Psyc 1000 Finals Notes
Psyc 1000 Finals Notes
Psyc 1000 Finals Notes
TITLE: COURSE CODE: LEVEL: LENGTH: CREDITS: ELIGIBILITY: LECTURER: OFFICE: EMAIL: Introduction to Psychology: Social, Developmental and Abnormal PSYC 1000 (PS 10 A) Undergraduate One Semester 3 Students enrolled in the Undergraduate Psychology Programme Dr. Caryl James Rm 209 Block G [email protected]
Course description:
This course provides an introduction to psychology. Psychology is a discipline concerned with human thought, emotion, and behaviour. Psychological science and practice are based on knowledge developed from both human and animal research. This is an introductory level or foundational survey course. This means that the course will introduce you to many key topics, and specifically those in the sub-fields of developmental, abnormal, and social psychology. After a brief introduction to the history of the discipline and the research methods that provide the foundation for psychological investigation and knowledge building, we will focus on the sub-areas of developmental, personality, and social psychology. Students will be able to appreciate the similarities and differences among these three sub-areas after completing PSYC 1000 (PS 10 A).
Course Objectives
At the end of the course students will be able to: 1. Be aware of the ways that psychologists think about and approach questions of mind and behavior. 2. Distinguish between the science of psychology and common sense explanations of behaviour. 3. Be familiar with the body of knowledge, research findings, and underlying principles that currently exist in the field. 4. Demonstrate an introductory level of understanding of theories and concepts in the areas of developmental, abnormal and social psychology. 5. Feel stimulated to think about how the material we cover in class applies to their daily life. 6. Apply psychological principles to their own lives and to issues facing Caribbean people.
Assessment:
Mid-semester Examination 50% The midsemester examination is scheduled for the week beginning Monday 14 October, pending approval from Examinations office. This will be a multiplechoice exam; it will cover all the materials in including and up to Theories of Personality (see Course Content section). Final Examination 50% The final examination will take place on a date to be determined by the Registrars Office. As with the midsemester examination, the final examination will also be a multiplechoice exam. The final exam is not cumulative, in other words, the content of the examination will focus only on the topics not reviewed in the midsemester examination, specifically, from Psychological Disorders onwards.
TEXT BOOKS
Required: Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Namy, L. L., & Woolf, N. J. (2011). Psychology: From Inquiry to understanding. Second Edition. Upper New Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education. Recommended: Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2010). Psychology. Tenth Edition. Upper New Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education. Note: This outline is subject to adjustments based on the faculty members discretion.
Chapter Thirteen
Social Psychology:
How Others Affect Us
Lecture Preview
What is social psychology?
Social influence Helping and harming others
Social Psychology
Study of how people influence others behavior, beliefs, and attitudes We tend to think others are vulnerable to social influencebut not ourselves
Can lead us to doubt social psychology findings initially
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Need-to-belong theory and biologically based need for interpersonal connections It literally hurts us to be isolated or rejected
Social Contagion
Mass hysteria is a contagious outbreak of irrational behavior that spreads
UFO outbreaks Windshield pitting
Social Facilitation
When the mere presence of others enhances our performance
Bicyclists racing Cockroaches running mazes
May be more prone to seeing others behavior as a combination of both dispositional and situational influences
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Conformity
The tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure
Classically demonstrated by Solomon Aschs experiments in the 1950s
Differences in Conformity
Low self-esteem makes you more likely to conform
Asian cultures more likely to conform
No sex differences
Deindividuation
The tendency of people to engage in atypical behavior when stripped of their usual identity
Become more vulnerable to social influence
Groupthink
An emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking
Bay of Pigs Challenger explosion
SYMPTOM An illusion of invulnerability An illusion of unanimity Unquestioned belief in moral correctness Conformity pressure Stereotyping of out-group Self-censorship Mindguards
EXAMPLE We cant possibly fail! Obviously, we all agree. We know were on the right side. Dont rock the boat! Theyre all morons. I suspect this is bad idea, but Id better not say anything. Oh, you think you know better than the rest of us?
