biopsychosocial model – a general model/approach that says biological, psychological, and

social factors all play a significant role in human functioning

case formulation – an analysis of the client’s development and the factors that might have
influenced his or her current psychological status.
catharsis - purging of emotional tensions 
Charcot – Neurologist who believed that hypnotizability was a symptom of a neurological
disorder.
client-centered – people are innately good and that potential for self improvement lies within the
INDIVIDUAL rather than in the therapist or therapeutic techniques
cognitive restructuring – changing a person’s view of SELF, the WORLD around them, and
their FUTURE
command hallucination
comorbidity – refers to co-existing psychiatric conditions
compulsion – a repetitive and seemingly purposeful behavior performed in response to
uncontrollable urges or according to a ritualistic or stereotyped set of rules.
concordance rate – agreement ratios between people diagnosed as having the disorder and their
relatives
conversion symptom – SALIENCE (hidden meaning)
counterconditioning -
countertransference
crossfostering study – researchers look at children who are ADOPTED by parents with psych
disorders but whose BIOlogical parents are psych healthyxx`
cultural formulation – a case formulation, but taking into account the client’s degree of
identification with the culture of origin.
Culture-bound syndromes – cultural explanations of the individual’s symptoms – AXIS IV
deep brain stimulation – neurosurgeon plants a microelectrode in the brain that delivers a
constant low electrical stimulation to small region of the brain
defense mechanisms – tactics to keep unacceptable thoughts, instincts, and feelings out of
conscious awareness
definitional criteria for “mental disorder” – if it is clinically significant; if it is reflected in a
BEHAVIORAL or psychological syndrome; if it is associated with DISTRESS, IMPAIRMENT,
or RISK; and if it os not expectable or culturally sanctioned.
deinstitutionalization – patients who were confined to institutions were released into
community treatment sites.
Delusion – deeply entrenched false beliefs that are not consistent with the client’s intelligence or
cultural background
diathesis-stress – belief that people are for with a DIATHESIS(predisposition) that places them
at risk for developing a psychological disorder.
differential diagnosis – “process of elimination”; to rule out all possible alternative diagnosis
DSM five-axis diagnostic system
- Axis 1 – clinical disorders
- Axis 2 – personality disorders and mental retardation
- Axis 3 – medical conditions
- Axis 4 – environmental and sociocultural factors
- Axis 4 – GAF – global assessment of functioning
exposure techniques – systematic desensitization, flooding
‘faking bad’ and ‘faking good’ on MMPI – personality test, weaknesses
fear and avoidance hierarchy
fixation - individual remains at a stage of psychosexual development characteristic of
CHILDHOOD
flooding – exposing a patient to their fears, all AT ONCE
frame & boundaries in therapy - The frame is the container for the therapy, the fixed elements
that form the boundaries for the work. 
Freud
Hallucination – false perceptions not corresponding to the objective stimuli present in the
environment
Hereditability – propotion of offspring’s phenotype that is due to genetic causes
holding environment – imitate a mother HOLDING her child.. comfort, to feel loved
id, ego, superego
id – sexual/aggressive instincts
ego – center of conscious awareness in personality
superego – “conscience”
Invivo Observation – observation that takes place in the natural context IN WHICH the target
behavior occurs.
IQ
medical model – the view that abnormal behaviors result from PHYSICAL problems and should
be treated medically
mental health parity – a standard that would require health insurers to provide EQUAL LVLs
of coverage for physical and mental illnesses.
Mesmer – some psychologist.. MESMERIZE – came up with hypnotism
Microcosm- a miniature model of something… wtf?
milieu therapy – the milieu, or ENVIRONMENT, is a major component of the treatment. So a
team of professionals works w/ client in a NEW setting (as opposed to their home/workplace)
motivational interviewing
object relations therapy - unconscious mind contains images to the child’s parents and
relationships. These images remain @ the foundation of personality throughout life. These
images are called “objects”
obsession
prognosis – client’s likelihood of recovering from the disorder. If a client has functioned
effectively in the recent past, there is more hope for improvement.
Projective test – presented with an AMBIGUOUS item and is asked to provide his own
meaning – looking for SALIENCE
protective factors
psychosexual stages
- fixation
- oral stage
- anal stage
- phallic stage
- latency (nothing happens)
- genital stage (puberty to adulthood)
relapse prevention training
reliability – the extent to which a given diagnosis is consistently applied to anyone showing a
particular set of symptoms.
Rorschach
Salience – “Hidden Meaning”
Self-actualization – Maslow’s idea – the maximum realization of the individuals potential for
psychological growth.
self-report clinical inventory – contains standardized questions with fixed response categories
that the test taker completes independently, self reporting the extent to which the responses are
accurate characterizations
stimulus generalization – responding the same way to similar simuli. EX… feeling
claustrophobic in small rooms  elevators, closets, or tight spaces.
systematic desensitization – a form of exposure technique. Gradually expose patient to his fear
tardive dyskinesia – characterized by REPETITIVE, INVOLUNTARY, and purposeless
movements
TAT – Thematic Apperception Test - ambiguous pictures – what do you see?
thought broadcasting – symptom of schizophrenia, people report hearing thoughts of others,
being able to broadcast own thoughts, generally “hearing things”
token economy – type of positive reinforcement method applied to operant conditioning… EX.
Patients who perform desired activities earn “coins” that can later be exchanged for a tangible
benefit.
transference - relive conflictual relationships with parents by transferring feelings about them
onto the clinician
unconditional positive regard – a method used by therapists that involves total acceptance of
what the client says, does, and feels.
unstructured interview – series of open ended questions, no preset script
validity – refers to whether the diagnosis represents a REAL and DISTINCT clinical
phenomenon

RELIABILITY  CONSISTENCY (of test scores)

VALIDITY  ACCURACY – measures what it is designed to measure
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