A. Emotion and Mood as Normal Experiences
1. The psychology of emotion
   a. Emotional experience and expression
   b. The role of emotion
      (1) As signals
      (2) As motivators
   c. The ABCS of emotion
      (1) Affective
      (2) Behavioral
      (3) Cognitive
      (4) Somatic
   d. Emotion and mood
2. Normal and abnormal aspects
   a. Quantitative aspects: intensity, frequency, duration
   b. Qualitative aspects: reasonableness, mood changes, the 4 Ds
3. Origins and individual differences
   a. Genetic and neurobiological influences: temperament
   b. Psychosocial influences

B. Happiness and Unhappiness
1. What is a “clinical” depression?
   a. Adjustment disorder with depressed mood (Reactive depression)
   b. Uncomplicated bereavement
2. Depressive (unipolar) disorders in DSM
   a. Major depression
   b. Dysthymic disorder
   c. “Double depression”
   d. “Atypical” depression (Depressive disorder NOS)
   e. Mixed anxiety-depression (see Lilienfeld Ch. 6)
   f. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
3. Bipolar disorders
   a. Bipolar disorder I (manic-depression)
   b. Bipolar disorder II
   c. Cyclothymic disorder
   d. Episode and course specifiers
4. Episode and course specifiers for mood disorders
5. Statistics
   a. Sex and age
   b. Mood disorders across cultures
   c. Onset, course and prognosis

C. Etiology of Mood Disorders
1. Genetic influences
   a. Genetic vulnerability
   b. Temperament (negative affectivity)
2. Neurobiological factors
   a. Neurotransmitters
   b. The endocrine system
   c. Sleep and light
   d. Diet and exercise
3. Maladaptive learning
   a. Stress and maladaptive coping
   b. Learned helplessness: original model
   c. Insufficient reinforcement
4. Cognitive factors
   a. Learned helplessness: Attribution model
   b. Cognitive errors, negative schemas and Beck’s “cognitive triad”
   c. Irrational beliefs
   d. Evidence for cognitive vulnerability
5. Interpersonal and socio-cultural influences
   a. Marriage and depression
   b. Interpersonal conflict and social stress
   c. Gender issues
      (1) Role expectations
      (2) Achievement and dependence
   d. Social support
6. Integrative (biopsychosocial) models

D. Fear and Anxiety
1. Characteristics
   a. Defined and differentiated
   b. Normal and abnormal aspects
      (1) Quantitative aspects: intensity, frequency, duration
      (2) Qualitative aspects: reasonableness, the 4 Ds
2. Origins and individual differences
   a. Genetic and neurobiological influences
   b. Psychosocial influences
3. DSM disorders involving worry, anxiety, fear and panic
   a. Phobias
      (1) Specific phobia
      (2) Social phobia
      (3) Agoraphobia
   b. Panic disorder
      (1) With agoraphobia
      (2) Without agoraphobia
   c. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
   d. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
4. Other possible AFP disorders
   a. Social anxiety disorder
   b. Mixed anxiety-depressive depressive disorder
5. Statistics
   a. Sex and age
   b. Mood disorders across cultures
   c. Onset, course and prognosis

E. Etiology of Anxiety Disorders
1. Genetic factors
   a. Vulenrability
   b. Inborn temperament: shyness and inhibition
2. Neurobiological factors
   a. GABA and norepinephrine
   b. Autonomic nervous system
3. Freud’s theories of neurotic anxiety
4. Learning factors
   a. Classical conditioning
   b. Operant conditioning
   c. Modeling
   d. Preparedness theory
5. Cognitive factors
   a. Perception of control
   b. Catastrophic misinterpretation
   c. Excess attention
6. Cultural, social and interpersonal factors
7. Integrative models

F. Complications
1. Suicide
   a. Relationship to mood and emotion
   b. Who is at risk?
   c. Treatment and prevention
2. Alcohol and drug abuse
   a. Reciprocal relationship with mood and emotion
   b. Overlapping developmental pathways
   c. Implications

Copyright ©1998 Beverly J. Volicer and Steven F. Tello, UMass Lowell.  You may freely edit these pages  for use in a non-profit, educational setting.  Please include this copyright notice on all pages.