Groupthink
Can be treated by encouraging dissent
Appointing a devils advocate Having an independent expert evaluate decisions Holding follow-up meetings
Cults
Groups that exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause Promote groupthink in four major ways
Have a persuasive leader who fosters loyalty Disconnect members from the outside world Discourage questioning of assumptions Gradually indoctrinate members
Cult Myths
Cult members are emotionally disturbed
Most are normal, but leaders are often seriously mentally ill
Cults
Can be resisted via inoculation effect
Convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective might be correct and then debunking them
Obedience
Adherence to orders from those of higher authority Essential ingredient in our daily lives
Stop lights, parking signs
Can produce trouble when people stop asking questions about why theyre behaving as others want them to
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Stanley Milgram
Student of Aschs who wanted to know how the Holocaust could have occurred
Designed experiment to test the influence of obedience and authority on normal people Became a landmark study
Greater the psychological distance between teacher and learner, the more the obedience
Humans display both, and situational factors can influence which one is displayed
Bystander Nonintervention
When people see someone in need but fail to help them
Kitty Genoveses murder
Across three classic experiments, the percentage helping when in groups was lower than the percentage helping when alone
Social Loafing
Refers to when people slack off in groups
The whole is less than the sum of its parts
Aggression
A number of influences make us more likely to engage in intentionally harmful behavior
Interpersonal provocation Frustration Media influences Aggressive cues
Aggression
Arousal level Alcohol and other drugs Temperature
Differences in Aggression
Certain personality traits influence aggression
Negative emotions, impulsivity
Males engage in more physical aggression, females in more relational aggression Cultural influences and the culture of honor
Origins of Attitudes
Recognition heuristic
Personality traits
Political views Religiosity
Attitude Change
Cognitive dissonance is an unpleasant state of tension between two opposing thoughts
We are motivated to reduce or eliminate it
Attitude Change
Self-perception theory proposes that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors
Impression management theory proposes that that we dont change our attitudes, but report that we have for consistency
Routes to Persuasion
Dual processes model says that there are two pathways to persuading others
The central route focuses on informational content The peripheral route focuses on more surface aspects of the argument
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Persuasion Techniques
Foot-in-the-door starts with small request and moves to a larger one Door-in-the-face starts big then backs off (works equally well as foot-in-the-door)
Low-ball technique starts with a low price, then adds-on all the desirable options
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Persuasion Techniques
Who is attempting to persuade you can also have an impact
Attractive or famous persons Highly credible people If messenger is similar to receiver
PSEUDOSCIENCE TACTIC
Creation of a phantom goal
EXAMPLE
Master the complete works of Shakespeare while sleeping! Sandra was severely depressed for 5 years until she underwent rebirthing therapy! Dr. Nobel from Princeton endorses this subliminal tape. Call before midnight to get Dr. Genius Improvement program its selling fast! Thousands of psychologists use the Rorschach, so it must be valid. Mrs. Candy Cures new anxiety medication is made from all-natural ingredients! The Magical Mind ESP Enhancement program allows you to get in touch with your psychic potential!
PROBLEM
Extreme claims are usually impossible to achieve Anecdotes are not evidence Advertisers may present source in deceptive fashion Scarcity may be false or a result of low production Common knowledge is often wrong Natural does not mean healthy Tests fail to support supernatural ability or potential
Vivid testimonials
Consensus heuristic
Natural commonplace
Goddess-within commonplace
Nature of Prejudice
We all hold some types of prejudices (adaptive conservatism)
In-group bias means that we favor those within our group compared to those without Out-group homogeneity is the tendency to view people outside of our group as similar
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Discrimination
The act of treating members of out-groups differently from members of in-groups We can be prejudiced against people without discriminating against them
Can have wide impact on groups such as females and minorities
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Roots of Prejudice
Scapegoat hypothesis arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes
Just-world hypothesis implies that we have a need to see the world as fair, even if not Conformity going along with others opinions
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Underground Prejudice
While explicit prejudice are feelings were aware of, were unaware of implicit prejudice
The Implicit Association Test and unconscious racism, sexism, and other prejudices
True finding or unfalsifiable?
