Psychological Therapies

Psychological Therapies

Your fears: • Are they inherited, biologically prepared, learned, displacements of other fears or caused by cognitive bias?

What is Abnormal?? • Infrequency- statistically what percentage of the people • Personal Suffering- causes personal distress • Norm Violation- violates what we consider normal in society • Behavior in Context- content of behavior, context, and consequence

What really causes psychological disorders? Biological Factors- physical illness, stress, and chemical imbalances • Psychological Processes- inner turmoil, conflict, effects of childhood experiences. • Diathesis Stress Model- genetics, early learning, and biological processes all contribute to psych. disorders or a predisposition for disorders.

Psychotherapy • An interaction between a trained therapist and someone suffering from psychological difficulties. • The main goal of therapy is to strengthen an individuals control over his/her life.

Biological Therapy • Approach that assumes there is an underlying physiological reason for the disturbed behavior, the faulty thinking, and the inappropriate emotions the person displays.

Eclectic Approach • The most popular form of therapy- it is basically a smorgasbord where the therapist combines techniques from different schools of psychology.

So, what type of therapy is best? • There are many types of therapies and each type can help an individual. Each type is based on different theories, focusing on different views of the personality and approach helping the individual in varying ways. • Certain types are more suitable for certain mental illnesses.

Psychoanalysis • Utilizes free association, dream analysis, and transference. • Its goal is to reduce anxiety and guilt from unconcious urges and reaches this goal by utilizing verbal processes.

Psychoanalysis cont.Transference • In psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships.

Psychoanalysis cont. • Drawbacks: May take a long time.

Humanistic Therapy • Utilizes active listening, acceptance, support through verbal processes. Importance of unconditional positive regard. • Focuses of people’s potential for self-fulfillment (self-actualization). Focus on the present and future (not the past). Focus on conscious thoughts (not unconscious ones). • Take responsibility for you actions- instead of blaming childhood anxieties.

Cognitive Therapy • Utilizes talking listening, role-playing, and completion of assignments. • The goal is to unite behaviors and thought by helping the patient to revise their thought processes.

Cognitive Therapy • Cognitive Therapists try to teach people new, more constructive ways of thinking. Is .300 a good or bad batting average?

Ellis’s ABCs

Beck’s Maladaptive Thought Patterns • Overgeneralization • Making blanket judgements about oneself. • “I’m a failure” • Polarized Thinking • Categorizing information into two categories • “Most people don’t like me” • Selective Attention • Focusing on one detail of many • “People always criticize me”

Behavior Therapy • Utilizes counter conditioning, operant conditioning, and systematic desensitization. • The main goal is to change one’s unwanted or abnormal behaviors and acquire desirable behaviors by using behavioral training. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7-VxSSEzso • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7-VxSSEzso

Systematic Desensitization Progressive Relaxation Exposure Therapy Flooding

Group Therapy, Family Therapy, Self-Help Groups • Patients work together with the aid of a leader to resolve interpersonal problems

Placebo effect • The influence that a patient’s hopes and expectations have on his or her improvement during therapy. • In other words, your attitude is extremely important! If you think you are getting better, you will increase the likelihood of it happening! But, a patient who thinks he/she can not be helped, probably won’t be no matter how good the psychologist. • P.495

Psychological Therapies