PersonalityBehavioral AssessmentDirect observationClinical or natural settingsEx: Clinical – therapist’s office, institutional settingEx: Natural – playground or at homeRating scaleWhere behaviors are ratedEx: How disruptive, how shy, etc.Frequency countEx: How often does X happen?Humanism Assessment: RogersAsk people to describe how they see themselves (real self) and how they would like to be (ideal self)Healthy personality in Rogers’s view is when real self and ideal self matchEvaluate similarity of descriptions for congruence (healthy) or incongruence (unhealthy personality assessment)Assessing TraitsPersonality InventoriesA series of questions, usually longResponse format: yes, no, can’t decide, etc.16PF: Cattellused statistical analysis to narrow down way to desribe personality traitsNEO-PI: Big FiveMeasurement tool used to measure Big Five factorsMMPI-II: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality InventoryMost widely used personality inventory used in research567 true/false questionspeople are told to answer whether something is true or false about you (there is no in between answers)Personality Tests on the InternetQuestionable reliability and validityLack of professional interpretationPsychological DisordersSynonymous terms:PsychopathologyAbnormal PsychologyMental IllnessEarly Treatment of Mental IllnessAncient timesEvil spirits released by trephiningTrephining – drill holes in person’s skulls to release the spiritsHippocratesMental illnesses arose from imbalance of body fluidsWe had 4 major bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile)Middles AgesMentally ill labeled as witchesTreatment – submerge people in water to see if they could floatIf they were a ‘witch’, they would be put to deathPsychological DisordersWhat is ‘normal?’What is ‘abnormal?’There is a grey area; sometimes it is black and whiteDepends on many different factorsNormal? Abnormal?Complex!Normal -------- Abnormal Continuum What is Abnormal?Abnormal behavior is statistically rareThere are fewer people who meet the criteria for abnormality than those who don’tSocial Norm DeviationWhen an individual deviates from social norms it can be (and often is) considered abnormalSubjective discomfortComes from the person themselvesSo much anxiety that a person is uncomfortableInability to FunctionIf the individual is having difficulty functioning because of their level of discomfort this is abnormalityDanger to Self or OthersThis is always considered abnormal and something to be careful aboutAbnormalityFrequencyHow often does this happen?IntensityHow low is that low mood? How high is the high mood?DurationHow long does it last?Medical ModelEtiologyWhat is the cause? and how does it develop? of a disorder within an individualDiagnosisIdentifying symptoms and distinguishing one disorder from anotherBiological ModelBehavior is cause by biological changes in chemical, structural or genetic systems of the bodyLooking at how and why symptoms occur, how symptoms begin, etc.All rooted in biologyPsychological ModelPsychodynamicEgo not doing so wellBehavioralInfluence of the environment that causes faulty learning that leads to psychological disordersCognitivePeople who have symptoms or disorders rooted in irrational or irregular thinking processesThese are all models of abnormalitySociocultural PerspectiveCultural RelativityImportant to consider individual’s cultural background to diagnose and treatCultural SyndromesIn another cultural symptoms may be abnormalCultural idioms of distressHow does a particular culture interpret when someone is in distress?Different in different culturesCultural explanations/ perceived causeVaried based on differences in culturesImportant to recognize and be aware of these cultural differencesClassifying DisordersDSM-5 (2013)Diagnostic and Statistical manual of DisordersUsed for diagnosis250 Disorderssymptomstypical coursegrouped by chaptersdisorders that share common features/symptomsdoes not address treatmentAnxiety DisordersFeelings of excessive apprehension or anxietyMental tenseness, uncomfortableSocial Anxiety DisorderFear of social situationsAvoidance of social situationsFear of performance situationsNormal for slight discomfort in front of peopleHumiliation/embarrassment concernsCauses a lot of distressImpairs functioningPeople are unable to manage their lives wellSpecific PhobiasFear of an object or situationExcessive or unreasonableThe person themselves must come to the conclusion that their fear is excessiveCommon:Agoraphobia – fear of open placesAcrophobia – fear of heightsClaustrophobia – fear of closed spacesHemophobia – fear of bloodPanic DisorderDiscrete episodes of intense dreadLast about 10 minutesPhysiological symptomsAlways exist, always intenseEx: racing heart, chest tenseness, difficulty breathing, etc.Cognitive SymptomsThinking about what is going onCan sometimes cause another panic attack to occurAgoraphobiaFear of market place – fear of open placesAnxiety about being in open or public spacesEscape concernsHow will the individual get to safety in panic attack?What if people see?Panic attack concernsCauses avoidance of public spacesGeneralized Anxiety DisorderWorried about everything all of the time“what if?”Persistent and uncontrollable tenseness and apprehension“worry about almost everything all of most of the time”low-key chronic anxietytired easilyObsessive-Compulsive DisorderPersistent unwanted thoughts (obsessions)Unable to get these thoughts out of their headDisturbing, troubling thoughtsPersistent unwanted behaviors (compulsions)Ex: hand washingReduces anxietyRepetitive, ritualistic behaviorsEx: turning lights off how ever many times before going to bedTrauma and Stressor-related DisordersAcute Stress disorderDiagnosed up to 1 month after a traumatic event occursMust display a certain number of symptoms related to eventCan escalate to PTSD after a monthPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)More than 1 month after eventAcute and Post-traumatic Stress DisorderExposure to a traumatic eventSomething that is horrific, causes a lot of distressIndividual may fear their life or someone else’s life is in dangerEx: combat, murder, rape, etc.Intense fear, helplessness, horrorHaunting memories, nightmaresCan’t prevent them from happeningSocial WithdrawalJumpy anxietyCharacteristic of PTSDCalled hyper vigilancePeople are always on red alertSleep problemsBecause of nightmares and anxietyMood DisordersDisturbance of