Combating Prejudice
Robbers Cave study and encouraging people to work towards common goals
Jigsaw classrooms and cooperation
Chapter 8
Behavior in Social and Cultural Context
Which Is Correct?
You get into an elevator, and stand facing the back wall and try to start a conversation with another person. Which of the following have you violated? A. Norms B. Social roles C. Cultural rules
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Which Is Correct?
You get into an elevator, and stand facing the back wall and try to start a conversation with another person. Which of the following have you violated? A. Norms B. Social roles C. Cultural rules
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Your Turn
As part of an experiment on learning, you are told to administer an electric shock to another participant every time that participant misremembers a series of words. As the experiment proceeds, the amount of electricity you are administering rises. You started at 15 volts, but the switchboard goes up to 300. How far would you go before you refused to continue?
1. 50 volts 2. 100 volts 3. 200 volts 4. 300 volts
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Which Is Correct?
President Kennedys decision-making process and the resulting Bay of Pigs fiasco is an example of:
A. Conformity B. Entrapment C. Groupthink
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Which Is Correct?
President Kennedys decision-making process and the resulting Bay of Pigs fiasco is an example of:
A. Conformity B. Entrapment C. Groupthink
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Which Is Correct?
The belief that your own culture, nation, or religion is superior to all others is the definition of:
A. Ethnic identity B. Acculturation C. Ethnocentrism
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Which Is Correct?
The belief that your own culture, nation, or religion is superior to all others is the definition of:
A. Ethnic identity B. Acculturation C. Ethnocentrism
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Which Is Correct?
All stereotypes only focus on the negative traits of a group.
A. True B. False
Which Is Correct?
All stereotypes only focus on the negative traits of a group.
A. True B. False
Which Is Correct?
Those people are just not smart enough to do this work. What is the basis for this type of prejudice? A. B. C. D. Psychological Social Economic Cultural 2011 Pearson Education Inc. All rights reserved.
Which Is Correct?
Those people are just not smart enough to do this work. What is the basis for this type of prejudice? A. B. C. D. Psychological Social Economic Cultural 2011 Pearson Education Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter Fifteen
Psychological Disorders:
When Adaptation Breaks Down
Lecture Preview
Conceptions of mental illness
Anxiety disorders Mood disorders and suicide Personality and dissociative disorders Enigma of schizophrenia
Childhood disorders
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Historical Conceptions of MI
During Middle Ages, mental illnesses were often viewed through a demonic model Odd behaviors were the result of evil spirits inhabiting the body Exorcisms and witch hunts were common during this time
Historical Conceptions of MI
During Renaissance, the medical model saw MI as a physical disorder needing treatment
Began housing people in asylums but they were often overcrowded and understaffed Treatments were no better than before (bloodletting and snake pits)
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Historical Conceptions of MI
Reformers like Phillippe Pinel and Dorothea Dix pushed for moral treatment
Treated patients with dignity, respect, and kindness Still no effective treatments, though, so many continued to suffer with no relief
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Modern Era
In early 1950s, a drug was developed called chlorpromazine (Thorazine) Moderately decreased symptoms of schizophrenia and similar problems
With advent of other medications, policy of deinstitutionalization was enacted
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Modern Era
Deinstitutionalization had mixed results
Some patients returned to almost normal lives but tens of thousands had no follow-up care and went off medications Community mental health centers and halfway houses attempt to help this problem
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Misconceptions
Psychiatric diagnosis is nothing more than pigeonholing Psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable
Psychiatric diagnoses are invalid Psychiatric diagnoses stigmatize people
The DSM-IV
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a system that contains the criteria for mental disorders
Currently on fourth edition, fifth expected in 2013 Has 17 different classes of disorders
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The DSM-IV
Provides list of diagnostic criteria and a set of decision rules for each condition Warns to think organic (rule out physical causes of symptoms first)
Contains information on prevalence and assess patients along five axes
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DSM-IV Axes
Axis I Major mental disorders
Axis II Personality disorders and mental retardation Axis III Associated medical conditions
DSM Criticisms
Not all diagnoses meet Robins and Guze criteria for validity (Mathematics Disorder) Not all criteria and decisions rules are based on scientific data High level of comorbidity
DSM Criticisms
Reliance on categorical rather than dimensional model of psychopathology Reluctance on many to change (cognitive misers)
Vulnerable to political and social influences
Anxiety Disorders
Most anxieties are transient and can be adaptive They can, though, spin out of control and become excessive and inappropriate
