Abnormal Psychology PDF

Abnormal Psychology Instructor: Ms. Danielle Fuertes The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective It is a long leap from evil spirits to brain pathology as the cause of psychological disorders. Thus, psychosocial treatment approaches to the causation of psychopathology, which focus not...

Abnormal Psychology Instructor: Ms. Danielle Fuertes The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective It is a long leap from evil spirits to brain pathology as the cause of psychological disorders. Thus, psychosocial treatment approaches to the causation of psychopathology, which focus not only on psychological factors but also on social and cultural ones as well. The philosophers wrote about the importance of fantasies, dreams, and cognitions and thus anticipated, to some extent, later developments in psychoanalytic thought and cognitive science. They also advocated humane and responsible care for individuals with psychological disturbances. The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective Moral Therapy The term moral actually referred more to emotional or psychological factors rather than to a code of conduct. Its basic tenets included treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible in a setting that encouraged and reinforced normal social interaction. But moral therapy as a system originated with the well-known French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel (1745–1826) and his close associate Jean-Baptiste Pussin (1746–1811), who was the superintendent of the Parisian hospital La Bicêtre (Gerard, 1997; Zilboorg & Henry, 1941). The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective Moral Therapy The term moral actually referred more to emotional or psychological factors rather than to a code of conduct. Its basic tenets included treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible in a setting that encouraged and reinforced normal social interaction. But moral therapy as a system originated with the well-known French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel (1745–1826) and his close associate Jean-Baptiste Pussin (1746–1811), who was the superintendent of the Parisian hospital La Bicêtre (Gerard, 1997; Zilboorg & Henry, 1941). The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective Moral Therapy Pussin had already instituted remarkable reforms by removing all chains used to restraint patients and instituting humane and positive psychological interventions. After William Tuke (1732–1822) followed Pinel’s lead in England, Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), often considered the founder of U.S. psychiatry, introduced moral therapy in his early work at Pennsylvania Hospital. The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective Moral Therapy Asylums had appeared in the 16th century, but they were more like prisons than hospitals. It was the rise of moral therapy in Europe and the United States that made asylums habitable and even therapeutic. Dorothea Dix (1802–1887) campaigned endlessly for reform in the treatment of insanity. A school teacher who had worked in various institutions, she had firsthand knowledge of the deplorable conditions imposed on patients with insanity, and she made it her life’s work to inform the American public and their leaders of these abuses. Her best-known work is the mental hygiene movement. The Science of Psychopathology Psychological Perspective Psychoanalytic Model Catharsis Defense Mechanism Dream Analysis Free Association Behavioral Model Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Humanistic Model Self-Actualizing Person Centered Therapy Unconditional Positive Regard An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology multidimensional integrative approach to psychopathology To say that psychopathology is caused by a physical abnormality or by conditioning is to accept a linear or one- dimensional model, which attempts to trace the origins of behavior to a single cause. In psychology and psychopathology, we still encounter this type of thinking A system, or feedback loop, may have independent inputs at many different points, but as each input becomes part of the whole it can no longer be considered independent. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology multidimensional integrative approach to psychopathology the biology and behavior of the individual, as well as the cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural environment, because any one component of the system inevitably affects the other components. This is a multidimensional model. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology multidimensional integrative approach to psychopathology - Biological dimensions include causal factors from the fields of genetics and neuroscience. - Psychological dimensions include causal factors from behavioral and cognitive processes, including learned helplessness, social learning, prepared learning, and even unconscious processes (in a different guise than in the days of Sigmund Freud). Emotional influences contribute in a variety of ways to psychopathology, as do social and interpersonal influences. Finally, developmental influences figure in any discussion of causes of psychological disorders. - Social Dimensions Sociocultural factors, An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology Genes are long molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at various locations on chromosomes, within the cell nucleus. we have known that physical characteristics such as hair color and eye color and, to a certain extent, height and weight are determined—or at least strongly influenced— by our genetic endowment. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology Genes are long molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at various locations on chromosomes, within the cell nucleus. we have known that physical characteristics such as hair color and eye color and, to a certain extent, height and weight are determined—or at least strongly influenced— by our genetic endowment. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology Genes A dominant gene is one of a pair of genes that strongly influences a particular trait, and we need only one of them to determine. A recessive gene, by contrast, must be paired with another (recessive) gene to determine a trait. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology The Diathesis–Stress Model individuals inherit tendencies to express certain traits or behaviors, which may then be activated under conditions of stress. The Gene–Environment Correlation Model Some evidence now indicates that genetic endowment may increase the probability that an individual will experience stressful life events. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Neuroscience and Its Contributions to Psychopathology Knowing how the nervous system and, especially, how the brain works is central to any understanding of our behavior, emotions, and cognitive processes. The human nervous system includes the central nervous system, consisting of the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, consisting of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology Neuroscience and Its Contributions to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain One way to view the brain is to see it in two parts— the brain stem and the forebrain. The brain stem is the lower and more ancient part of the brain. Found in most animals, this structure handles most of the essential automatic functions, such as breathing, sleeping, and moving around in a coordinated way. The forebrain is more advanced and evolved more recently. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain The lowest part of the brain stem, the hindbrain, contains the medulla, the pons, and the cerebellum. The hindbrain regulates many automatic activities, such as breathing, the pumping action of the heart (heartbeat), and digestion. The cerebellum controls motor coordination, An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain Also located in the brain stem is the midbrain, which coordinates movement with sensory input and contains parts of the reticular activating system, which contributes to processes of arousal and tension, such as whether we are awake or asleep. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain At the top of the brain stem are the thalamus and hypothalamus, which are involved broadly with regulating behavior and emotion. These structures function primarily as a relay between the forebrain and the remaining lower areas of the brain stem.  An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain At the base of the forebrain, just above the thalamus and hypothalamus, is the limbic system. The limbic system, which figures prominently in much of psychopathology, includes such structures as the hippocampus (seahorse), cingulate gyrus (girdle), septum (partition), and amygdala (almond), This system helps regulate our emotional experiences and expressions and, to some extent, our ability to learn and to control our impulses. It is also involved with the basic drives of sex, aggression, hunger, and thirst. An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology The Structure of the Brain At the base of the forebrain, just above the thalamus and hypothalamus, is the limbic system. The basal ganglia, also at the base of the forebrain, include the caudate (tailed) nucleus. Because damage to these structures may make us change our posture or twitch or shake, they are believed to control motor activity.