Abnormal Psychology PDF

Abnormal Psychology Tuesday, 12 November 2024 9:23 pm Abnormal Psychology - The study of people who suffer emotional, mental, and often physical pain, often referred to as psychopathology Defining Abnormality - Context or circumstances surrounding a behavior influences whether the...

Abnormal Psychology Tuesday, 12 November 2024 9:23 pm Abnormal Psychology - The study of people who suffer emotional, mental, and often physical pain, often referred to as psychopathology Defining Abnormality - Context or circumstances surrounding a behavior influences whether the behavior is viewed as abnormal - Thus, in order to draw the line between normal and abnormal, a number of criteria, in addition to context, have been used by researchers and mental health professionals over the years Cultural Relativism - The view that there are no universal standards or rules for labeling a behavior as abnormal: instead, behaviors can only be abnormal relative to cultural norms Problems with Cultural Relativism - Culture and Gender can influence the ways people express symptoms: people who lose touch with reality often believe that they have divine powers, but whether they believe they are Jesus or Mohammed depends on the culture they belong to. - Culture and Gender can influence people's willingness to admit to certain types of behaviors - Cultural and Gender can influence the types of treatments deemed acceptable or helpful for maladaptive behaviors Abnormality as deviation from the average. - To employ this statistically based approach, we simply observe what behaviors are rare or occur infrequently in a specific society or culture and label those deviations from the norm "abnormal." - The difficulty with this definition is that some statistically rare behaviors clearly do not lend themselves to classification as abnormal. Such a concept of abnormality would unreasonably label a person who has an unusually high IQ as abnormal, simply because a high IQ is statistically rare. In short, a defi-nition of abnormality that rests on deviation from the average is insufficient. Unusualness - Behaviors that are deviant or unusual are considered abnormal, whereas behaviors that are typical or usual are considered normal. This criterion has some ties to the relativist criterion. Because the unusualness of any behavior depends in part on a culture's norms for that behavior Problems - How unusual must a behavior be in order for it to be labeled abnormal? - Many rare behaviors are positive for the individual and for society, and most people would object to labeling such behaviors abnormal Abnormality as deviation from the ideal. - An alternative approach considers abnormality in relation to the standard toward which most people are striving—the ideal. This sort of definition considers behavior abnormal if it deviates enough from some kind of ideal or cultural standard. - However, society has few standards on which people universally agree. Further-more, standards that do arise change over time and vary across cultures. Thus, the deviation-from- the-ideal approach is also inadequate. Distress - Proponents of a distress criterion for abnormality suggest that behaviors should be considered abnormal only if the individual suffers distress and wishes to be rid of the behaviors PSY100 Page 1  abnormal only if the individual suffers distress and wishes to be rid of the behaviors Problems - People are not always aware of problems their behaviors create for themselves or for others - The behaviors of some people cause great distress to others, if not to themselves Abnormality as a sense of personal discomfort. - A more useful definition concentrates on the psychological consequences of the behavior for the individual. In this approach, behavior is considered abnormal if it produces a sense of personal distress, anxiety, or guilt in an individual—or if it is harmful to others in some way. - Even a definition that relies on personal discomfort has drawbacks, though, because in some especially severe forms of mental disturbance, people report feeling wonderful, even though their behavior seems bizarre to others. In such cases, a personal state of well-being exists, yet most people would consider the behavior abnormal. Mental Illness - Behaviors should not be labeled abnormal unless they are part of a mental illness or a disease process Problems - To date, however, no biological test is available to diagnose any of the types of abnormality people with "mental illness" present with. That is, when we give a person's psychological symptoms a diagnosis, it is simply a label for that set of symptoms Abnormality as the inability to function effectively. - Most people are able to feed themselves, hold a job, get along with others, and in general live as productive members of society. Yet there are those who are unable to adjust to the demands of society or function effectively. - According to this view of abnormality, people who are unable to function effectively and to adapt to the demands of society are considered abnormal. Abnormality as a legal concept. - To the judicial system, the distinction between normal and abnormal behavior rests on the definition of insanity, which is a legal, but not a psychological, term. - The definition of insanity varies from one jurisdiction to another. In some states, insanity simply means that defendants cannot understand the difference between right and wrong at the time