A-Level Psychology - PAPER 1 - Psychopathology

observer discomfort

unpredictability

irrationality

maladaptiveness

personal suffering and distress

AUTONOMY - being independent

POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ONESELF

ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY - adapting to situations

ACCURATE PERCEPTION OF REALITY

RESISTING STRESS - having coping strategies

SELF-ACTUALISATION - personal growth

panic

endurance

avoidance

anxiety

cognitive distortions

irrational beliefs

selective attention

phobias are learnt

classical conditioning

operant conditioning

associating something we don’t have a fear of (NS) with something we already have a fear of (UD)

how phobias are maintained

- consequences lead to reinforcement

RESEARCH EVIDENCE - Watson and rayner - baby Albert - loud noise + rats

RESEARCH EVIDENCE - DiNardo et al - relate fears to a particular frightening experience

EVOLUTIONARY FACTORS - scared of things that were threats to ancestors - suggests there is more to phobias than conditioning

SIMPLISTIC EXPLANATION - ignores cognitive factors - phobias are complex

treatment for phobias

- phobias being ‘unlearnt’

ANXIETY HIERARCHY - most feared to least fear situation

RELAXATION - taught by a therapist - deep breathing

EXPOSURE - vivo or vitro

EFFECTIVENESS:

- research shows SD group were less fearful

APPROPRIATENESS:

- individuals are taking an active role - suits wide range of people

EFFECTIVENESS:

- anxiety is still present - may move to another phobia - - not a long term solution

APPROPRIATENESS:

- not suitable for all phobias - e.g. fear of the dark

similar to SD

done in one long sessions

reciprocal inhibition

continues until patient is relaxed

EFFECTIVENESS:

works on wide range of phobias

has long lasting effects

APPROPRIATENESS;

quick

only takes one session

cost effective

EFFECTIVENESS:

only likely to work for specific phobias

social phobias are harder to ‘flood’

APPROPRIATENESS:

can be traumatic

you have wasted time and money

sleep and eating behaviour

aggression and self harm

activity level

lowered self-esteem

lowered mood

anger

poor concentration

absolutist thinking

attending to and dwelling on the negative

our thoughts influence our emotions which influence our behaviour

dominate thinking

developed in childhood through bad experience

provide negative framework

view of self

view of the world

view of the future

catastrophizing

all or nothing

over generalisation

selective abstraction

global judgement

blame external events for unhappiness

| - irrational thinking prevents happiness

ACTIVATING EVENT - an everyday obstacle

BELIEFS - your belief about the situation

CONSEQUENCES - emotional response to the belief - often unhealthy

I must be approved by people i find important

I must do very well or I am worthless

the world must give me happiness or I will die

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - cbt is effective - suggests that cognitions are involved in the development of depression

RESEARCH EVIDENCE - Lloyd and Lishman - supports idea that depressed people have automatic negative thinking

patient is seen as RESPONSIBLE - we have control over our thoughts - over looks social factors

challenge irrational thoughts

identifying irrational thoughts

behavioural element

alter dysfunctional behaviours

| - encourage patients to identify activities they used to enjoy doing

change irrational beliefs through challenging them

prevent social relationships

interfere with normal daily behaviour

everyday tasks are hindered

anxiety is emotionally distressing

| - temporary relief

constant obsessive thoughts

| - uncontrollable

our thoughts are a result of psychological internal process

onset of OCD is a result of our genetic make-up that we are born with

production of the neurotransmitter dopamine

| - one form is more common in OCD patients

affects transmission of serotonin

| - OCD have 2 copies of 5-HTT

we would expect a higher concordance rate in MZ twins in DZ twins (if there was a genetic component to OCD)

53-87% chance of MZ twins developing OCD if one already had it

22-47% chance of DZ twins developing OCD if one already had it

suggests there is a genetic component

genetic make-up affects the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain

two key neurotransmitters involved with OCD = serotonin and dopamine

OCD patients have low serotonin

| - associated with the anxiety

linked with experiencing motivation / reward / compulsions

pleasurable experience = dopamine increase

doing compulsion = dopamine release

orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)

- sends signals to the thalamus about things that are worrying

basal ganglia

should stop minor worrying signals

RESEARCH EVIDENCE

twin studies

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

neural explanations = low levels of serotonin = SSRIs

genetic explanations = can scan babies deemed at risk

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND OCD IS NOT 100% CLEAR

genetic = not 100% concordance rate - cannot rule out environmental factors

neural - not basal ganglia damage in all OCD patients

CORRELATIONAL

levels of neural transmitters change due to OCD rather than causing OCD

REDUCTIONIST

doesn't consider two process model (classical / operant conditioning

fluoxetine - increases levels of serotonin in the synapse

SSRI stops the re-uptake of serotnin meaning it stays in the synapse gap longer

leads to repeated stimulation of the receptors on the post synaptic clef

RESEARCH

symptoms decreased by 70% for SSRI takers

QUICK AND EASY

requires little physical time or cognitive effort

more desirable that psychological therapy

NOT LONG TERM METHOD

symptoms come back when drugs aren't being used

45% relapsed within 12 weeks

only treat the symptoms not the cause

SIDE EFFECTS

SSRI = blurred vision, indigestion

dopamine = weight gain, tremors

people stop taking them