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PSYCH EXAM III
from textbook
179
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
11/15/2008

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Term
Personality
Definition
An individual's characteristic style of behaving, thinking, and feeling
Term
Self-report
Definition
A series of answers to a questionnaire that asks people to indicate the extent to which sets of statements or adjectives accurately describe their own behavior or mental state
Term
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
Definition
A well-researched, clinical questionnaire used to assess personality and psychological problems
Term
Projective techniques
Definition
A standard series of ambiguous stimuli designed to elicit unique responses that reveal inner aspects of an individual's personality
Term
Rorschach Inkblot test
Definition
A projective personality test in which individual interpretations of the meaning of a set of unstructured inkblots are analyzed to identify a respondent's inner feelings and interpret his or her personality structure
Term
Thematic Apperception test
Definition
A projective personality test in which respondents reveal underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the world through the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people
Term
Trait
Definition
A relatively stable disposition to behave in a particular and consistent way
Term
Big Five
Definition
The traits of the five-factor model: conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion
Term
Psychodynamic Approach
Definition
An approach that regards personality as formed by the needs, strivings, and desires, largely operating outside of awareness - motives that can also produce emotional disorders
Term
Dynamic Unconscious
Definition
An active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, the person's deepest instincts and desires, and the person's inner struggle to control these forces
Term
Id
Definition
The part of the mind containing the drives present at birth; it is the source of our bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses, particularly our sexual and aggressive drives
Term
Pleasure Principle
Definition
The psychic force that motivates the tendency to seek immediate gratification of any impulse
Term
Ego
Definition
The component of personality, developed through contact with the external world, that enables us to deal with life's practical demands
Term
Reality Principle
Definition
The regulating mechanism that enables the individual to delay gratifying immediate needs and function effectively in the real world
Term
Superego
Definition
The mental system that reflects the internalization of cultural rules, mainly learned as parents exercise their authority
Term
Defense Mechanisms
Definition
Unconscious coping mechanisms that reduce anxiety generated by threats from unacceptable impulses
Term
Rationalization
Definition
A defense mechanism that involves supplying a reasonable-sounding explanation for unacceptable feelings and behavior to conceal (mostly from oneself) one's underlying motives or feelings
Term
Reaction Formation
Definition
A defense mechanism that involves unconsciously replacing threatening inner wishes and fantasies with an exaggerated version of the opposite
Term
Projection
Definition
A defense mechanism that involves attributing one's own threatening feelings, motives, or impulses to another person or group
Term
Regression
Definition
A defense mechanism in which the ego deals with internal conflict and perceived threat by reversing to an immature behavior or earlier stage of development
Term
Displacement
Definition
A defense mechanism that involves shifting unacceptable wishes or drives to a neutral or less-threatening alternative
Term
Identification
Definition
A defense mechanism that helps deal with feelings of threat and anxiety by enabling us unconsciously to take on the characteristics of another person who seems more powerful or better able to cope
Term
Sublimation
Definition
A defense mechanism that involves channeling unacceptable sexual or aggressive drives into socially acceptable and culturally enhancing activities
Term
Psychological Stages
Definition
Distinct early life stages through which personality is formed as children experience sexual pleasures from specific body areas and caregivers redirect or interfere with those pleasures
Term
Fixation
Definition
A phenomenon in which a person's pleasure-seeking drives become psychologically 'stuck' or arrested at a a particular stage
Term
Oral Stage
Definition
The first psychosexual stage, in which experience centers on pleasures and frustrations associated with the mouth, sucking, and being fed
Term
Anal Stage
Definition
The second psychosexual stage, which is dominated by teh pleasures and frustrations associated with the anus, retention and expulsion of feces and urine, and toilet training
Term
Phallic Stage
Definition
The third psychosexual stage, during which experience is dominated by the pleasure, conflict, and frustration associated with the phallic-genital region as well as powerful incestuous feelings of love, jealousy, hate, and conflict
Term
Oedipus Conflict
Definition
A developmental experience in which a child's conflicting feelings toward the opposite-sex parent is (usually) resolved by identifying with the same-sex parent
Term
Latency Stage
Definition
The fourth psychosexual stage, in which the primary focus is on the further development of intellectual, creative, interpersonal, and athletic skills
Term
Genital Stage
Definition
