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Psychology

Unit 9

Personality and Psychological Disorders

6 topics · 24 practice questions · Free responseNot yet reviewed

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Notes

Personality theories

  • Freud: id, ego, superego, defense mechanisms. Humanistic (Rogers, Maslow): growth, self-concept and unconditional positive regard.
  • Trait theories: the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) is the best-supported model.
  • Social-cognitive (Bandura): reciprocal determinism and self-efficacy. Genes and environment both shape personality.

Psychological disorders

  • A disorder is a pattern of thoughts, feelings or behaviors that causes significant distress or interferes with daily life. The biopsychosocial model explains them using biological, psychological and social factors.
  • Main categories: anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, trauma-related, neurodevelopmental, eating, schizophrenia spectrum and personality disorders. They are common, real and treatable, and reducing stigma helps people get help.

Treatments

  • Psychotherapy (CBT, exposure, psychodynamic, humanistic) and biomedical therapy (medication prescribed by a doctor). Often they are combined.
  • Anyone who is struggling should talk to a trusted adult, school counselor or doctor.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

Hana is organized, reliable and always meets deadlines. Which Big Five trait is she high in?
A student blames his teacher for a failing grade, though he did not study. Which Freudian idea best describes his attempt to avoid anxiety?
Which statement best describes the biopsychosocial model?
A person feels intense fear in many social situations and avoids them, which affects school. This is most consistent with a(n):
A therapist who is warm, supportive and accepts the client without judgment is using ideas from:
Which is an example of reducing stigma about mental health?

Free response

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Free-response question

Dana, age 16, has felt very worried about school for several months. She has trouble sleeping, avoids presentations and her grades have dropped. She decides to talk to her school counselor, who suggests she see a doctor or therapist.

(a) Explain why Dana's decision to seek help is a positive step, using the idea of stigma.

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Stigma can stop people from getting help, but psychological problems are common and treatable. Seeking support early can prevent problems from getting worse.

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(b) Describe the biopsychosocial model and give one possible factor from each category for Dana.

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Biological: genetics or brain chemistry. Psychological: negative thoughts about performance. Social: pressure from school or peers. All factors together can contribute.

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(c) Describe one type of therapy that could help her, and what it does.

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CBT helps Dana notice and change unhelpful thoughts such as "I will fail" and practice facing presentations gradually. Exposure therapy or a medication prescribed by a doctor could also be options.

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