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 selfstandards), 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
o GAD results from a hyperactive fear circuit
GABA: Important neurotransmitter in this circuit
o Involves several brain structures
Prefrontal cortex
Anterior cingulate cortex
Insula
Amygdala
o Bed nucleus of stria terminals (BNST) may play large or larger role than other structures
Phobias
Specific Phobias – know key features
o Marked, persistent, and disproportionate fear of a particular object or situation; usually lasting at least 6 months
o Exposure to the object produces immediate fear
o Avoidance of the feared situation
o Significant distress or impairment
Agoraphobia
o Pronounced, disproportionate, or repeated fear about being in at least two delineated situations
o Avoidance of the agoraphobic situations
o Symptoms usually continue for at least 6 months
1
o Significant distress or impairment; often fluctuates
o Treatment=exposure therapy (support groups, home-based self-help programs)
What causes phobias?
-Cognitive-behavioral perspective
o How are fears learned?
Classical conditioning
US: Entrapment UR: Fear
CS: Running water CR: Fear
Modeling
Observation
Imitation
o What does research indicate?
Early laboratory studies of classical conditioning of fear: Watson and Rayner (Little Albert)
Modeling: Bandura and Rosenthal
o Fear reactions not always conditioned
McGabe and Gamble and colleagues
Disorder not ordinarily acquired through classical conditioning or modeling
-Behavioral-evolutionary perspective
o Some specific phobias are much more common than others
o Species-specific biological predisposition to develop certain fears: preparedness
o Explains why some phobias (snakes, spiders) are more common than others (meat, houses)
o Treatments 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)
o Covert 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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