The final psychosexual stage, a time for the coming together of the mature adult personality with a capacity to love, work, and relate to others in a mutually satisfying and reciprocal manner
Term
Self-actualizing tendency
Definition
The human motive toward realizing our inner potential
Term
Unconditional Positive Regard
Definition
An attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance toward another person
Term
Existential Approach
Definition
A school of thought that regards personality as governed by an individual's ongoing choices and decisions in the context of the realities of life and death
Term
Social Cognitive Approach
Definition
An approach that views personality in terms of how the person thinks about the situations encountered in daily life and behaves in response to them
Term
Person-situation Controversy
Definition
The question of whether behavior is caused more by personality or by situational factors
Term
Personal Constructs
Definition
Dimensions people use in making sense of their experiences
Term
Outcome Expectancies
Definition
A person's assumptions about the likely consequences of a future behavior
Term
Locus of Control
Definition
A person's tendency to perceive the control of rewards as internal to the self or external in the environment
Term
Self-Concept
Definition
A person's explicit knowledge of his or her own behaviors, traits, and other personal characteristics
Term
Self-verification
Definition
The tendency to seek evidence to confirm the self-concept
Term
Self-esteem
Definition
The extent to which an individual likes, values, and accepts the self
Term
Self-serving Bias
Definition
People's tendency to take credit for their successes but downplay responsibility for their failures
Term
Narcissism
Definition
A trait that reflects a grandiose view of the self combined with a tendency to seek admiration from and exploit others
Term
Medical Model
Definition
The conceptualization of psychological abnormalities as diseases that, like biological diseases, have symptoms and causes and possible cures
Term
DSM-IV-TR
Definition
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision). A classification system that describes the features used to diagnose each recognizable mental disorder and indicates how the disorder can be distinguished from other, similar problems
Term
Comorbidity
Definition
The co-occurance of two or more disorders in a single individual
Term
Diathesis-Stress Model
Definition
Suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress
Term
Anxiety Disorder
Definition
The class of mental disorder in which anxiety is the predominant feature
Term
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Definition
A disorder characterized by chronic excessive worry accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance
Term
Phobic Disorders
Definition
Disorders characterized y marked, persistent, and excessive fear and avoidance of specific objects, activities, or situations
Term
Specific Phobia
Definition
A disorder that involves and irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual's ability to function
Term
Social Phobia
Definition
A disorder that involves an irrational fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed
Term
Preparedness Theory
Definition
The idea that people are instinctively predisposed toward certain fears
Term
Panic Disorder
Definition
A disorder characterized by the sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physiological symptoms that contribute to a feeling of stark terror
Term
Agoraphobia
Definition
An extreme fear of venturing into public places
Term
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Definition
A disorder in which repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) designed to fend off those thoughts interfere significantly with an individual's functioning
Term
Dissociatve Disorder
Definition
A condition in which normal cognitive processes are severely disjointed and fragmented, creating significant disruptions in memory awareness, or personality that can vary in lengths from a matter of minutes to many years
Term
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Definition
The presence within an individual of two or more distinct identities that at different times take control of the individual's behavior
Term
Dissociative Amnesia
Definition
The sudden loss of memory for significant personal information
Term
Dissociative Fugue
Definition
The sudden loss of memory for one's personal history, accompanied by an abrupt departure from home and the assumption of a new identity
Term
Mood disorders
Definition
Mental disorders that have mood disturbance as their predominant feature
Term
Major Depressive Disorder
Definition
A disorder characterized by a severely depressed mood that lasts 2 weeks or more and is accompanied by feelings of worthlessness and lack of pleasure, lethargy, and sleep and appetite disturbances
Term
Dysthymia
Definition
A disorder that involves the same symptoms as in depression only less severe, but the symptoms last longer, persisting for at least 2 years
Term
Double Depression
Definition
A moderately depressed mood that persists for at least 2 years and is punctuated by periods of major depression
Term
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Definition
Depression that involves recurrent depressive episodes in a seasonal pattern
Term
Helplessness Theory
Definition
The idea that individuals who are prone to depression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that are internal (ie: their own fault), stable (ie: unlikely to change), and global (ie: widespread)
Term
Bipolar Disorder
Definition
An unstable emotional condition characterized by cycles of abnormal, persistent high mood (mania) and low mood (depression).
