PSY 350 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
According to behavioral definitions of psychopathology (aka "mental disorder"), this term
refers
to a certain kind of behavior (e.g., deviant or maladaptive behavior). What position was
taken in lecture regarding such definitions? What specific arguments were raised in
favor
of or against this kind of definition? - Answers - Behavioral definitions have serious
problems:
Many consensus pathologies do not involve any characteristic behavior
Depression, people behave very differently. Its not about a behavior its about a mental
state. Anxiety disorders don't behave in a particular way and don't all experience the
same symptoms. Sexual disorders, some people cannot perform the behavior at all.
Specific types of behavior specified by behavioral definitions don't hold up.
Many don't involve unusual behavior
Many don't involve deviant behavior
Many don't involve maladaptive behavior
What is a disability/dysfunction definition of psychopathology?
What is the difference between this and a behavioral definition? - Answers - Disability
definitions: psychopathology refers to behavioral disability (dysfunction, functional
impairment), not to a kind of behavior
The difference is behavioral theory focuses on maladaptive and deviant behavior and
the disability definition focuses on what a person cant do
How does Ossorio define psychopathology? Be sure you know what the definition
means. - Answers - Preferred version: "a person is in a pathological state when there is
a significant restriction in his or her ability too engage in deliberate action and,
equivalently, to participate in the social practices of the community" Dr. Ossorio 2006
According to Ossorio's definition, if you knew that Jill was starving herself, should
you conclude on this basis that she has a psychopathological condition (mental
disorder)? Why or why not? - Answers - No, there is not enough information to
determine this. Jill could be starving herself for unknown reasons.
According to Ossorio, (a) what is "normality" and (b) what is "positive mental health?" -
Answers - a) Normality: not abnormal, not pathological, simply absent of pathology
b) Positive mental health: person is not in a pathological state, but beyond this, is very
capable of participating in life in meaningful and fulfilling ways
, What is a phobia? What are some typical kinds of phobia? - Answers - A persistent and
unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation
Must be debilitating or disabling
Physical and emotional reaction to something i.e. spiders and small spaces
Typical kinds of phobia would be:
Agorapobia- afraid to leave home base
Specific phobia- animals or inanimate objects
Social phobia- performance anxiety
What is the behavioral explanation of phobias? What causes them in the first place
and what causes them to persist for a long time? - Answers - Behavioral theory is
because of classical conditioning. Some neutral stimulus gets paired with another
stimulus that naturally elicits an intense fear response and thereby acquires the ability to
elicit that fear response
Example: someone has a phobia of snow—once loved snow but was almost buried
alive in the show at age 11 and has caused her to now become afraid of the snow
Does the behavioral explanation explain everything about Hilda's snow phobia? What
does it explain? What, if anything, doesn't it explain? - Answers - It explains what
triggered Hildas snow phobia but it doesn't explain why it is as debilitating as it is for her
and why it has continued for this long
What explanation was offered in class for the delayed onset of many phobias? -
Answers - Patient represses something, later in life stressors occur, patient cant
maintain repression, repressed contents emerge with symptoms
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? What are its symptoms? - Answers - A
psychological syndrome that is triggered by a specific traumatic event or ongoing
traumatic situation (terrifying or life-threatening events occur. Car accidents, floods,
combat, physically or sexually assaulted, robbery/burglary, infidelity)
Characterized by symptoms of
Chronic anxious arousal and hypervigilance
Re-experiencing the traumatic event(s)
In dreams, intrusive memories or images, flashbacks
Avoidance
The person avoids the traumatic situation both in actuality as well as thoughts
According to behavioral definitions of psychopathology (aka "mental disorder"), this term
refers
to a certain kind of behavior (e.g., deviant or maladaptive behavior). What position was
taken in lecture regarding such definitions? What specific arguments were raised in
favor
of or against this kind of definition? - Answers - Behavioral definitions have serious
problems:
Many consensus pathologies do not involve any characteristic behavior
Depression, people behave very differently. Its not about a behavior its about a mental
state. Anxiety disorders don't behave in a particular way and don't all experience the
same symptoms. Sexual disorders, some people cannot perform the behavior at all.
Specific types of behavior specified by behavioral definitions don't hold up.
Many don't involve unusual behavior
Many don't involve deviant behavior
Many don't involve maladaptive behavior
What is a disability/dysfunction definition of psychopathology?
What is the difference between this and a behavioral definition? - Answers - Disability
definitions: psychopathology refers to behavioral disability (dysfunction, functional
impairment), not to a kind of behavior
The difference is behavioral theory focuses on maladaptive and deviant behavior and
the disability definition focuses on what a person cant do
How does Ossorio define psychopathology? Be sure you know what the definition
means. - Answers - Preferred version: "a person is in a pathological state when there is
a significant restriction in his or her ability too engage in deliberate action and,
equivalently, to participate in the social practices of the community" Dr. Ossorio 2006
According to Ossorio's definition, if you knew that Jill was starving herself, should
you conclude on this basis that she has a psychopathological condition (mental
disorder)? Why or why not? - Answers - No, there is not enough information to
determine this. Jill could be starving herself for unknown reasons.
According to Ossorio, (a) what is "normality" and (b) what is "positive mental health?" -
Answers - a) Normality: not abnormal, not pathological, simply absent of pathology
b) Positive mental health: person is not in a pathological state, but beyond this, is very
capable of participating in life in meaningful and fulfilling ways
, What is a phobia? What are some typical kinds of phobia? - Answers - A persistent and
unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation
Must be debilitating or disabling
Physical and emotional reaction to something i.e. spiders and small spaces
Typical kinds of phobia would be:
Agorapobia- afraid to leave home base
Specific phobia- animals or inanimate objects
Social phobia- performance anxiety
What is the behavioral explanation of phobias? What causes them in the first place
and what causes them to persist for a long time? - Answers - Behavioral theory is
because of classical conditioning. Some neutral stimulus gets paired with another
stimulus that naturally elicits an intense fear response and thereby acquires the ability to
elicit that fear response
Example: someone has a phobia of snow—once loved snow but was almost buried
alive in the show at age 11 and has caused her to now become afraid of the snow
Does the behavioral explanation explain everything about Hilda's snow phobia? What
does it explain? What, if anything, doesn't it explain? - Answers - It explains what
triggered Hildas snow phobia but it doesn't explain why it is as debilitating as it is for her
and why it has continued for this long
What explanation was offered in class for the delayed onset of many phobias? -
Answers - Patient represses something, later in life stressors occur, patient cant
maintain repression, repressed contents emerge with symptoms
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? What are its symptoms? - Answers - A
psychological syndrome that is triggered by a specific traumatic event or ongoing
traumatic situation (terrifying or life-threatening events occur. Car accidents, floods,
combat, physically or sexually assaulted, robbery/burglary, infidelity)
Characterized by symptoms of
Chronic anxious arousal and hypervigilance
Re-experiencing the traumatic event(s)
In dreams, intrusive memories or images, flashbacks
Avoidance
The person avoids the traumatic situation both in actuality as well as thoughts
