Psychology Chapter: Self Efficacy and Defense Mechanisms

Social Identity and Abnormal Behavior

• An ingroup is a social group one belongs to, and an outgroup is a social group one does not belong to
• The Bystander Effect is a phenomenon where the greater number of people present, the less likely each individual will help someone in distress
• Conformity is adjusting one's opinions, judgments, or behaviors to match those of other people or the norms of a social group
• Factors that contribute to one's social identity include race, media, relationships, family, religion, life experiences, and personal interests

Understanding Disorders

• Abnormal Behavior is any behavior that is not considered normal
• The Biopsychosocial Perspective is a way of understanding how suffering from disease and illness are affected by multiple levels of organization
• Psychopathology is the scientific study of the origins, symptoms, and development of psychological disorders
• A sociopath is a person who shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others
• A psychopath is a person who is characterized by the absence of empathy and blunting of others' affective states
• The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is used to diagnose and classify mental disorders

Defense Mechanisms

• Repression is an unconscious mechanism that keeps disturbing or threatening thoughts from being conscious
• Displacement is the redirection of an impulse onto a powerless target
• Sublimation is channeling unwanted feelings into a productive outlet
• Rationalization is a cognitive distortion of the facts to make an event or impulse less threatening
• Projection is attributing unwanted thoughts, feelings, and motives onto another person
• Reaction Formation is a psychological defense mechanism in which a person goes beyond denial and behaves in the opposite way they feel or think
• Denial is a refusal to accept reality
• Regression is a form of retreat that lets a person psychologically go back to a time they felt safe

Psychological Experiments

• The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study that demonstrated the power of situational factors in shaping behavior
• The Robbers Cave Experiment was a study that demonstrated the causes and consequences of intergroup conflict
• The Cognitive Dissonance Experiment was a study that demonstrated the tendency to justify lying for payment

Attribution Theory

• Attribution Theory is the mental process of inferring the cause of someone's behavior, including their own
• The Fundamental Attribution Error is the tendency to attribute the behavior of others to internal, personal characteristics, while ignoring or underestimating the role of external, situational factors
• Blaming the Victim is the tendency to blame an innocent victim of misfortune for having somehow caused the problem or for not having taken steps to avoid or prevent it
• The Hindsight Bias is the tendency to overestimate one's ability to have foreseen or predicted the outcome of an event
• The Just-World Hypothesis is the assumption that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get
• The Self-Serving Bias is the tendency to attribute successful outcomes to internal causes and unsuccessful outcomes to external, situational causes

Therapy

• Humanistic Therapy focuses on the inner feelings and self-image of an individual
• Psychodynamic Therapy focuses on the psychological drives and forces within individuals that explain human behavior and personality
• Psychoanalytic Therapy focuses on biologically determined unconscious forces that drive human behavior
• REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) focuses on helping people change their unhelpful ways of thinking
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) focuses on identifying and changing potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors
• Behavioral Therapy focuses on reinforcing desired behaviors and eliminating undesired ones
• Person-Centered Therapy focuses on helping people achieve positive psychological functioning
• Exposure Therapy is a type of therapy that involves gradually exposing individuals to the things or situations they fear
• Systematic Desensitization is an aspect of Exposure Therapy that involves gradually exposing individuals to feared stimuli while teaching them relaxation techniques

Disorders

• Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness, helplessness, and low self-esteem
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by restlessness, sweating, and fear
• Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by blushing, sweating, and avoiding social situations
• Phobias are characterized by lightheadedness, accelerated heart rate, and avoidance of feared stimuli
• Bipolar Disorder is characterized by mood swings, anger, and euphoria
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by compulsive behavior, hoarding, and impulsivity
• Dissociative Disorders are characterized by feelings of disconnection from oneself and problems handling intense emotions

Hallucinations and Delusions

• Hallucinations are a false or distorted perception that seems vividly real to the person experiencing it
• Delusions are false beliefs that persist despite compelling contradictory evidence