Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

Module 8

Hypnosis and Drugs

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

HYPNOSIS • Hypnosis definition – procedure in which a researcher, clinician, or hypnotists suggests that a person will experience changes in sensation, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, or behaviors • Who can be hypnotized? – not correlated with introversion, extraversion, social position, intelligence, willpower, sex, compliance, gullibility, being highly motivated, or being a placebo responder

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

HYPNOSIS (CONT.) • Who is susceptible? – individuals with the remarkable ability to respond to imaginative suggestions – best known test: Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

HYPNOSIS (CONT.) • Theories of hypnosis – Altered States Theory of Hypnosis • holds that hypnosis puts a person into an altered state of consciousness, during which the person is disconnected from reality, which results in being able to experience and respond to various suggestions – Sociocognitive Theory of hypnosis • behaviors observed during hypnosis result not from being hypnotized, but rather from having the special ability of responding to imaginative suggestions and social pressures

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

HYPNOSIS (CONT.) • Behaviors – Hypnotic analgesia • Reduces pain and anxiety (dental tx) – Posthypnotic suggestion – Age regression – Posthypnotic amnesia

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

DRUGS: OVERVIEW • Reasons for use – include obtaining pleasure, joy, and euphoria; meeting social expectations; giving in to peer pressure; dealing with or escaping stress, anxiety, and tension; avoiding pain; and achieving altered state of consciousness • Psychoactive drugs – affect nervous system – may alter consciousness and awareness, influence how we sense and perceive things, and modify our moods, feelings, emotions, and thoughts

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

DRUGS: OVERVIEW (CONT.) Addiction • 3 C’s of addiction – Compulsion – Control – Consequences 1957 AMA declared alcoholism a disease 3 criteria known etiology known progression of symptoms known outcome

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

DRUGS: OVERVIEW (CONT.) Tolerance • after a person uses a drug repeatedly over a period of time, the original dose of the drug no longer produces the desired effect so that a person must take increasingly larger doses of the drug to achieve the same behavioral effect Dependency • refers to a change in the nervous system so that a person now needs to take the drug to prevent the occurrence of painful withdrawal symptoms Withdrawal symptoms • painful physical and psychological symptoms that occur after a drug-dependent person stops using the drug

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

DRUGS: OVERVIEW (CONT.) • Effects on nervous system – drugs affect neurotransmitters – Neurotransmitters • chemical keys that search for and then either open or close chemical locks to either excite or inhibit neighboring neurons, organs, or muscles – Mimicking • some drugs produce their effects by mimicking the way the neurotransmitters work – Reuptake • some drugs block reuptake

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

DRUGS: OVERVIEW (CONT.) • Effects on nervous system – some drugs directly activate the brain’s reward/pleasure center – also activated when one eats food, has sex, and does other pleasurable activities

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

STIMULANTS • Definition – stimulants, including cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine, and nicotine, increase activity of the central nervous system and result in heightened alertness, arousal, euphoria, and decreased appetite and fatigue

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

STIMULANTS (CONT.) • Caffeine – drug – mild stimulant, produces moderate physiological and psychological arousal, including decreased fatigue and drowsiness, feelings of alertness and improved reaction times – Nervous system • caffeine belongs to the chemical class called xanthines • blocks certain receptors (adenosine receptors) in the brain • mild physiological and psychological arousal

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

STIMULANTS (CONT.) • Caffeine – Dangers • mild to heavy doses of caffeine can result in addiction and dependency similar to those produced by alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine (two cups of coffee) • higher doses result in depression, tension, and anxiety

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

STIMULANTS (CONT.) • Nicotine – drug – stimulant that triggers the brain’s reward/pleasure center to produce good feelings – low doses improve attention, concentration, and short term memory – regular use causes addiction and dependency – leads to withdrawal

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

STIMULANTS (CONT.) • Nicotine – nervous system • stimulates the production of dopamine • also stops other controlling cells from turning off the pleasure areas – Dangers • very addicting • causes sexual problems including impotency • withdrawal symptoms range in severity and include nervousness, irritability, difficulty in concentrating, sleep disturbances, and strong craving

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

Smoking and Drinking

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL • History and use – first brewery appeared in Egypt in about 3700 B.C. – national and CA legal definition of being drunk is 0.08 (after possibly 3-4 drinks) – effects the nervous system and results in behavioral and emotional changes

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL (CONT.) – drug – ethyl alcohol is a psychoactive drug classified as a depressant – depresses activity of the central nervous system – alcohol seems like a stimulant but later depresses physiological and psychological responses

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL (CONT.) • Nervous system – affects many parts of the nervous system – stimulates GABA neural receptors, leads to feeling less anxious and less inhibited – also impairs the anterior cingulate cortex, monitors the control of motor actions – drinkers fail to recognize their impaired motor performance (driving) – high doses: depresses vital breathing reflexes in the medulla (brain stem) – may lead to death

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL (CONT.) • Dangers – hangover – includes upset stomach, dizziness, fatigue, headache, and depression – repeated and heavy drinking can result in tolerance, addiction, and dependency – withdrawal symptoms – shaking, nausea, anxiety, diarrhea, hallucinations, and disorientation – another serious problem, blackout – occur after heavy and repeated drinking

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL (CONT.) • Dangers (cont.) – blackouts – person seems to behave normally but does not remember what happened when sober – repeated and heavy drinking can also result in liver damage, alcoholism, and brain damage

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

ALCOHOL (CONT.) • Risk factors – genetic risk factors – refer to inherited biases for predispositions that increase the potential for alcoholism – genetic factors contribute 50 to 60% to the reasons a person becomes an alcoholic

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

Beer and Ball: Student Binge Drinking

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

MARIJUANA • Use and effects – Most widely used illegal drug – medical marijuana – can be effective in treating nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, appetite loss in AIDS patients, eye disease (glaucoma), muscle spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis, and some forms of pain – gateway effect – says that using marijuana leads young people to try harder drugs

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

MARIJUANA (CONT.) – psychoactive drug whose primary active ingredient is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

– depending on the user’s state of mind, marijuana can either heighten or distort pleasant or unpleasant experiences, moods, or feelings

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

MARIJUANA (CONT.) – THC receptors are located throughout the brain, including the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, limbic system, cerebellum, and basal ganglia – the brain itself makes a chemical similar to THC (anandamide) currently under study

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

MARIJUANA (CONT.) • Dangers – can cause temporary changes in cognitive functioning – can temporarily decrease secretion of various hormones and effectiveness of the immune system – respiratory problems like bronchitis and asthma – high doses: may cause toxic psychoses, including delusions, paranoia, and feelings of terror

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod Plotnik Module 8: Hypnosis

Drugs, Brain, & Behavior • Brain structures that may correspond with behaviors: – Thalamus: hallucinations, impaired decisionmaking – Hypothalamus: nausea, decreased appetite – Amygdala: Intense emotions, anxiety relief – Hippocampus: impaired decision-making – Pons: slowing of time, relaxed euphoria, drowsiness, alertness/wakefulness – Cerebellum: relaxation of body muscles, tremors – Medulla: increased heart beat, coma, death