Psych 101 Review 4Psychological Disorders, Therapy Techniques and Social Psychology
Psychological Disorders
•Mental Health Professionals:•Clinical Psychologists: specializes in the
psychological treatment of mental disorders; PhD in psychology- does not prescribe drugs•Psychiatrist- specializes in biological treatment of
mental disorders (prescribes drugs); PhD and M.D.•Problem: diagnosing mental disorders• Is the patient mentally ill?• What form of mental illness does the patient suffer from?
DSM-IV
•DSM: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders• Provides diagnostic criteria for all acknowledged
syndromes of mental illness•Rosenhan (1973)• Conclusion: observer and context
Abnormality
• Deviations from statistical norms• Very infrequent or rare behavior• Problem: positive behaviors also!
• Deviations from social norms• Diverges from socially accepted norms• Problem: culture!
•Maladaptiveness of behavior• Negative consequences for themselves• Problem: we must do uncomfortable things sometimes
Mood Disorders
•Types: •Unipolar- major depressive disorder• Straight down
•Bipolar- manic depressive disorder• Mood swings in both directions
Major Depression
•“Normal” DepressionTied to specific eliciting eventShort duration: 2-3 weeks or less
•“Major” DepressionNo obvious eliciting eventLong duration (months or years)SeverityIncidence: men< women
4% of world’s population
Major Depression
•Treatment•Bio: chemical imbalance in the brain- underactive
serotonin system•SSRIs (Serotonin re-uptake inhibitor)
•Psych: therapy, CBT, counseling
•Exercise!
•Relaxation: meditation, yoga
Schizophrenia
•Severe psychotic disorder of thoughts; thought and behavior are ‘divorced’ from reality
•Onset often occurs in young adulthood or adolescence
• Incidence rates: 1% of general pop
Schizophrenia
•Diagnostic Criteria:• Bizarre delusions• Paranoia• Auditory hallucinations• Disorders of logical thought• Catatonia or bizarre movements• Inappropriate emotional response
Schizophrenia
• Positive Type‘positive-symptoms’HallucinationsDelusionsThought disorders
•Negative Type‘negative-symptoms’Flat emotionsImpaired attentionPoor social adjustmentLack of motivation
Schizophrenia – causes, treatment
•Genetic predisposition + environmental stressor = schizophrenia•Genetic Factors•Enlarged ventricles – a possible factor•Dopamine hypothesis• Schizophrenia caused by a hyperactive dopamine system• Treatment: administer drugs that reduce activity of DA
system
Phobias
•Phobias- irrational fears• Simple: claustrophobia, hydrophobia
•More complex: agoraphobia- fear of contact with other people or open spaces
• BEST THERAPY: SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION
Therapy
• Psychological treatment of psychological problems/disorders• Not effective for psychosis
• Psychoanalytic Therapy• Probs caused by repressed thoughts/impulses/conflicts• Allow impulses to enter consciousness to work through them• Tools and Methods:
• Free associations• Dream analysis• Analysis of everyday behavior-malepropisms• Projective tests• Examination of resistance
Therapy
• Behavior Therapy• Maladaptive learned responses to stimuli• Client unlearns association between stimuli and maladaptive response• Tools and methods
• Systematic desensitization• Aversive conditioning
Therapy
• Humanistic (Client-centered) therapy• Result from low self esteem• Client clarify feelings and strive to fulfill potential – self actualization• Tools and methods
• Non-directive counseling: genuineness, empathy, unconditional positive regard
Therapy
• Perls ‘Gestalt’ Therapy• Self-actualization blocked when important thoughts, emotions and wishes
remain outside our awareness• Pre-occupation with social roles and expectations• Frustrate person to get them to stop being a ‘phony’• Tools and methods:
• Pay attention to non-verbal behavior• Point out phony behavior• Focus on ‘here and now’• ‘empty chair’ trick- direct confrontation with problem• Ask client to act/behave in a manner opposite to the way s/he actually is
Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy• Counterproductive habits of thought• Help client eliminate bad habits of thought based on irrational beliefs
• Exs: all or nothing thinking, overgeneralizations, disqualifying the positive, mind reading, catastrophizing, emotional reasoning
• Tools and methods:• Cognitive restructuring• Self-instructional training: ‘self-talk’
Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral therapy• Currently the most popular form of therapy• Combines cognitive and behavioral therapy with an emphasis on the
cognitive aspects
Social Psychology
• The study of social influences on behavior and of social relations between people• A. Love
• Romantic love: an aroused state of an intense absorption in another person• Compassionate love: the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are
deeply interrelated
Dating
• Men fall in love more quickly than women and women are more likely to end a relationship than are men• Dyadic factors for breaking up:
• Bored with relationship- 76%• Differences in interests- 72%-61%
• Non-dyadic Factors:• Women’s desire to be independent• Man’s desire to be independent
Marriage and Divorce
• The number of people getting married has steadily declined over the past 50 years• The age of people getting married has steadily increased of the past
50 years• Divorce:
• Communication problems- 83%• Unrealistic expectations- 55%
Influence of Social Roles and Social Situations
• Zimbardo Prison study• Results:
• Guards became abusive and degrading• Prisoners became passive and obedient; some of them broke down
emotionally• Grad students, parents, chaplain conformed to the situation and accepted
without question!
• Conclusion: our behavior is strongly influenced by the social roles/situations we find ourselves in
Influence of Social Roles and Social Situations
• Milgram’s Study: the tendency to obey authority• “Teachers” (subjects) were asked to administer very strong shocks to
innocent “learners’• Manipulate distance between ‘Teacher’ subject and ‘victim’ learner
• Compliance increases• Manipulate distance btwn ‘teacher’ subject and authority figure
• Compliance decreases
Influence of Social Roles and Social Situations
• Effects of age, gender, educational level and occupation of subject• no effect
• All kinds of people are willing to obey authority figures, even when that results in harm to others
• Nurse experiment• Broke all 3 cardinal rules!• “the doctor is always right”
Finally… are you interested in getting research experience in a psychology lab?• Dr. Osterhout’s lab is looking for
undergraduate research assistants! • Cognitive Neuroscience of
Language Lab• Study how the brain processes
language• First languages, second
languages, during language learning, etc…
• For the summer onwards (looking for people for multiple quarters)• Interested? E-mail Alison (one
of your TAs) at: [email protected]