One of the most prevalent and earliest onset of all classes of disorders
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Anxiety Disorders
Can also see inappropriate anxiety in other disorders and problems Somatoform disorders are physical symptoms with psychological origins
Hypochondriasis is a preoccupation that you have a serious disease despite no evidence
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Panic Disorder
Repeated, unexpected panic attacks, along with either
Persistent concerns about future attacks A change in personal behavior in an attempt to avoid them
Phobias
Intense fear of an object or situation thats greatly out of proportion to its actual threat Most common anxiety disorder (11%)
Comes in different forms
Agoraphobia Specific or social phobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Marked by obsessions - persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that are unwanted and inappropriate and cause marked distress
This distress is relieved by compulsions repetitive behaviors or mental acts Must spend at least 1 hour per day engaging in obsessions, compulsions, or both
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Mood Disorders
Over 20% of Americans will experience a mood disorder Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the most common, at 16%
More prevalent in females, most likely to develop in 30s
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Mood Disorders
Depression symptoms can develop gradually or suddenly, but are often recurrent
Average episode lasts 6 months to 1 year, most people experience 5-6 episodes Can cause extreme functional impairment across all areas
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Weight changes
Thoughts of death or suicide
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Bipolar Disorder
Have both depressive and manic episodes
Elevated mood, lowered need for sleep, high energy, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem
Also show highly irresponsible behavior
Bipolar Disorder
Produces serious problems in social and occupational realms
Very heavily genetically influenced, but stressful life events can cause episode onset
These can be negative or positive events
Suicide
MDD and bipolar disorder are at higher risk for suicide than most disorders More than 30,000 people commit suicide in US each year (11th leading cause of death)
Prediction is difficult due to lack of research and low base rates
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SUICIDE MYTH Talking to persons with depression about suicide makes them more likely to commit the act. Suicide is almost always completed with no warning. As a severe depression lifts, peoples suicide risk decreases.
REALITY Talking to persons with depression about suicide makes them more likely to obtain help. Many or most people who commit suicide tell others. The risk actually increases, in part because individuals have more energy to attempt the act.
People who talk a lot about suicide almost Talking about suicide is associated with a never commit it. greater risk.
Personality Disorders
Should only be diagnosed when
Personality traits first appear by adolescence Traits are inflexible, stable, and expressed in a wide variety of situations Traits lead to distress or impairment
Psychopathic Personality
Condition marked by superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, selfcenteredness, and risk taking
Overlaps with antisocial personality disorder Primarily males, about 25% of the prison population qualifies
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Psychopathic Personality
Causes are largely unknown, but may stem in part from a deficit in fear
Alternatively, they may be perpetually underaroused and experiencing stimulus hunger
Dissociative Disorders
Involve disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception Depersonalization disorder and frequently feeling detached from yourself
Controversy around dissociative amnesia and dissociative fugue
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Schizophrenia
Severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of contact with reality Symptoms include disturbances in attention, thinking, language, emotion, and relationships
Less than 1% of population, but over half of people in mental institutions
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Schizophrenia
A hallmark symptom are delusions strongly held, fixed beliefs with no basis in reality This and other psychotic symptoms reflect serious distortions in reality Hallucinations are sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of external stimuli
Schizophrenia
Disorganized speech (word salad) and behavior (echolalia, catatonia) are also common symptoms
Psychosocial factors play a role in schizophrenia, but only trigger it in persons with genetic vulnerabilities
Schizophrenia
Family members can influence whether patients relapse (expressed emotion)
Number of brain abnormalities seen
Enlarged ventricles Increased sulci size Hypofrontalitiy
Schizophrenia
Neurotransmitter differences also found, such as abnormalities in dopamine receptors Dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate, and serotonin are all disturbed
Highly genetically influenced disorder as well
Vulnerability to Schizophrenia
Diathesis-stress models propose that MI is a joint product of a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and stressors that trigger it
Early warning signs of schizophrenia vulnerability
Social withdrawal Thought and movement problems Lack of emotions, decreased eye contact
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Autistic Disorder
Marked by severe deficits in language, social bonding, and imagination
Often accompanied by mental retardation
Dramatic increase in autism diagnoses from early 1990s to today, but why?
