psychology final

psychologically significant events that occur in a person's life, such as divorce, childbirth, or change in employment

the result of being unable to satisfy a motive

the state in which two or more motives cannot be satisfied because they interfere with one another

conflict in which a person is drawn to two equally attractive choices

A conflict arising from having to choose between two negative outcomes of approximately equal value.

conflict in which achieving a positive goal will produce a negative outcome as well.

person must decide between more than two goals, with each goal possessing both positive and negative aspects

stress that arises from the threat of negative events

refers to the body's reaction to stress a series of three stages- alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

the complex body system of defenses to illness, such as white cells and natural killer cells of the blood

The network of friends and social contacts on whom one can depend for help in dealing with stressors.

all characteristics of an individual that are relatively enduring, such as ways of thinking, beliefs, or physiological reactivity to stress

a person oriented toward extreme achievement, impatience, and perfectionism

an attempt to manage stress in some effective way

a strategy that involves changing ones emotional experience by changing the meaning of the emotion eliciting stimulus

Ego's way of reducing anxiety unconsciously distorting reality.

uses psychological principles to encourage healthy lifestyles and to minimize the impact of stress

a method of learning to deeply relax the muscles of the body

the ratio of a person's weight to that person's height

actions, thoughts, and feelings that are harmful to the person and to others.

the view that abnormal behavior is just a more severe form of normal psychological problems

the view that abnormal behavior is fundamentally different from normal psychological problems

Legal term; ability to distinguish between right and wrong, ability to understand the trial proceedings, or whether the person is a direct d

psychological disorders that involve excessive levels of negative emotions, such as nervousness, tension, worry, fright, and anxiety.

an intense, irrational fear

disproportionate fear caused by a specific object or situation

Fear of unfamiliar people or social scrutiny

an intense fear of leaving one's home or other familiar places

unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy. lasting 6 months or more

a pattern of anxiety in which long periods of calm are broken by an intensely uncomfortable attack of anxiety

severe anxiety and distress that persists longer after traumatic stress

Symptoms of anxiety are triggered by intrusive, repetitive thoughts and urges to perform certain actions.

intensely and chronically uncomfortable psychological conditions that involve numerous symptoms of somatic (body) illnesses without physical

a somatoform disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease.

Somatoform disorders in which the individual experiences a relatively specific and chronic pain that has a psychological rather than a physi

a category of conditions involving sudden cognitive changes, such as sudden loss of memory or loss of one's identity

the perceptual experience of one's body or surroundings becoming distorted or unreal in some way

a dissociative disorder that involves a loss of memory and that has a psychological rather than a physical cause

a period of "wandering" that involves a loss of memory and a change in identity

a dissociative disorder in which the individual appears to shift abruptly and repeatedly from one "personality" to another

involve depression and/or abnormal elation

an affective disorder characterized by episodes of deep unhappiness, loss of interest in life, and other symptoms

experiences periods pf mania that alternate irregularly with periods of sever depression

a disturbance of mood in which an individual experiences a euphoria without cause that is characterized by unrealistic optimism and heighten

distortion of reality, disorganization and fragmentation of thought and emotional reaction, and withdrawal from social interaction

false beliefs that distort reality

false perceptual experiences that distort reality

holds delusions of persecution and grandeur that seriously distort reality

shallow silliness, extreme social withdrawal, and fragmented delusions and hallucinations

spends long periods in an inactive, statue like state

Disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, or some combination of these characteristics.

psychological disorders that are believed to result from personalities that have developed improperly during childhood

characterized by blunted emotions, lack of interest in social relationships, and withdrawal into a solitary existence

smooth social skills and a lack of guilt about violating social rules and laws and taking advantage of others

sexual practice that differs considerably form the norm

Practice of obtaining sexual pleasure by dressing in clothes of the opposite sex.

feeling trapped in the body of the wrong sex

the practice of obtaining sexual arousal primarily or exclusively from specific objects

paraphilia in which sexual arousal is associated with inflicting pain or humiliation

a condition in which receiving pain is sexually exciting

desire to observe unsuspecting people in secret as they undress or to spy on couples having intercourse, may act upon those desires

