7 - Morality, Psychopathy and Psychopathology Flashcards
Define Morality
Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong, or good and bad behaviour
Early Views on morality: Rousseau and Golding
> Rousseau believed societal corrupted children’s morality
> Golding believed children have inherently bad impulses that society reigns in
lord of the flies
Cognitive, Behavioural and Emotional aspects of morality
- Cognitive
> knowledge of ethical rules and judgements of behaviour - Behavioural
> behaviours that invoke ethical considerations (from adults) - Emotional
> feelings that invoke moral and ethical decisions
Approaches to morality (3)
Evolutionary
Cultural
Forensic Anthropometry
Evolutionary Approach to morality
- how might evolution select for particular moral traits?
> sharing and empathy gives an advantage, encourages reciprocal behaviours
> fewer enemies, more mates, more survival success
Cultural approach to morality
- how do cultures install moral sense?
- moral similarities across cultures may indicate nativism
Forensic Anthropometric approach to morality
- you can tell a criminal by the morphological features of their faces
Piaget’s 3 stages of moral development
Piaget believed there was a strict stage-development of morality
Pre-moral development (0-4) Heteronomous Stage (4-10) Autonomous Stage (10+)
Pre-moral development stage
0-4y > no explicit awareness of rules > no use of moral principles > no notions of justing \+ supports Golding
Heteronomous Stage
4-10y
> rules are seen as unchanging and external, like physical laws
> judgements of culpability are based on the consequences rather than intentions
> little sense of appropriate punishment
Autonomous Stage
10+
> rules are seen as human agreements that can be changed
> judgements of culpability are based on intentions and punishment should be appropriate
+ more sophisticated evaluation of judgement
Piaget’s Morality task and limitations
- Children have difficulty integrating the intention of the actor into their judgements of morality
- Two Scenarios:
> A: the child unknowingly causes multiple cups to smash
> B: the child knowingly attempts to grab a glass, and breaks one cup
Results:
- children think that A is a worse transgression (due to consequence)
- adults think that B is a greater transgression (due to intention)
Limitations:
- Social Conventions vs. Moral Laws
> driving side of road vs. stealing
> the problem Piaget was looking at did not encapsulate rules necessarily, if these laws are not that distinct early on
Kohlberg’s view on morality
Believed that there’s a lot of limitation previously, due to lack of looking at what morality itself is
- theorised that children learn to become moral thinkers, which takes time to develop accuracy
- they often confuse morality with power coercion or authority
Kohlberg’s 6 stages of morality development (3 stages)
Level 1:
Pre-conventional morally (2-10)
{arises from basic needs}
- Stage 1
> Obedience and punishment orientation
\+ moral judgement is driven by the need to avoid punishment
- Stage 2
> Instrumental-relativist orientation
\+ moral judgements are driven by the desire to meet personal needs
Level 2:
Conventional Morality (9y+)
> arises from conforming to expected roles and pleasing others
- Stage 3
> Good boy/good girl orientation
+ moral judgements are driven by a need to be accepted by others as a good person
- Stage 4
> Law and order orientation
+ moral judgements are driven by a desire to adhere to the law
Level 3:
Post-conventional morality (12y+)
> arises from abstract principles that transcend individual circumstances are local cultural contexts
- Stage 5
> Social contract orientation
+ moral judgements arise from adherence to laws that are set up as social constructs for the common good
- Stage 6
> Principled conscience-driven orientation
+ moral judgements arise from adherence to personal principles (i.e. the Golden Rule)
Kohlberg’s Heinz Dilemma
Kohlberg used to measure morality using a moral dilemma
> Heinz’s wife is dying of cancer
> a druggist has a potential cure he discovered, that costs $200 to make and he’s charging $2000
> Heinz can only make up $1000
> the druggist still refuses, on the basis of profiteering
> Heinz steals the medicine
- morally right or wrong?
