connection between the degree of life stress and major life problems

-created Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

sudden evends that affect many ppl, like natural disasters.

tend to have a clear and definite end

ex: 9/11, hurrican katrina

A nonspecific reaction, predictable sequence of reactions in response to a stressor

1. Alarm Stage

2. Resistance Stage (coping)

3. Exhaustion stage

associated with high rate of heart disease (in males)

1)strong sense of time urgency

2)impactient

3)competitive

4)hostile and easily angered

5)stuggles to achieve more and more in less and less time

less likely to develope heart diesase

1)relaxed and easy giong

2)able to relax wihtout guilt

insecure, anxious, negative

-respond to stress least well

"fighting spirit"

-higher survial rates

physical problem with body:

genes, neurotransmitters, death of nerve cells, etc

assumes that all people are rational, socially motivated, and responsible for their behavior

abnormal behaviors are mist-steps on the road to self-actualization (self-fulfilment)

abnormal (and normal) behaviors result from family relationships and culutral and societal factors.

bad environment and cirumstances

proximity (closeness)

exposure (number of times experienced)

similarity

physical attractivness

drawing conclusions about the characteristics of a person

(judging a book by its cover)

whats important?

influences overall impression

too much: attribution to dispostitonal causes

too little to: situational causes

(overemphasis on the person)

only see the techer as the 3 hr/week teacher in class

some positve characteristics of a person-

assumption of other positve traits

think everyone is just like us-

can lead to errors

small request followed by larger...

increase-

chance of compliance with large request

large request followed by small request...

increases chance of compliance with small request

sample or gift invokes norm of reciprocity,

the tendency to return an act of kindess

subjects were instructed to shock another person (a confederate of the experimenter) on the pretext as part of an experiment on learning.

no shock actually given

subjects started a belife in the experimenters responsibilty as a cause

American-Psychiatric Association:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

book that says what can be a problem

uses checklist of duration and distress or impariment

intense fear or avoidance of specific objects or situations.

common phobias: insects, snakes, heights, germs, thunder

occurence of panic attacks: episodes with symptoms like fight or flight responses.

heart pounding, rapid breathing, sweating, fainting, dizziness, trembling, fear of dying, others.

can develope agoraphobia

fear of being in a situation in which escape is difficult.

ex: crowds, public transportation, bein outside of home.

being able to not go somewhere because your afriad you will have a panic attack.

most common,

excessive worry, tension, physical symptoms of anxiety.

often unfocused ("free-floating")

obsessions: frequent unwanted, intrusive thoughts

compulsions: urges to preform specific unwanted, intrusive behaviors. rituals.

often done to neutralize obsessions.

reaction to life-threatening, traumatic event.

re-experiencing event: you "feel it" again via dreams, nightmares, flashbacks, like hallucinations

avoidance of: stimuli associated with the event

numbing or general non-responsivness

fear of illness, poor health, disease

think they have everything, fear of being sick or hurt

often related to normal sensations

physical problem due to psychological problem, often traumatic event and/or stress

something wrong w/ you but you dont care,

"punishing yourself"

ex: glve aneshesia, psychological blindness

memory "loss", often due to anxiety, trauma

memories are often repressed, not truly lost.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

(mutipule personality)

NOT the same as schizophrenia

person alternates between one primary personality and at least one secondary personality.

used before effective drugs were discovered

(1930s, 1940s)

brain damage was created to improve disorder

for schizophrenia

all block receptors for dopamine

reduce anxiety

valium, libruim, xanax, ativan

"shock treatment"

effective treatement for depression and bipolar disorder ONLY

side effects include confusion, amneisa, memory loss

fast response

impaimrent in routine functioning, disturbances in thought processes, lanugage, perception

motor disturbances catatonia

presence of abnormal psychological and behavioral phenomena

hallucinations (more audio then visual)

psychological and behavioral pehoma-

proverty of content of speech, expression, anhedonia (lack of pleasure)

prominent symptom is a disturbnce of mood (prolonged emotion)

clasified by the occurance of depressive or manic episodes

occurence of both maniac and depressive episodes.

males and females equally likely to have bipolar

many cause, not just affective disorder

females: 3 times as likely to attempt

males: 4-5 times more likely to commit

females try more, males do it more

talking therapy

identify and resolve

free associastion; say whats on your mind

dream interpetation

based on the principlaes of learning and conditioning

reinforcement, extinction, punishment

form of classical conditioning

unpleasent stimulus paired with "enjoyable"

client trained in relaxation techniques

creates hierarcy of fears

imagination of progresivley greater fears on heirary while relaxed

effective for phobias

irrational beliefs lead to problems

therapist

automatic illogical thoguhts

more of a collaberation between therapist and client then rational-emotive

therapist helps client resolve concious conflicts

group/couples/family therapy