Behavioral Science

Ego defense mechanisms are largely unconscious strategies the ego uses to reduce anxiety from id–superego conflict; boards test you on naming the mechanism in a short vignette and sorting mature (SASH) from immature/primitive defenses.

A high-yield behavioral science lesson distinguishing normal grief from Prolonged Grief Disorder and Major Depression, then covering end-of-life care essentials — capacity, autonomy, advance directives, hospice vs. palliative care, and the principle of double effect. Built around board-style buzzwords and next-best-step decisions.

A high-yield Step 1 walkthrough of sleep architecture — EEG waveforms by stage, REM/NREM neurochemistry, and stage-specific parasomnias — paired with board-style vignettes and next-best-step decisions for narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and night terrors.

A board-focused tour of learning theory — classical vs. operant conditioning, the reinforcement/punishment quadrant, reinforcement schedules (variable ratio = most extinction-resistant), and non-associative learning — anchored to classic Step 1 vignettes like anticipatory chemo nausea and the tantrum extinction burst.

A board-tested framework for physician-patient communication on Step 2 CK: lead with emotion and open-ended questions, apply SPIKES for breaking bad news and NURSE for empathy, always use professional interpreters, and choose the patient-centered response over false reassurance or defensiveness.

Board-focused recognition of child abuse, elder abuse, and intimate partner violence: the red-flag injuries that don't fit the story, the pathognomonic findings, and the differing mandatory-reporting rules that drive NEXT-BEST-STEP decisions.

A board-focused walkthrough of psychological testing: recognizing intelligence, achievement, and personality (objective vs projective) tests, reading IQ against the normal curve (mean 100, SD 15), the DSM-5 criteria for intellectual disability, and the reliability-versus-validity distinction.

A high-yield tour of stress physiology (SAM/HPA axes, Selye's GAS, allostatic load) and its health consequences (Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, cortisol-driven immunosuppression), paired with the board-favorite behavior-change tools: the Transtheoretical Stages of Change matched to interventions, and motivational interviewing (OARS).