Cognitive Theories of Moral Development
- distinguish moral judgements from social rules
- many rules
> moral rules
> social convention, nonmoral rules (vary across cultures)
Children
- tend to be selective of beliefs that they tolerate
- sensitive to variations across different belief domains
- responses of other socialising agents affects their moral learning (zone of proximal development)
Development of Self-regulation and delay of gratification
> Control phase (12-18m)
+
Self-control phase (preschool)
+ passive inhibition system (fear and anxiety)
+ active inhibition system (conscious control)
- Self-regulation phase
> child learns to delay gratification and a strong sense of moral self
Development of consciousness
- there are several ways in which consciousness develops
> requires some sense of anxiety and fear
+ individuals that do not develop anxiety may have impaired consciousness - there is an affective side of morality
> fearful people may achieve better self control through guilt, a result of temperament and parental socialisation
> a child’s early ability to inhibit impulses and delay gratification may enhance later competence
Prosocial (altruistic) Behaviour
- voluntary and intended to benefit another
- evident between 12-18m
- increases in repertoire as children age
Developmental trends
- 13-14m: approach others when distressed
- 18m: approach in a specific way
- 2y: verbal advice, helping, sharing, distraction, defence
Psychopathy and it’s 2 types of development, primary and secondary
- children that are high in Callous and Unemotional traits have a high risk of becoming Psychopaths
Development
Karpaman defined 2 types:
- Primary
> biologically rooted
- Secondary
> environmentally mediated
> normally struggled through adversity
What is the specifier for psychopathy type?
- anxiety is the type specifier
- no anxiety indicates primary psychopathy
- high anxiety indicates secondary psychopathy (developed through the adversity)
Aggression and it’s development
Aggression
- unwelcome, negative behaviour that is threatening to others
Development
- infancy (0-2): anger and frustration
- preschool (2-5): instrumental aggression
> use aggression to get what they want - early years (6-7): hostile aggression
- elementary school (7-10): physical and relational aggression
> rumours, social media - adolescence: selective aggression
- there is a strong relationship between childhood physical aggression and criminal convictions
> especially amongst males compared to females
When is the peak of physical aggression?
Preschool age (2-3) is the peak of physical aggression - because individuals cannot desist from using it to solve problems
Psychopathology
study of disorders of the mind
- dysfunctional adult behaviour often seen as a product of development
- resilience is a factor
The 4 basic principles of Developmental psychopathology
- frequency and pattern of symptoms
- deviations from normal behaviour
- early, precursor behaviours of disorder
- the pathways to normal and abnormal development
Measuring abnormality in psychopathology, 2 methods
- Statistical Model
> abnormality is a deviation from the average
+ IQ of 100 is normal, 70/130 is abnormal - Alternative Model
> abnormality is a deviation from the ideal
+ what determines ideal?
+ differs by culture and subculture
Diagnostic and Empirical approaches to classifying child pathology
Diagnostic Approach
- rooted in medical tradition
- uses diagnosis for etiology (causes) of disorder
- classification system forms DSM-5 (diagnostic manuals)
- diagnostic reliability is needed
> do different psychologists make the same diagnoses?
Empirical method > alternative to diagnostic approach > behaviours are rated > statistical tests > useful for identifying risk factors
What are the two types of child psychological disorders?
- Undercontrolled
- Overcontrolled
> such as phobias, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders - based on the amount of control the child has over them
Child anxiety disorders
- first shown is separation anxiety
- before 7y, specific phobias can begin to appear
- Generalised anxiety disorder
> age 8,9,10 - Social anxiety disorder
> fear about social evaluation
> emerges around 12 (adolescence) - as you grow, anxiety changes it’s focal point
Anxiety and Comorbidity
Anxiety shows Comorbidity
> if someone is diagnosed with 1 disorder, they are 50% likely to show symptoms of another disorder
Causes of child anxiety
- insecurely attached children, may have had caregivers with higher levels of anxiety or depression
> can result in overactivity of vulnerability of anxiety related schemas
> can increases attention or memory biases to situational interpretations that can enhance anxiety
Childhood depression
- frequency of diagnosis increases as children age
> anxiety is more common earlier on, depression later
> high anxiety early on predisposes to depression - depression seems to be at it’s fullest in late childhood-adolescence
> when child reaches the stage of formal operations - rates of depression are increasing among young males
- depression is associate with increased risk of suicide
Causes of childhood depression
- biological theories show it’s heritable (twin studies)
> gene-environment studies show different genotypes can improve vulnerability to depression - Social and psychological theories
- Cognitive theories