Autistic Disorder
Many have blamed MMR vaccines, starting with a 1998 UK study Study was later retracted by the journal that published it as flawed in several ways
Subsequent research showed no link between vaccines and autism
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Autistic Disorder
Parents fell prey to an illusory correlation
They noticed symptoms after administering vaccines, so the vaccines must have caused the symptoms!
Increase is most likely due to changes in diagnostic practices and ADA and IDEA laws
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Primary problems include inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactivity symptoms Diagnosable in 3-7% of school children, more males than females (3:1)
Related to numerous functional problems in both children and adults
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Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Highly genetically influenced, can be successfully treated with stimulant meds Rates of early-onset bipolar disorder have skyrocketed over last 20 years
0.42% to 6.67% from 1990 to 2003
Likely that most diagnosed actually have severe ADHD symptoms and not bipolar disorder
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Chapter 15
Psychological Disorders
Your Turn
Psychopaths are often happy, functional people, but they manipulate and harm others without conscience. On what basis are psychopaths said to have a mental disorder?
A mental disorder is any behavior or mental state that A. Causes a person to suffer, is self-destructive; B. Seriously impairs the persons ability to work or get along with others; C. Endangers others or the community.
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Your Turn
Psychopaths are often happy, functional people, but they manipulate and harm others without conscience. On what basis are psychopaths said to have a mental disorder?
A mental disorder is any behavior or mental state that A. Causes a person to suffer, is self-destructive; B. Seriously impairs the persons ability to work or get along with others; C. Endangers others or the community.
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Your Turn
If you have the persistent thought that gremlins are sabotaging any airplane you are on or will be on, then you have a(n) _____. If you cannot stop asking for more water during flights, then you have a(n) _____.
1. 2. 3. 4. Obsession; compulsion Compulsion; obsession Phobia; obsession Plane ticket; pet camel
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Your Turn
If you have the persistent thought that gremlins are sabotaging any airplane you are on or will be on, then you have a(n) _____. If you cannot stop asking for more water during flights, then you have a(n) _____.
1. 2. 3. 4. Obsession; compulsion Compulsion; obsession Phobia; obsession Plane ticket; pet camel
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Chapter Sixteen
Lecture Preview
Psychotherapy
Insight therapies Behavioral approaches
Is psychotherapy effective?
