety disorder
this fear is disproportionate
its considered irrational
the avoidance behaviour is maladaptive
behavioural characteristics of phobias ?
avoidance (maladaptive)
panic (disproportionate reactions like crying screaming freezing fainting)
emotional characteristics of phobias?
fear (its irrational as its persistent and is typically disproportionate )
anxiety (its maladaptive as they have a feeling of worry even when not in the presence)
cognitive characteristics of phobias?
thoughts of endangerment (irrational and exaggerated)
recognition of excessiveness (they realise its disproportionate but nothing changes)
what does the two process model suggest ?
phobias are acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning
what does classical conditioning explain?
the acquisition and development of a phobia
what does operant conditioning explain ?
the maintenance of a phobia
How is maintenance of a phobia done ?
negative reinforcement by avoiding their phobic stimulus making them more likely to repeat this
making fear extinction unlikely
How is acquisition of a phobia done?
association of an unconditional stimulus that triggers an unconditional response of fear
Outline the 2 process model? 
Phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
association of neutral stimulus with unconditional stimulus produces unco response of fear
negative reinforcement
individual will keep avoiding phobic stimulus so fear extinction is unlikely
explain the little Albert study ?
infant developed a phobia of a rat (neutral) from a loud sound being made whenever he was near the rat (unconditioned stimulus) causing fear (unconditioned response) Albert paired the noise and the rat causing a conditioned response to the rat
Strengths for the 2 process model ?
supporting evidence (little Albert study)
effective ways of treating phobias (systematic desensitisation and flooding)
Limitations of the 2 process model ?
Contradictory evidence (not everyone who’s exposed to a traumatic experience develops a phobia e.g dogs
the model also ignores cognitive factors)
focuses on nurture (not all phobias are triggered by a traumatic experience e.g evolutionary advantageous argument)
What do systematic desensitisation and flooding aim to do ?
counter condition a persons phobia by helping them associate phobic stimulus with relaxation
What happens in systematic desensitisation ?
gradual processes of counterconditioning
relaxation techniques (deep breathing or drugs)
anxiety hierarchy (ranking situations from least to most fearful and working their way up the list)
What happens in flooding ?
client is immediately exposed to their worst Fear preventing negative reinforcing behaviours allowing fear extinction to take place
this can be done in vivo or vitro
Strengths of behavioural approach to treating phobias ?
supported effectiveness (75% are successfulKT treated with SD and most people respond well to in vivo flooding although has higher dropout rates)
A strength of SD?
unlikely to cause unnecessary distress(gradual rather than immediate and the client is in control so suffers lower drop out rates)
More appropriate for vulnerable clients(gradual exposure and avoids the possibility of immediate exposure causing trauma)
Strength of flooding ?
More cost effective (involves immediate exposure so therapists don’t have to keep being used meaning it takes less time and money from health services)
Limitations of the behavioural approach to treating phobias ?
restrictive (SD and flooding cant be used to treat evolutionary phobias as it could be life endangering)
Use of drugs( drugs are often used during the therapies meaning that it may be the drugs that are effective not the treatment )
What’s depression ?
Mood disorder
What is depression characterised by ?
low mood for most of the day for at least 2 weeks
diminished pleasure in activities
low slef esteem
poor concentration
decrease in sexual activity
insomnia and hypersomnia
eating more or less
Behavioural characteristics of depression ? 
change in sleep patterns (insomnia or hypersomnia)
change in eating habits (eating more or less)
Emotional characteristics of depression ?
a depressed mood (for at least 2 weeks)
diminished pleasure in activities
Cognitive characteristics of depression ?
low self esteem or schemas (thinking they’re unlovable or incompetent or negative views about the world)
poor concentration
What are the two explanations of the cognitive approach to depression ?
Becks negative triad
Ellis's ABC model
What is becks negative triad ?
people with depression have negative schemas from negative past experiences which result in cognitive biases
selective perception
magnification
overgeneralisation
these maintain a negative triad
What is selective perception ?
focusing on the negative aspects of situations ignoring the positives
What is overgeneralisation ?
expecting the same negative outcome for all future experiences
What is magnification ?
Exaggerating the negative consequences of an event
What is Ellis’s ABC model ? 
A sequence on how depression is thought to develop
it involves
A activating event
B irrational belies
C negative consequences
Mustabatory thinking is the source of irrational beliefs
What are mustabatory thoughts ?
the beliefs that that something MUST be true or happen for an individual to be happy e.g getting a job
not having this come true leads to negative emotions
Strengths for the cognitive explanations for depression ?
practical applications (led to CBT and was effective at treating depression)
reduces feelings of hopelessness (people have more power over their depression due to them being able to control it)
Limitations of depression ?
fails to explain each case of depression (exogenous starts from an event endogenous is random and has a possible biological cause)
Thought process lead to depression (people with depression may feel blamed and make it worse and depression can be a biological cause out of their reach)
difficult to establish cause and effect (not clear if negative thinking is a cause or a consequenc)
Evaluation for cognitive explanation for depression ?
negative irrational thinking leads to depression
becks negative triad (negative schemas cognitive bias selective perception overgeneralisation magnification)
Ellis's ABC model (activating event irrational belief negative consequences mustabatory thinking is the source)
what is cbt ?
a talking therapy that involves the therapist and client working together to identify the client’s irrational thoughts and developing them into more rational thoughts
What are the steps of cbt?
identify irrational thoughts through thought catching and diary records
cognitive restructuring
client as scientist homework tasks
What happens in thought catching ?
Involves identifying the individuals irrational thoughts through diaries or therapy
What happens during cognitive restructuring ?
the client and therapist discuss alternative ways of thinking that are more accurate realistic and helpful
What happens during the client as scientist homework tasks ?
involves the client testing their negative thoughts and evaluating the evidence for them without the guidance of a therapist