Cambridge International AS and A Level Psychology Coursebook
Notes that helped me achieve an A* for A-Level Psychology! (yes, it's possible)
Everything in the syllabus on this chapter is compiled and summarised using:
1. The Cambridge psychology coursebook
2. In-depth lecture notes
3. Official research journal articles (so that you don't need to go thr...
Psychology of Consumer Behavior- As and A level summary notes
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) Psychology Extremely Detailed Study Notes for the Biological Approach (Canli et al. ; Dement and Kleitman ; Schachter and Singer)
Summary notes for Satisfaction at work ( Psychology and organisations 9990)
All for this textbook (87)
Written for
Sunway College
Psychology (9990)
All documents for this subject (5)
Seller
Follow
wenminchew
Content preview
A2 Psychology: Abnormalities
Obsessive-Compulsive & related disorders-
Characteristics (Pt 1)
• All are due to obsessive thinking- unwanted intrusive recurrent thoughts
• Involves compulsive behaviour- repetitive rituals impairing daily functioning
OCD
DSM- V: diagnosis criteria
OCD- the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both
Obsessions defined by: Compulsions defined by:
1. Recurrent & persistent 1. Repetitive behaviours/ mental acts
thoughts, urges or impulses • Driven to perform acts due to an obsession, or
(worries) according to rules that must be applied rigidly
• Intrusive and unwanted • Examples:
• Causes anxiety or o Behaviours- Hand washing, ordering, checking
distress o Mental acts- Praying, counting, repeating words
silently
2. Attempts made to:
• Ignore/ supress such 2. Attempts made to:
thoughts/ urges/ images • Preventing/ reducing anxiety or distress
• Neutralise them with • Preventing a dreaded anticipated event/ situation
some other thought or from happening
action- by submitting to
(But these acts are not always realistically connected to what
a compulsion
they are aimed at preventing/ neutralising)
Examples
Obsessions (worrying) Compulsions (acting on the fear)
Constant, irrational worry about dirt, germs/ Cleaning- Repeatedly washing hands, bathing or
contamination cleaning (often for hours)
Excessive concern about accidentally hurting Checking- Checking and rechecking up to hundreds
or injuring someone of times a day if doors are locked/ something is
misplaced
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, Doubting that is irrational or excessive Mental rituals- Counting repetitively, excessive
praying, repeating ‘safe words’ to neutralize ‘bad
thoughts’
Excessive concern with order, arrangement, Ordering/ arranging- So that there are only certain
or symmetry items showing
Sexual- Worrying about distasteful sexual Sexual- Fears about typically taboo things, and so
thoughts or images compulsively act on them
1. Worry that they could be a pedophile 1. Fear that they might be a pedo- they repetitively
2. Worrying about being homosexual look at pics of kids to see if it produces arousal
3. Worrying that their genitals are 2. Fear that they might be gay- ‘come out’ to
contaminated people just to see if they receive negative reactions
3. Fear of contaminated genitals- excessively
washing genitals
Case study- (‘Charles’ by Rappaport, 1989)
Obsessions Charles had: Feeling of stickiness on his skin
Compulsions Charles had: To keep showering/ washing to rid of the stickiness
• Started washing compulsively at age 12, went to seek help with Rapport at 14
• Unable to rid himself of the feeling of ‘stickiness’
• Followed the same ritual each day to get ready:
o Take up to 3 hours in the shower
o 2 hours to get dressed
• Psychotherapy & drugs didn’t help him
• Didn’t know why he had to wash, just that he had to get rid of the stickiness
o Knew he wasn’t crazy, no voices telling him to do it, he just HAD to
• Couldn’t properly justify what would happen to him if he didn’t wash
• Was eager to find a cure for himself- even if that meant applying a sticky paste on his scalp
for an EEG scan, he endured it
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
BDD- Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects in appearance
• AKA: Dysmorphia- The fear of having a deformity
• The individual performs repetitive behaviours/ mental acts in response to concerns about
appearance
o Ex: Mirror checking, seeking reassurance, excessive grooming
• Preoccupation is not restricted to concerns about weights or body fat- could be about
anything, (ex: Constant worry that eyebrows are not okay)
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller wenminchew. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
