Psychology: Behavioral and Cognitive Perspectives

Study Notes

Psychological Perspectives

Behavioral Perspective: focuses on observable behaviors, role of learning, and influences of punishments and reinforcements in producing behavior.
Cognitive Perspective: focuses on how internal thoughts, perceptions, and reasoning contribute to psychological disorders.
Psychodynamic Perspective: suggests that many abnormal behaviors stem from unconscious thoughts, desires, and memories.
Humanistic Perspective: views behavior as controlled by the decisions that people make about their lives based on their perceptions of the world.

Socio-Cultural Perspectives

Society and culture can influence the development of abnormal behavior, including factors such as socioeconomic status, poverty, unemployment, environmental issues, housing concerns, cultural and religious practices, etc.
Abnormal behavior is explained in the context of interpersonal relationships, social standards, and cultural roles.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders: characterized by extreme fear or worry that impairs functioning and goes beyond what is normal for the age or setting.
Fear vs. Anxiety: fear is felt when there is danger, while anxiety is when you expect future danger.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Feeling of discomfort a child has when separated – or expects separation – from a loved one.
Worry is focused on the possibility of harm or event that may cause separation.
Does not want to leave, be alone, or sleep away.
Infants show stranger anxiety by crying when someone unfamiliar approaches.
Separation anxiety as a normal life stage first develops at about 7 months of age, once object permanence has been established.
It is at its strongest at 10-18 months of age and usually subsides by 3 years of age.
Diagnosis criteria: at least 4 weeks for children and teens, at least 6 months for adults, and at least 3 of 8 symptoms.

Selective Mutism

Failure to speak in a situation where there is an expectation to speak (e.g. school).
Ability to speak in other situations.
Not caused by organic factors.
Diagnosis criteria: at least 1 month, not limited to 1st month in school, and interferes with educational or occupational achievement.

Specific Phobia

Fear reaction due to an object or situation.
Instant fear; exceeds true risk of danger.
Avoidance of object/situation or endurance with intense fear or anxiety.
Diagnosis criteria: at least 6 months, fear, anxiety, or avoidance leads to impairment.
Sub-types of Specific Phobia: Animal-Insect Type, Natural Environment Type, Blood-Injection-Injury Type, Situational Type, and Other Type.

Description

Explore the Behavioral Perspective, focusing on observable behaviors and the role of learning, and the Cognitive Perspective, examining how internal thoughts and perceptions contribute to psychological disorders.