Term
Schizophrenia
Definition
A disorder characterized by the profound disruption of basic psychological processes; a distorted perception of reality; altered or blunted emotion; and disturbances in thought, motivation, and behavior
Term
Delusion
Definition
A patently false belief system, often bizarre and grandiose, that is maintained in spite of its irrationality
Term
Hallucination
Definition
A false perceptual experience that has a compelling sense of being real despite the absence of external stimulation
Term
Disorganized Speech
Definition
A severe disruption of verbal communication in which ideas shift rapidly and incoherently from one to another unrelated topic
Term
Grossly Disorganized Behavior
Definition
Behavior that is inappropriate for the situation or ineffective in attaining goals often with specific motor disturbances
Term
Catatonic Behavior
Definition
A marked decrease in all movement or an increase in muscular rigidity and overactivity
Term
Negative Symptoms
Definition
Emotional and social withdrawal; apathy; poverty of speech; and other indications of the absence or insufficiency of normal behavior, motivation, and emotion
Term
Dopamine Hypothesis
Definition
The idea that schizophrenia involves an excess of dopamine activity
Term
Expressed Emotion
Definition
Emotional overinvolvement (intrusiveness) and excessive criticism directed toward the former patient by his or her family
Term
Personality Disorder
Definition
Disorder characterized by deeply ingrained, inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others or controlling impulses that cause distress or impaired functioning
Term
Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)
Definition
A pervasive pattern of disregard for a violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood
Term
Psychotherapy
Definition
An interaction between a therapist and someone suffering from a psychological problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem
Term
Eclectic Psychotherapy
Definition
Treatment that draws on techniques from different forms of therapy, depending on the client and the problem
Term
Psychodynamic Psychotherapies
Definition
A general approach to treatment that explores childhood events and encourages individuals to develop insights into their psychological problems
Term
Resistance
Definition
A reluctance to cooperate with treatment for fear of confronting unpleasant unconscious material
Term
Transference
Definition
An event that occurs in psychoanalysis when the analyst begins to assume a major significance in the client's life and the client reacts to the analyst based on unconscious childhood fantasies
Term
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Definition
A form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping clients improve current relationships
Term
Behavior Theory
Definition
A type of therapy that assumes that disordered behavior is learned and that symptom relief is achieved through changing overt maladaptive behaviors into more constructive behaviors
Term
Aversion Therapy
Definition
A form of behavior therapy that uses positive punishment to reduce the frequency of an undesirable behavior
Term
Token Economy
Definition
A form of behavior therapy in which clients are given 'tokens' for desired behaviors, which they can later trade for rewards
Term
Exposure Therapy
Definition
An approach to treatment that involves confronting an emotion-arousing stimulus directly and repeatedly, ultimately leading to a decrease in the emotional response
Term
Systematic Desensitization
Definition
A procedure in which a client relaxes all the muscles of his or her body while imagining being in increasingly frightening situations
Term
Cognitive Therapy
Definition
A form of psychotherapy that involves helping a client identify and correct any distorted thinking about self, others or the world
Term
Cognitive Restructuring
Definition
A therapeutic approach that teaches clients to question the automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions that often lead to negative emotions and to replace negative thinking with more realistic and positive beliefs
Term
Mindfulness Meditation
Definition
A form of cognitive therapy that teaches an individual to be fully present in each moment; to be aware of his or her thoughts feelings, and sensations; and to detect symptoms before they become a problem
Term
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Definition
A blend of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic strategies
Term
Person-centered Therapy
Definition
An approach to therapy that assumes all individuals have a tendency toward growth and that this growth can be facilitated by acceptance and genuine reactions from the therapist
Term
Gestalt Therapy
Definition
An existentialist approach to treatment with the goal of helping the client become aware of his or her thoughts, behaviors, experiences, and feelings and to "own" or take responsibility for them
Term
Group Therapy
Definition
