Psychology Chapter on Abnormal Behavior

Psychopathology

• Psychopathology is the scientific study of psychological disorders.
• It examines the nature and development of abnormal behavior, thoughts, and feelings.
• It is the field devoted to understanding behavior, thoughts, and emotions that deviate significantly from what is considered normal in a given culture.

Workers in the Field

• Clinical scientists systematically gather information to describe, predict, and explain abnormal patterns of functioning.
• Clinical practitioners use the knowledge gained by clinical scientists to detect, assess, and treat abnormal patterns of functioning.

The Scientist-Practitioner Model

• Mental health professionals should be both consumers and creators of science.
• Consumer of science involves enhancing practice by implementing the results of research.
• Evaluator of science involves determining the effectiveness of practice by evaluating research.
• Creator of science involves conducting research that leads to new procedures useful in practice.

What is Normal and Abnormal?

• Determining normality and abnormality is complex and depends on context, not just isolated behaviors.
• Examples of behaviors that may seem unusual, but are not necessarily abnormal, include making a shrine and offering to a deceased spouse, a man kissing another man outside of cultural customs, a person refusing to eat for several days, or a person driving a nail through their hand.

Is This Abnormal?

• The concept of abnormality depends on context. A person crying excessively after a significant loss could not be deemed abnormal when compared to others experiencing similar loss, however, frequent crying without any significant event occurring could possibly be abnormal.
• Setting fire to one's field to clear land could be an accepted practice, versus setting fire to another's property, for instance.

Definitions of Abnormality

• The Four Ds: used to describe maladaptiveness
  • Deviance: Unusual or different from social norms
  • Dysfunction: Interferes with everyday functioning
  • Distress: Causes subjective suffering
  • Danger: Potential harm to oneself or others
• Definitions of abnormality are sometimes dependent on culture, and these definitions may vary across cultures.

Cultural Relativism

• No universal standard for judging behaviors as abnormal.
• Abnormality is judged relative to a specific culture's norms.
• Examples like bereavement practices or gender roles help illustrate this concept.

Deviance-Unusualness

• Deviation from social norms: behaviors, thoughts, and emotions differ from societal ideas about proper functioning.
• Social norms may be explicit (stated) or implicit (understood).
• It's important to consider how significantly a behavior deviates from the norm, the value society places on the norm, and the context in which the behavior occurs.

Statistical Infrequency

• Abnormality is determined by the rarity of a behavior or trait.
• Many behaviors follow a normal distribution curve.
• Behaviors that occur at the extreme ends of the curve are considered unusual.
• Examples include IQ scores and temperament variations.

Problems with Statistical Definition

• Divisions in continuous distributions (e.g., IQ scores) are arbitrary.
• Defining an acceptable level of rarity that constitutes abnormality is challenging.

Dysfunction

• Abnormal behavior interferes with everyday functioning.
• Individuals may struggle with self-care, employment, social interactions, or their ability to understand themselves and be understood.
• The criteria for adequate functioning need to be culturally sensitive.

Distress

• Behaviors associated with distress often evoke suffering or discomfort.
• The amount of subjective distress needed to label behavior as abnormal is not always clear.

Danger

• Behaviors that put oneself or others at risk of harm might be considered abnormal.
• Danger is more often the exception than the rule in abnormal behavior.

Mental Illness

• Mental illness may involve identifiable physical processes (diseases) that result in specific symptoms, but other times it is due to complex factors that are biological and psychological.

Abnormal Behavior vs. Mental Disorder

• Abnormal behavior does not always signify a mental disorder.
• Mental disorders involve a cluster of abnormal behaviors and symptoms occurring together in the same individual.

Summary of Abnormality

• No single definition for abnormality is perfect, but psychologists need to use consistent, objective, careful criteria of deciding on abnormality.

Classifying Psychological Disorders

• International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provide classification systems for psychological disorders.

Treatment

• Is designed to modify abnormal behaviors or change them to be more "normal".
• Involves a careful consideration of the idea of normality

Historical Perspectives on Abnormality

• Supernatural explanations of abnormal behavior (e.g., demonic possession, divine intervention) have historically been used, although these understandings have waned since.
• Biological perspectives have had some support, but often were viewed through supernatural perspectives.
• Psychological (and biological) perspective emerged as a result of the scientific revolution.

Connecting Treatment to Etiology

• The understanding of the cause(s) of a disorder influences treatment approaches.
• For instance, a person could be given an exorcism for presumed demonic possession, whereas a person could have depression treated with the goal of treating the underlying psychological factors.

Historical Perspective (Specific Time Periods)

• Ancient Times: Supernatural explanations, like demonic possession, dominated.
• Ancient China: Beliefs of yin and yang (positive and negative forces) and imbalances in the flow of air within internal organs influenced theories of mental illness.
• Ancient Greece/Rome: Development of humoral theory, linking personality and behavior to imbalances of bodily fluids.
• The Middle Ages: A resurgence of supernatural views alongside the emergence of hospitals for care.
• The Renaissance: Interest in scientific approaches.
• Many other cultures have different beliefs on mental illness

Nineteenth Century: Reform and Moral Treatment

• Factors contributed to a reversal of these practices, such as overpopulation, staff shortages, and a declining recovery rate.

Twentieth Century Treatment and Deinstitutionalization

• Hospitals were often harsh and inhumane, with patients experiencing long stays.
• A shift to a more humane approach led to deinstitutionalization, moving away from large hospitals toward community-based care.
• Development of new medications and effective treatments.

Twentieth Century Deinstitutionalization

• New perspectives, including biological and psychological components, were adopted.
• Recognition of problems associated with institutionalized care and the development of alternative treatments sparked deinstitutionalization.
• This shift, however, led to some negative consequences.

The Growing Emphasis on Preventing Disorders

• There has been a growing emphasis on treating mental illness at the prevention stage.

Today's Leading Theories

• Various leading theories, including psychoanalysis, biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic-existential, and sociocultural theories, offer different perspectives, and frequently, combination of perspectives, for mental disorders, rather than a single perspective.

Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

• A modern perspective of looking at mental illness by utilizing a multidimensional model that considers various factors, such as genetics, neurological factors, behavioral factors, cultural factors, interpersonal factors, and developmental factors influences understanding of mental illness.

Professions Within Abnormal Psychology

• Multiple professions contribute to the field of abnormal psychology, each with specialized training and responsibilities.

Differences in Doctorate Degrees

• Ph.D.: Primarily focused on research and teaching, and assessing and diagnosing mental disorders, as well as leading therapies.
• Psy.D.: Primarily focused on clinical practice.

Test your knowledge on the origins and theories of abnormal behavior in psychology. This quiz covers ancient theories, cultural attitudes, and significant figures in the field. Challenge yourself to understand the historical context and treatment methods related to mental disorders.