Biomedical treatments
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Psychotherapy
A psychological intervention designed to help people resolve emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems and improve the quality of their lives
Over 500 brands of psychotherapy
Paraprofessionals
Often obtain agency-specific training and attend workshops that enhance their education Little to no difference in effectiveness between experienced and novice therapists But, professionals know how to operate within system and choose more effective treatments
Effective Therapists
Warm and direct
Establish a positive working relationship Tend not to contradict clients
Insight Therapies
Psychotherapies where the goal is to expand awareness or insight Encompasses psychodynamic, humanistic, and group approaches
Psychodynamic Therapy
Share the following approaches and beliefs
1. Causes of abnormal behaviors stem from traumatic or adverse childhood experiences 2. Analyze certain things, including avoided thoughts and feelings, wishes and fantasies, and significant past events
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Psychodynamic Therapy
3. When clients achieve insight into unconscious material, the causes and significance of symptoms become evident
This insight then often causes symptoms to disappear
Psychoanalysis
Developed by Freud, one of the first forms of therapy Goal is to decrease guilt and frustration and make the unconscious conscious Try to bring to awareness previously repressed impulses, conflicts, and memories
Psychoanalytic Approaches
1. Free association
2. Interpretation 3. Dream analysis 4. Resistance 5. Transference
6. Working through
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Neo-Freudian Tradition
More concerned with conscious aspects of the clients functioning Emphasize the impact of cultural and interpersonal influences on behavior More optimistic, emphasize needs for power, love, status (not just sex and aggression)
Neo-Freudian Tradition
Sullivans influence on interpersonal therapy
Short term treatment (12-18 sessions) originally developed for depression
Psychodynamic Therapies
Research, however, shows that insight is not necessary to relieve distress
In addition, many concepts are difficult to falsify (non-scientific) Research shows no evidence for repressing hurtful memories either
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Psychodynamic Therapies
Many are questionable from a scientific standpoint, difficult to research Still, brief PD is better than no treatment, but less effective than cognitive-behavioral ones
Not effective for psychotic disorders
Humanistic Psychotherapy
Therapies that share an emphasis on the
Development of human potential Belief that human nature is basically positive
Stress importance of assuming responsibility for our lives and living in the present
Person-Centered Therapy
Developed by Carl Rogers, centers on the clients goals and ways of solving problems
To ensure positive outcome, therapist must
Be authentic and genuine Express unconditional positive regard Show emphatic understanding
Person-Centered Therapy
Tries to increase awareness and heightened self-acceptance
This hopefully causes people to
Think more realistically Become more tolerant of others Engage in more adaptive behaviors
Gestalt Therapy
Aim to integrate differing and sometimes opposing aspects of clients personalities into a unified sense of self
Recognizes the importance of awareness, acceptance, and expression of feelings Utilizes empty-chair technique
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Group Therapies
Refers to therapies that treat more than one person at a time Range from 3-20 people, can be efficient, time-saving, and less costly than individual
Effective for a wide range of problems and about as helpful as individual treatments
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Alcoholics Anonymous
Self-help groups like AA have become very popular and widespread Composed of peers with similar problems, often no professional therapists
Based on 12 Steps method, but little research demonstrating its effectiveness
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AA Alternatives
Controlled drinking programs encourage people to set limits and drink moderately
Can be effective for many people
Relapse prevention treatment assumes people will slip up and plans accordingly
Lapse does not equal relapse
Family Therapies
See most psychological problems as rooted in a dysfunctional family system
The patient is the whole family system, not one individual Focus on interactions among family members
Family Therapies
Strategic family interventions are designed to remove barriers to effective communication Structural family therapy has the therapist immerse herself in the family to make changes
Both are more effective than no treatment and at least as effective as individual therapy
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Behavioral Approaches
Behavior therapists focus on specific problem behaviors and variable that maintain them Assume that behavior change results from the operation of basic principles of learning Use a wide variety of behavioral assessment techniques
Exposure Therapies
Confronts clients with what they fear with the goal of reducing the fear Earliest was systematic desensitization, developed by Joseph Wolpe in 1958
SD gradually exposes clients to anxiety producing situations through the use of imagined scenes
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Systematic Desensitization
Based on principle of reciprocal inhibition - we cant be anxious and relaxed at the same time Uses counterconditioning by repeatedly pairing an incompatible relaxation response with anxiety Can use imaginal and in vivo exposure to the fear situations listed on the created hierarchy
Systematic Desensitization
Dismantling research showed that no single component was essential Led to development of exposure with response prevention therapies like flooding
Very effective for many anxiety disorders, like phobias, OCD, and PTSD
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Modeling in Therapy
Participant modeling has the therapist
Model a calm encounter with the clients feared object or situation Guide the client through the steps of the encounter until she can cope unassisted
Used in assertion and social skills training, along with behavioral rehearsal
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Operant Procedures
Applied behavior analysis procedures to treat autistic children Token economies reward clients for desirable behaviors with tokens to exchange for items
Mixed support for the use of aversion therapies (e.g., Antabuse and alcohol)
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies
All share three core assumptions
1. Cognitions are identifiable and measurable 2. Cognitions are key in both healthy and unhealthy psychological functioning 3. Irrational beliefs or thinking can be replaced by more rational and adaptive cognitions
Is Psychotherapy Effective?