Therapy in which multiple participants (who often do not know one another at the outset) work on their individual problems in a group atmosphere
Term
Antipsychotic Drugs
Definition
Medications that are used to treat schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders
Term
Psychopharmacology
Definition
The study of drug effects on psychological states and symptoms
Term
Anti-anxiety Medications
Definition
Drugs that help reduce a person's experience of fear or anxiety
Term
Anti-depressants
Definition
A class of drugs that help lift people's mood
Term
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Definition
A treatment that involves placing a powerful pulsed magnet over a person's scalp, which alters activity in the brain
Term
Phototherapy
Definition
A treatment for seasonal depression that involves repeated exposure to bright light
Term
Psychosurgery
Definition
Surgical destruction of specific brain areas
Term
Placebo
Definition
An inert substance or procedure that has been applied with the expectation that a healing response will be produced
Term
Iatrogenic Illness
Definition
A disorder or symptom that occurs as a result of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment
Term
Stressors
Definition
Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person's well-being
Term
Stress
Definition
The physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors
Term
Health Psychology
Definition
The subfield of psychology concerned with ways psychological factors influence the causes and treatment of physical illness and the maintenance of health
Term
Chronic Stresor
Definition
A source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly
Term
Fight-or-Flight Response
Definition
An emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action
Term
General Adaptation Syndrome
Definition
A three-stage physiological response that appears regardless of the stressor that is encountered
Term
Immune System
Definition
A complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances
Term
Lymphocytes
Definition
White blood cells that produce antibodies that fight infection
Term
Type A Behavior Pattern
Definition
The tendency toward easily aroused hostility, impatience, a sense of time urgency, and competitive achievement strivings
Term
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Definition
A psychological disorder characterized by chronic physiological arousal, recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma, and avoidance of things that call the trauma to mind
Term
Burnout
Definition
A state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in a n emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation
Term
Repressive Coping
Definition
Avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint
Term
Rational Coping
Definition
Facing a stressor and working to overcome it
Term
Reframing
Definition
Finding a neww or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat
Term
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)
Definition
A therapy that helps people to cope with stressful situations by developing positive ways to think about the situation
Term
Relaxation Therapy
Definition
A technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body
Term
Relaxation Response
Definition
A condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure
Term
Biofeedback
Definition
The use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function
Term
Social Support
Definition
The aid gained through interacting with others
Term
Placebo Effect
Definition
A clinically significant psychological or physiological response to a therapeutically inert substance or procedure
Term
Psychosomatic Illness
Definition
An interaction between mind and body that can produce illness
Term
Somatoform Disorders
Definition
The set of psychological disorders in which the person displays physical symptoms not fully explained by a general medical condition
Term
Hypochondriasis
Definition
A psychological disorder in which a person is preoccupied with minor symptoms and develops an exaggerated belief that the symptoms signify a life-threatening illness
Term
Somatization Disorder
Definition
A psychological disorder involving combinations of multiple physical complaints with no medical explanation
Term
Conversion Disorder
Definition
A disorder characterized by apparently debilitating physical symptoms that appear to be voluntary - but that the person experiences as involuntary
Term
Sick Role
Definition
A socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness
Term
Self-regulation
Definition
The exercise of voluntary control over the self to bring the self into line with preferred standards
Term
Aggression
Definition
Behavior whose purpose is to harm another
Term
Frustration-Aggression Principle
Definition
A principle stating that people aggress when their goals are thwarted
Term
Cooperation
Definition
Behavior by two or more individuals that leads to mutual benefit
Term
Altruism
Definition
Behavior that benefits another without benefiting oneself
Term
Kin Selection
Definition
The process by which evolution selects for genes that cause individuals to provide benefits to their relatives