> children raised in certain circumstances can develop learned helplessness that filters into other aspects of life - depression symptoms more present in females than males
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- being obsessed to a focal point
- Obsessions that relate to factors to create compulsions
> sexual obsession
> forbidden thoughts (factor)
> checking compulsion - effects 2-3% of population
- begins to emerge 6-15y
- diagnoses follow observation of unwanted behaviour
- adults recognise their behaviour is not rational, children do not
Eating Disorders
- Anorexia Nervosa > body weight voluntarily maintained at below normal > intense fear of gaining weight > amenorrhea (in females) \+ abnormal absence of menstruation
- Bulimia Nervosa
> large uncontrolled eating binges at least twice weekly
> inappropriate compensatory behaviour (vomiting)
> self-esteem closely linked to body weight/shape - both disorders are much more common in females
- anorexia nervosa has an earlier onset
> more consistent historically and across cultures
> more closely associated with genetic influences
Causes of Eating Disorders
- Body dysmorphia
> inaccurate representations of our own body weight/shape - little evidence that parenting style causes anorexia
Conduct disorder
repetitive and persistent behaviour in which a child or adolescent violates the basic rights of others or violates age-appropriate societal norms
- an Undercontrolled behavioural disorder
> lack of remorse or empathy for one’s actions
3 categories of conduct disorder
- Aggression against people or animals
- Wilful destruction of property
- Theft or violation of trust
- Violation of major rules
Conduct disorder is diagnosed when 3 or more of these behaviours are present within a 1-year interval
Categories of conduct disorder in more detail
- Aggression against people or animals > bully > fights a lot > using weapons to threaten another > physical cruelty to people or animals > robbing a person through force or intimidation > forcing someone into sexual activity
- Wilful destruction of property
> sets fires intentionally to cause damage
> intentional destruction of others’ property - Theft or violation of trust
> has broken into a place
> lies for personal gain
> has stolen items in a way that does not involve direct confrontation of the owner (i.e. using someone’s card) - Violation of major rules
> stays out late at night opposing strict rules against it
> bunks school as preteen
> run away from home overnight at least twice
Treating Conduct disorders
- Social learning and behavioural techniques > time out for inappropriate behaviours > intervention programs > prevention and abstinence programs > detoxification and counselling
*the earlier the intervention, the higher the chance of success
Define Substance abuse
the excessive use of drugs in a way that interferes with one or more important areas of functioning
Substance use
- correlated with:
> friends, family and peers who use drugs
> under controlled and impulsive behaviours
> poor academic records and truancy (bunking)
- even the best programs have a high rate of recidivism
Disorders associated with substance abuse (3)
Conduct Disorder
Anxiety
Depression
Psychopathy Checklist
- impress management (superficial charm)
- grandiose sense of self-worth
- stimulation seeking
- pathological lying
- manipulation for personal gain
- lack of remorse/guilt
- shallow affect (no deep emotions, but pretends to)
- callousness (lacks empathy)
- parasitic orientation (exploits others)
- poor anger control
- promiscuous sexual behaviour
- early behavioural problems
- lacks goals
- impulsivity
- irresponsibility
- failure to accept responsibility
- unstable interpersonal relationships
- serious criminal behaviour
- serious violations of conditional release (from jail)
- criminal versatility (engages in at least six kinds of criminal behaviour
Psychopathy and Fear Processing
- children that show symptoms of high callousness are slower to recognise fear
> indication of affective disorder
ADHD
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- most common disorder in males
- problem in being able to delay gratification
- children: > have conflicts with adults and peers > perform poorly in school > create serious classroom-management problems for teachers > often low self-esteem
Characteristics of ADHD
- overactivity and impulsivity
- problems following instructions and rules
- poor attention
- inappropriate activity seems to diminish in adolescence, other problems persist
Causes of ADHD
- Biological Factors
> psychostimulant medications (caffeine, ritalin) - Psychological factors
> social stressors
> appears to be a heterogenous disorder with multiple causes
Treatment for ADHD
- Medication approach
> rapid and noticeable improvement - Behaviour therapy
> psychological intervention - Combined treatment
Classical Conditioning as a treatment
- good for phobias and OCD
> extinguish relation between trigger and response
Operant Conditioning as a treatment
- good for phobias and OCD
> use reward and punishment to modify behaviour
Modelling as a treatment
- good for conduct disorder
> role model to model appropriate behaviour
Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT)
- requires effort on part of the patient
> must identify a behavioural goal - makes the patient aware of thoughts that are habitual
> when I’m stressed i wash my hands - make the irrationality of thoughts and behaviours apparent
