PSYC 245 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Phobia, Psychoanalysis, Sheer Terror
15 Nov 2016
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Anxiety: an emotional state characterized by physiological arousal, unpleasant feelings of tensions, and a sense of apprehensions or foreboding. Anxiety disorder: a class of psychological disorders characterized by excessive or maladaptive anxiety reactions. Describe the defining characteristics of each type of anxiety disorder. Describe the most fitting theoretical explanations for understanding each. Consider most frequent and efficacious treatments for each - provide specific txt examples. Theoretical perspectives: cognitive factors: fear of fear (anxiety sensitivity) magnify fear reactions to cues of bodily arousal. Unusually sensitive alarm system or fear network in the brain. Treatment approaches: drug therapy: antidepressants have antianxiety and antipanic effects. Problem: patients attribute clinical improvements to the drugs and not their own resources: cognitive behavioral therapy: self-monitoring, exposure, development of coping responses. Phobic disorders: fear of something that is disproportionate to the threat it poses. Types of phobic disorders: specific phobia: specific to a particular object or situation (acrophobia, claustrophobia, etc. )
