Abnormal Psychology

G2 Glossary

Behavioral genetics The fi eld that

investigates the degree to which the

variability of characteristics in a

population arises from genetic versus

environmental factors.

Behaviorism The approach to psychology

that focuses on understanding directly

observable behaviors in order to

understand mental illness and other

psychological phenomena.

Benzodiazepines A class of medications

commonly known as tranquilizers.

Bias A tendency that distorts data.

Bibliotherapy The use of self-help materials

as part of therapy.

Binge eating Eating much more food at

one time than most people would eat in

the same context.

Binge-eating disorder A provisional

diagnosis of the variant of an eating

disorder characterized by frequent episodes

of rapid uncontrolled eating of large

quantities of food, even when not hungry,

without subsequent purging; according to

DSM-IV-TR, patients with binge-eating

disorder receive a diagnosis of EDNOS.

Biofeedback A technique by which a

person is trained to bring normally

involuntary or unconscious bodily activity,

such as heart rate or muscle tension, under

voluntary control.

Biological marker A neurological,

bodily, or behavioral characteristic that

distinguishes people with a psychological

disorder (or a fi rst-degree relative with the

disorder) from those without the disorder.

Biomedical treatments Treatments that are

designed to reduce target symptoms and/or

improve quality of life by changing brain

functioning, hormonal activity, or another

aspect of bodily functioning.

Biopsychosocial approach The view that

a psychological disorder arises from the

combined infl uences of three types of

factors—biological, psychological, and

social.

Bipolar disorders Mood disorders in which

a person’s mood is often persistently and

abnormally upbeat or shifts inappropriately

from upbeat to markedly down.

Body dysmorphic disorder A somatoform

disorder characterized by excessive

preoccupation with a perceived defect or

defects in appearance.

Borderline personality disorder A

personality disorder characterized by

volatile emotions, an unstable self-image,

and impulsive behavior in relationships.

Brain circuits Sets of connected neurons that

work together to accomplish a basic process.

Brain systems Sets of brain circuits that work

together to accomplish a complex function.

Brief psychotic disorder The psychotic

disorder characterized by the sudden onset

of positive or disorganized symptoms that

last between a day and a month and are

followed by a full recovery.

Broca’s aphasia A neurological condition

characterized by problems producing speech.

Bulimia nervosa An eating disorder

characterized by binge eating along with

vomiting or other behaviors to compensate

for the large number of calories ingested.

° C °

Case studies (in studies of psychopathology)

A research method that focuses in detail on

one individual and the factors that underlie

that person’s psychological disorder or

disorders.

Catatonia A condition in which an individual

remains in an odd posture or position, with

rigid muscles, for hours.

Catatonic schizophrenia The subtype of

schizophrenia characterized by stiff or

“frozen” postures or poses, bizarre jerky

movements, or frozen facial expression.

Cerebral cortex The outer layer of cells on

the surface of the brain.

Childhood disintegrative disorder A

pervasive developmental disorder

characterized by normal development

until at least 2 years old, followed by a

profound loss of communication skills,

normal types of play, and bowel control.

Civil commitment The involuntary

commitment to a mental health facility of

a person deemed to be at signifi cant risk

of harming himself or herself or a specifi c

other person.

Classical conditioning A type of learning

that occurs when two stimuli are paired so

that a neutral stimulus becomes associated

with another stimulus that elicits a

refl exive behavior; also referred to as

Pavlovian conditioning.

Client-centered therapy A humanistic therapy

developed by Carl Rogers that is intended to

promote personal growth so that a client can

reach his or her full potential.

Clinical assessment The process of

obtaining relevant information and making

a judgment about mental illness based on

the information.

Clinical interview A meeting between

clinician and patient during which the

clinician asks questions related to the

patient’s symptoms and functioning.

Clinical psychologist A mental health

professional who has a doctoral degree

that requires several years of related

coursework and several years of treating

patients while receiving supervision from

experienced clinicians.

Cluster A personality disorders Personality

disorders characterized by odd or eccentric

behaviors that have elements related to

those of schizophrenia.

Cluster B personality disorders Personality

disorders characterized by emotional,

dramatic, or erratic behaviors that involve

problems with emotional regulation.

Cluster C personality disorders Personality

disorders characterized by anxious or

fearful behaviors.

Cognitive disorders A category of psychological

disorders in which the primary symptom is

signifi cantly reduced mental abilities, relative

to a prior level of functioning.

Cognitive distortions Dysfunctional,

maladaptive thoughts that are not accurate

refl ections of reality and contribute to

psychological disorders.

Cognitive rehabilitation A form of

psychological treatment that is designed

to strengthen cognitive abilities through

extensive and focused practice; also called

neurocognitive remediation orcognitive

mediation.

Cognitive restructuring The process of

reorganizing how a person interprets

situations and events, which relies on

replacing dysfunctional or irrational

automatic thoughts with more rational ones.

Cognitive therapy The form of treatment that

rests on the ideas that (1) mental contents

infl uence feelings and behavior; (2) irrational

thoughts and incorrect beliefs lead to

psychological problems; and, (3) correcting

such thoughts and beliefs will therefore lead

to better mood and more adaptive behavior.

Cognitive-behavior therapy The form of

treatment that combines methods from

cognitive and behavior therapies.

Common factors Helpful aspects of therapy

that are shared by virtually all types of

psychotherapy.

Common liabilities model The model that

explains how neurological, psychological,