Term
Reciprocal Altruism
Definition
Behavior that benefits another with the expectation that those benefits will be returned in the future
Term
Group
Definition
A collection of two or more people who believe they have something in common
Term
Prejudice
Definition
A positive or negative evaluation of another person based on their group membership
Term
Discrimination
Definition
Positive or negative behavior toward another person based on their group membership
Term
In-Group
Definition
A human category of which a person is a member
Term
Out-Group
Definition
A human category of which a person is not a member
Term
Deindividuation
Definition
A phenomenon that occurs when immersion in a group causes people to become less aware of their individual values
Term
Social Loafing
Definition
The tendency for people to expend less effort when in a group than alone
Term
Bystander Intervention
Definition
The act of helping strangers in an emergency situation
Term
Diffusion of Responsibility
Definition
The tendency for individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when they are surrounded by others who are acting the same way
Term
Group Polarization
Definition
The tendency for a group's initial leaning to get stronger over time
Term
Mere Exposure Effect
Definition
The tendency for linking to increase with the frequency of exposure
Term
Passionate Love
Definition
An experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy, and intense sexual attraction
Term
Companionate Love
Definition
An experience involving affection, trust, and concern for a partner's well-being
Term
Social Exchange
Definition
The hypothesis that people remain in relationships only as long as they perceive a favorable ratio of costs to benefits
Term
Comparison Level
Definition
The cost-benefit ratio that people believe they deserve or could attain in another relationship
Term
Equity
Definition
A state of affairs in which the cost-benefit ratios of two partners are roughly equal
Term
Social Influence
Definition
The control of one person's behavior by another
Term
Observational Learning
Definition
Learning that occurs when one person observes another person being rewarded or punished
Term
Norm
Definition
A customary standard for behavior that is widely shared by members of a culture
Term
Normative Influence
Definition
A phenomenon whereby one person's behavior is influenced by another person's behavior because the latter provides information about what is appropriate
Term
Norm of Reciprocity
Definition
The norm that people should benefit those who have benefited them
Term
Door-in-the-Face Technique
Definition
A strategy that uses reciprocating concessions to influence behavior
Term
Conformity
Definition
The tendency to do what others do simply because others are doing it
Term
Obedience
Definition
The tendency to do what authorities tell us to do simply because they tell us to do it
Term
Attitude
Definition
An enduring positive or negative evaluation of an object or event
Term
Belief
Definition
An enduring piece of knowledge about an object or event
Term
Informational Influence
Definition
A phenomenon whereby a person's behavior is influenced by another person's behavior because the latter provides information about what is good or true
Term
Persuasion
Definition
A phenomenon that occurs when a person's attitudes or beliefs are influenced by a communication from another person
Term
Systematic Persuasion
Definition
A change in attitudes or beliefs that is brought about by appeals to reason
Term
Heuristic Persuasion
Definition
A change in attitudes or beliefs that is brought about by appeals to habit or emotion
Term
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Definition
A strategy that uses a person's desire for consistency to influence that person's behavior
Term
Cognitive Dissonance
Definition
An unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes the inconsistency of his or her actions, attitudes, or beliefs
Term
Social Cognition
Definition
The processes by which people come to understand others
Term
Categorization
Definition
The process by which people identify a stimulus as a member of a class of related stimuli
Term
Stereotyping
Definition
The process by which people draw inferences about others based on their knowledge of the categories to which others belong
Term
Perceptual Confirmation
Definition
A phenomenon that occurs when observers perceive what they expect to perceive
Term
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Definition
A phenomenon whereby observers bring about what they expect to perceive
Term
Attribution
Definition
An inference about the cause of a person's behavior
Term
Correspondence Bias
Definition
The tendency to make a disproportional attribution even when a person's behavior was caused by the situation
Term
Actor-Observer Effect
Definition
The tendency to make situational attributions for our own behavior while making dispositional attributions for the identical behavior of others
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