A2 Psychology: Abnormalities
Anxiety disorders- Characteristics (Pt 1)
Anxiety- Frequent, persistent worry & apprehension Symptoms of Anxiety:
over an anticipated, perceived threat in the environment
• Panic attacks
• The actual threat posed us actually minor/ non- • Restlessness
existent, but individuals see it as highly threatening • Muscle tension
• The person may / may not realise their anxiety is • Feeling ‘on edge’
irrational (can’t control their anxiety) • Difficulty in concentration-
• They find it hard to manage & control their worry preoccupied with worry
• Sleep disturbances
• Fear and Anxiety are 2 different things: • Tired & irritable
o Fear- The reaction to immediate danger
o Anxiety- Worry of a future threat
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Worry- a central feature
o Persistently worried about minor things
o Worried about common things, and is excessive, uncontrollable, long lasting
• There isn’t a specific thing that causes anxiety
Phobia
• Extreme & irrational fear of an object/ situation
o Fear is disproportionate to the actual danger
o The individual deliberately avoids that object/ situation
• Fear is normal, but phobias are a problem as they are excessive fears (disrupts daily life)
Case Studies
1) Little Albert- Watson (1920) 2) Little Hans- Freud (1909) 3) Saavedra & Silverman (2002)
• Taught Albert, a 9 month • Hans, a 5 year old boy, had a • 9 year old boy, fear of
old, to be afraid of white phobia of horses buttons
rats using classical • Fear was till the extent of • High levels of distress
conditioning being reluctant to go when exposed to
• White Rat (NS) paired with outside in case he met a buttons ever since a
loud noise (UCS) horse large bowl of buttons
• Child would cry when he • Freud’s interpretation- Hans fell on him at school
heard the loud noise, but has a fear of horses because
after conditioning, would he’s afraid his father would
cry after seeing the white castrate him for desiring his
rat too mother (displacement,
Types of Phobias
Oedipus complex)
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, Agoraphobia
Definition- A fear of situations where escape would be difficult if something were to go wrong
o (A complex phobia, not specific, can range across a wide variety of situations)
• Often represented as a fear of open spaces (anywhere as long as they feel unsafe)
• Affects approximately 2-3% of the population- mainly women
• Research findings- Agoraphobia develops due to unexpected severe panic attacks
(Fear that it might happen again and they’re not able to get help)
DSM-V: diagnosis criteria
1. Disproportionate or marked fear & anxiety about at least 2 situations where it would be hard to
escape or receive help
o Public transport- buses, trains, ships, planes, automobiles
o Open spaces- parking lots, marketplaces, bridges
o Enclosed spaces- shops, theatres, cinemas
o Standing in line/ being in a crowd
o Being outside of home alone
2. Avoids such situations/ endure them with significant distress
3. Often need the presence of a companion to confront the situation
Specific Phobias
DSM-V: diagnosis criteria
1. Definition- A persistent fear that is either unreasonable/ excessive, caused by the presence
or anticipation of a specific object/ situation
(logically, it poses no threat, but the person still feels anxiety)
2. Exposure = anxiety response
o Adults: Panic attacks
o Children: Crying, tantrum, freezing, clinging
3. Individuals recognise their fear is disproportionate (but still cant change it)
4. Avoids the object/ situation they fear OR endures it with distress/ anxiety
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
Anxiety disorders- Characteristics (Pt 1)
Anxiety- Frequent, persistent worry & apprehension Symptoms of Anxiety:
over an anticipated, perceived threat in the environment
• Panic attacks
• The actual threat posed us actually minor/ non- • Restlessness
existent, but individuals see it as highly threatening • Muscle tension
• The person may / may not realise their anxiety is • Feeling ‘on edge’
irrational (can’t control their anxiety) • Difficulty in concentration-
• They find it hard to manage & control their worry preoccupied with worry
• Sleep disturbances
• Fear and Anxiety are 2 different things: • Tired & irritable
o Fear- The reaction to immediate danger
o Anxiety- Worry of a future threat
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Worry- a central feature
o Persistently worried about minor things
o Worried about common things, and is excessive, uncontrollable, long lasting
• There isn’t a specific thing that causes anxiety
Phobia
• Extreme & irrational fear of an object/ situation
o Fear is disproportionate to the actual danger
o The individual deliberately avoids that object/ situation
• Fear is normal, but phobias are a problem as they are excessive fears (disrupts daily life)
Case Studies
1) Little Albert- Watson (1920) 2) Little Hans- Freud (1909) 3) Saavedra & Silverman (2002)
• Taught Albert, a 9 month • Hans, a 5 year old boy, had a • 9 year old boy, fear of
old, to be afraid of white phobia of horses buttons
rats using classical • Fear was till the extent of • High levels of distress
conditioning being reluctant to go when exposed to
• White Rat (NS) paired with outside in case he met a buttons ever since a
loud noise (UCS) horse large bowl of buttons
• Child would cry when he • Freud’s interpretation- Hans fell on him at school
heard the loud noise, but has a fear of horses because
after conditioning, would he’s afraid his father would
cry after seeing the white castrate him for desiring his
rat too mother (displacement,
Types of Phobias
Oedipus complex)
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, Agoraphobia
Definition- A fear of situations where escape would be difficult if something were to go wrong
o (A complex phobia, not specific, can range across a wide variety of situations)
• Often represented as a fear of open spaces (anywhere as long as they feel unsafe)
• Affects approximately 2-3% of the population- mainly women
• Research findings- Agoraphobia develops due to unexpected severe panic attacks
(Fear that it might happen again and they’re not able to get help)
DSM-V: diagnosis criteria
1. Disproportionate or marked fear & anxiety about at least 2 situations where it would be hard to
escape or receive help
o Public transport- buses, trains, ships, planes, automobiles
o Open spaces- parking lots, marketplaces, bridges
o Enclosed spaces- shops, theatres, cinemas
o Standing in line/ being in a crowd
o Being outside of home alone
2. Avoids such situations/ endure them with significant distress
3. Often need the presence of a companion to confront the situation
Specific Phobias
DSM-V: diagnosis criteria
1. Definition- A persistent fear that is either unreasonable/ excessive, caused by the presence
or anticipation of a specific object/ situation
(logically, it poses no threat, but the person still feels anxiety)
2. Exposure = anxiety response
o Adults: Panic attacks
o Children: Crying, tantrum, freezing, clinging
3. Individuals recognise their fear is disproportionate (but still cant change it)
4. Avoids the object/ situation they fear OR endures it with distress/ anxiety
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
