PSY 215 – NOVA Online Study Guide: Exam 2

PSY 215 – NOVA Online
Study Guide: Exam 2
Chapter 4
What is the difference between fear and anxiety?
Fear- response to a serious threat to one’s well-being
Anxiety- response to a vague sense of threat or danger
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Know key features/diagnostic checklist
-for 6 months or more the person experiences disproportionate, uncontrollable, and ongoing anxiety and worry about multiple matters
-symptoms include edginess, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems
-causes significant distress or impairment
Societal and Multicultural Factors
-GAD usually develops in those with ongoing social conditions or in those with forms of societal stress (poverty, race, ethnicity) The Humanistic Perspective- GAD arises when people stop looking at themselves honestly /acceptingly
-Carl Rogers' explanation- Lack of unconditional positive regard in childhood leads to conditions of worth (i.e., harsh self-
standards), Threatening self-judgments break through and cause anxiety, setting the stage for GAD to develop
-Client-centered approach used to show unconditional positive regard for clients and to empathize with them
-Despite optimistic case reports, controlled studies have failed to offer strong support
-Only limited support for Rogers ' explanation of GAD and other forms of abnormal behavior
The Cognitive Perspective
-Problematic behaviors and dysfunctional thinking often cause psychological disorders
-Treatment focus involves the nature of behavior and thoughts
- Early approaches (Maladaptive or basic irrational assumptions (Ellis), Silent assumptions (Beck))
-Newer= Metacognitive theory (Wells) and meta-worries, Intolerance of uncertainty theory (Koerner and colleagues), Avoidance theory (Borkovec))
-Therapy can include changing maladaptive assumptions and breaking down worrying (mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy) The Biological Perspective
-GAD is caused chiefly by biological factors- Fear reactions are tied to brain circuits
Supported by family pedigree studies and brain researchers
Challenged by competing explanation of shared environment oGAD results from a hyperactive fear circuit
GABA: Important neurotransmitter in this circuit
oInvolves several brain structures
Prefrontal cortex
Anterior cingulate cortex
Insula
Amygdala
oBed nucleus of stria terminals (BNST) may play large or larger role than other structures
Phobias
Specific Phobias – know key features
oMarked, persistent, and disproportionate fear of a particular object or situation; usually lasting at least 6 months
oExposure to the object produces immediate fear
oAvoidance of the feared situation
oSignificant distress or impairment Agoraphobia
oPronounced, disproportionate, or repeated fear about being in at least two delineated situations
oAvoidance of the agoraphobic situations
oSymptoms usually continue for at least 6 months
1 oSignificant distress or impairment; often fluctuates
oTreatment=exposure therapy (support groups, home-based self-help programs) What causes phobias?
-Cognitive-behavioral perspective
oHow are fears learned?
Classical conditioning
US: Entrapment  UR: Fear
CS: Running water  CR: Fear
 Modeling
Observation
Imitation
oWhat does research indicate?
Early laboratory studies of classical conditioning of fear: Watson and Rayner (Little Albert)
Modeling: Bandura and Rosenthal
oFear reactions not always conditioned
McGabe and Gamble and colleagues
Disorder not ordinarily acquired through classical conditioning or modeling
-Behavioral-evolutionary perspective
oSome specific phobias are much more common than others
oSpecies-specific biological predisposition to develop certain fears: preparedness
oExplains why some phobias (snakes, spiders) are more common than others (meat, houses)
oTreatments for specific phobias
Actual contact with the feared object or situation is key to greater success in all forms of exposure treatment
Systematic desensitization (Wolpe)
oCovert and in vivo desensitization, including virtual reality
Flooding
Modeling
Social Anxiety Disorder – key features, causes and treatments
Checklist:
•Pronounced, disproportionate, and repeated anxiety about social situation(s) in which the individual could be exposed to scrutiny by others; typically lasting 6 months or more
•Fear of being negatively evaluated by or offensive to others
•Exposure to the social situation almost always produces anxiety
•Avoidance of feared situations
•Significant distress or impairment
Treatments for social anxiety disorder
•Overwhelming social fears: Addressed behaviorally with exposure
•Cognitive-behavioral therapy: Exposure therapy and systematic therapy discussions
•Medications: Benzodiazepine or antidepressant drugs
•Lack of social skills
•Social skills and assertiveness training
Panic Disorder
Know the key features/diagnostic criteria
Checklist:
•Unforeseen panic attacks occur repeatedly
•One or more of the attacks precede either of the following symptoms:
•At least a month of continual concern about having additional attacks
•At least a month of dysfunctional behavior changes associated with the attacks (e.g., avoiding new experiences)
Features:
•Periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak within minutes, and gradually pass
•Feature at least four of the following symptoms of panic:
•Heart palpitations
•Tingling in the hands or feet
•Shortness of breath
•Sweating
•Hot and cold flashes
•Trembling
•Chest pains
•Choking sensations
•Faintness
•Dizziness
•Feeling of unreality (APA, 2013)
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