Obtainment of sexual gratification by exposing one’s genitals to others

the act of forcing sexual activity on an unwilling person

sexual relations between relatives

sexual behavior with a child without force or direct threat of force

the practice of obtaining pleasure from sexual contact with children

unwanted sexual advances, comments, or any other form of coercive sexual behavior by others

an inability to engage successfully or comfortably in normal sexual activities

a condition in which a person desires sex rarely or not at all

a condition in which a person fearfully avoids sexual behavior

sexual arousal does not occur in appropriate circumstances in a female

female sexual dysfunction in which the individual experiences involuntary contractions of the vaginal walls, making the vagina too narrow to

sexual dysfunction in which the individual experiences pain during intercourse

condition which sexual arousal does not occur in appropriate circumstances in a male

the penis does not become erect enough for intercourse under sexually arousing circumstances

female is unable to experience orgasm

reaching orgasm too soon and ejaculates sperm too early (male)

a condition in which a male does not ejaculate despite adequate sexual stimulation

a form of therapy in which a trained professional uses methods based on psychological theories to help a person with psychological problems

Freud; the root of all psychological problems is unconscious conflicts among the id, the ego, and the superego.

a tool used by Freud in which the patient is encouraged to talk about whatever comes to mind, allowing the contents of the unconscious mind

developed by Freud; the symbols of the manifest content of dreams that are recalled by the patient are are interpreted to reveal their laten

any form of patient opposition to the process of psychoanalysis

patient comes to feel and act toward the therapist in ways that resemble how he or she feels and acts toward other significant adults

the release of emotional energy related to unconscious conflicts

focuses on the accurate identification and communication of feelings and the improvement of current social relationships

Carl Rogers' approach to psychotherapy, in which the therapist creates an atmosphere that encourages clients to discover feelings of which t

therapist reflects the emotions of the client to help clients clarify their feelings

Fritz Perls, emphasizes the importance of clients fully experiencing in the present moment, their feelings, thoughts and actions and then ta

the therapist helps the client unlearn abnormal ways of behaving, learn more adaptive ways of behaving, and change maladaptive cognitions

Clients are exposed to a feared stimulus in gradual steps.

Treatment for depression in which the patient and the therapist work together to help the patient find ways to become more active and engage

operant conditioning to teach social skills to persons who lack them

act out a situation so patient can practice a new behavior

a CBT method in which faulty cognitions are changed by pointing out their irrationality

psychotherapy conducted in groups, typically of four to eight clients at a time

goal is to help the family reach an agreement on changes for improvement

encourages women to confront issues created by living in a sexist society as part of their psychotherapy

generally designed to correct a physical condition that is believed to be the cause of a psychological disorder

uses medications to treat abnormal behavior

uses electrical current to induce controlled convulsive seizures that alleviate some types of mental disorders

brain surgery to treat psychological disorders

cutting cingulate cortex connections to reduce anxiety in OCD patients

studies individuals as they interact with others

the reduction in personal identity and responsibility when a person is part of a group

the phenomenon wherein each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases

The positive effects that occur when a person performs a task in the presence of others.

the tendency of some members of a group to contribute less to the group than the average member does, particularly as the group grows in siz

the faulty decision making process that may occur in groups

The tendency for group discussion to make beliefs and attitudes more extreme

adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

expected behaviors associated with particular status ---role strain, role conflict, role ambiguity, role distancing, role exit

specific rules dictating what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable

adherence to orders from those of higher authority

evaluations that predispose us to act and feel in certain ways

an attempt to change a person's attitude

the potential for low-credibility speakers to influence opinion after a long period of time

inconsistencies between attitudes and behavior

positive or negative attitude toward people because of their group membership

a false, generalized belief about a group of people

A description of the way in which people explain the causes for their behaviors and others behaviors +ppl are motivated to discover underlyi

the process of forming impressions of others

tendency to spontaneously attribute the behavior of others to internal, personal characteristics, while ignoring or underestimating the role

trying to explain why things happen

an explanation for behavior that is based on an external cause

a judgement assigning the cause of persons behavior to his or her personal qualities or characteristics

First info we receive about others to carries special weight, along w/our instant impressions & our stereotypes, in shaping our overall impr

the mixture of romantic, sexual, and other feelings of love

the blend of friendship, intimacy, commitment, and security that generally develops after passionate love

A theory predicting that a good relationship is one in which a person's ratio of costs to rewards is equal to that of the person's partner