they commit a criminal act. Other states consider whether defendants are substantially incapable of understanding the criminality of their behavior or unable to control themselves. And in some jurisdictions pleas of insanity are not allowed at all (Weiner & Wettstein, 1993; Frost & Bonnie, 2001; Sokolove, 2003). THE FOUR D'S OF ABNORMALITY - Dysfunction - Distress - Deviance - Dangerousness - The four D's of abnormality capture what most of us mean when we call something abnormal or maladaptive while avoiding some pf the problems of using only the cultural relativism, unusualness, distress, and illness criteria. However, we are still left making subjective judgements. - Thus, we refer to what we call the continuum model to acknowledge that of the four Ds lies along its own continuum Abnormality along the continuum NORMAL: Behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are the following: typical of the social context, not distressing to the individual, not interfering with social life, not dangerous ABNORMAL: Behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are one or more of the following: highly unusual for the social context, the source of significant individual distress, significantly interfering with social or occupational functioning, highly dangerous to the individual or others SOCIALLY ESTABLISHED DIVISION BETWEEN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL: Behaviors, thoughts, and PSY100 Page 2 SOCIALLY ESTABLISHED DIVISION BETWEEN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL: Behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are one or more of the following: somewhat unusual for the social context, distressing to the individual, interfering with social or occupational functioning, dangerous Medical Abnormal behavior is rooted in physiological causes, such as hormonal Perspective imbalances, chemical deficiencies, or brain injury Psychoanalytic Abnormal behavior stems from unresolved childhood conflicts, particularly those Perspective related to sex and aggression Behavioral Abnormal behaviors are learned responses to environmental stimuli, emphasizing Perspective the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior. Looks at the behavior itself as the problem. Cognitive Cognitive distortions and negative thought patterns can lead to psychological Perspective disorders, thus highlighting the importance of addressing these cognitions in treatment. People's thoughts and beliefs are a central component of abnormal behavior. Humanistic Individuals have the capacity to make choices and that abnormal behavior may Perspective arise from a failure to realize one's potential. Emphasizes the responsibility people have for their own behavior, even when such behavior is abnormal. Sociocultural Family dynamics, societal expectations, and cultural norms can shape both normal Perspective and abnormal behaviors, suggesting that understanding the context is crucial for diagnosis and treatment. People’s behavior—both normal and abnormal—is shaped by the kind of family group, society, and culture in which they live. Major Psychological Disorders - Anxiety Disorders: these disorders are characterized by excessive fear or anxiety that interferes with daily functioning - Somatic Symptom Disorders: these involve physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition - Dissociative Disorders: these disorders involve a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness, and memory ○ Marked by the separation, or dissociation, of different facets of a person's personality that are usually integrated. - Depressive and Bipolar Disorders: this category includes disorders that primarily affect a person's emotional state ○ Characterized by emotional states of depression or euphoria so strong that they intrude on everyday living. - Childhood Disorders: these disorders are specifically diagnosed in children and can significantly impact their development and functioning - Personality Disorders: these disorders are characterized by enduring patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience that deviate markedly from cultural expectations. ○ People with personality disorders experience little or no personal distress, but they do suffer from an inability. - Schizophrenia: this severe mental disorder is marked by disruptions in thought processes, perceptions, responsiveness, and social interactions ○ Strong evidence links schizophrenia to genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors. According to the predisposition model, an interaction among various factors produces the disorder. Anxiety Disorders Generalized Anxiety Disorder Panic Disorder Phobias Somatic Symptom Disorders Somatic Symptom Disorder Illness Anxiety Disorder (hypochondria) Conversion Disorder PSY100 Page 3  Conversion Disorder Dissociative Disorders Dissociative Amnesia Dissociative Fugue Dissociative Identity Disorder Depressive Disorders Major Depressive Disorder Persistent Depressive Disorder Bipolar Disorders Bipolar I Bipolar II Schizophrenia Spectrum Schizophrenia Schizophreniform Schizoaffective Personality Disorders: Cluster A Paranoid Personality Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder Personality Disorders: Cluster B Antisocial Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder Personality Disorders: Cluster C Avoidant Personality Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Childhood Disorders ADHD ASD PSY100 Page 4