Prior to 1970s, considerable controversy on it
Meta-analysis studies proved that therapy does work in alleviating human suffering But which therapy? And for whom?
Is Psychotherapy Effective?
Some researchers claim the dodo bird verdict
All have won, and all must have prizes
DARE programs
Coercive restraint therapies
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Common Factors
Many therapies may be comparable due to common factors that cut across therapies
LO 16.9 that characterize Specific factors are those only certain therapies
Most agree that both matter, but are divided over the degree of each
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Many BT, CBT, acceptance, and interpersonal therapies have been found to be useful
Biomedical Treatments
Attempt to directly alter the brains chemistry or physiology to treat psychological disorders Psychopharmacotherapy use of medications is the most widespread
Began with use of Thorazine in 1954; today almost 15% of Americans are on antidepressants
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Psychopharmacology
Today, medications are available to treat most psychological disorders Antianxiety, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, psychostimulants
Unfortunately, we dont know exactly why most of these work
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Cautions to Consider
Not a cure-all, as most meds have numerous side effects that need to be weighed Most dissipate after discontinuing the drug, but not all (tardive dyskinesia)
Weight, age, and even racial differences often affect drug response
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Cautions to Consider
Questions about efficacy and safety of SSRIs in children and adolescents Overprescription is also a concern for many, especially of psychostimulants for ADHD
Polypharmacy is prescribing many medications at the same can be hazardous
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Evaluating Psychopharmacotherapy
In many cases, therapy alone can produce as great or better benefits for many disorders
Clear advantages to combining meds and therapy when
Symptoms interfere greatly with functioning Therapy alone hasnt worked for a 2 month period
Electrical Stimulation
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves patients receiving brief electrical pulses to the brain that produce a seizure
Used to treat severe problems (intractable depression, schizophrenia) as a last resort 6-10 treatments given three times a week
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Electrical Stimulation
Most who undergo ECT would do so again, and report improvements
Must weigh benefits against problems
Over 50% relapse in six months Short-term confusion and clouded memory
Electrical Stimulation
Vagus nerve and transcranial magnetic stimulation are both FDA approved for treatment-resistant depression
No large-scale studies on effectiveness, side effects similar to or greater than ECT
Psychosurgery
Brain surgery to treat psychological disorders, like prefrontal lobotomies
Used today as an absolute last resort with a handful of conditions
Severe OCD, depression, bipolar disorders
Chapter 16
Approaches to Treatment and Therapy
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Your Turn
Your friend has largely withdrawn from social activities, and has stopped maintaining her appearance or apartment. If she goes to see a doctor, what do you expect her doctor to prescribe?
1. 2. 3. 4. An MAOI An SSRI (e.g., Prozac) A tranquilizer (e.g., Valium) Lithium carbonate
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Your Turn
Your friend has largely withdrawn from social activities, and has stopped maintaining her appearance or apartment. If she goes to see a doctor, what do you expect her doctor to prescribe?
1. 2. 3. 4. An MAOI An SSRI (e.g., Prozac) A tranquilizer (e.g., Valium) Lithium carbonate
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Your Turn
You have arachnophobia, an intense fear of spiders. What kind of therapy should you seek out for the best chance of resolving your problem?
1. 2. 3. 4. Direct brain intervention Cognitive therapy Psychodynamic therapy Behavioral therapy
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Your Turn
You have arachnophobia, an intense fear of spiders. What kind of therapy should you seek out for the best chance of resolving your problem?
1. 2. 3. 4. Direct brain intervention Cognitive therapy Psychodynamic therapy Behavioral therapy
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