Alternatives To The Medical Model Flashcards
What are alternatives to the medical model?
Behaviourist explanation
Cognitive explanation
What is the behaviourist explanation of mental illness?
Skinners rats- operant conditioning (reinforcement)
Pavlovs dogs/Little Albert- classical conditioning (SR)
What is the cognitive explanation of mental illness?
Thinking. Perception. Attention
Cognitive distortions- phobias and irrational thinking.
Maladaptive thinking patterns (don’t adjust to society)
Becks triangle of negative thoughts
CBT- cure
What is Becks triangle of negative thoughts?
Negative views about the world- negative views about the future- negative views about oneself
What is the cure used for cognitive explanation of mental illness?
CBT. Depression
5weeks to 20weeks
1 per week
Helps patients identify irrational thinking. Helps change them
What’s the comparison of the nature nurture debate to the alternatives of the medical model?
Cog- both nature and nurture. Underlying cog structures = na. And influenced by learning and experience= nur
Beh- only nurture. Maladaptive beh such as gambling or irrational fear are a product of environment
What’s the comparison of the freewill determinism debate to the alternatives of the medical model?
Cog- freewill. The way in which we think about negative events can change our patterns of behaviour- CBT- encouraged to confront cog distortions to improve mental health
Beh- deterministic- maladaptive beh are seen as a product of environment.
What is the main research used in the alternatives to the medical model?
Szasz (2011)
What we’re key ideas of Szasz’s research?
Argues against mental illness- myth
As a society we label things- sticky stigma
Naughty in class= just naughty
Used for medicalisation and politicised
Society judges labels and deems people to be abnormal
What are the ethical of Szasz’s study?
+ not collect data from participants
- socially sensitive. Controversial. For those with mental issues may be distressing to hear it described as a myth. Risk bringing professions into disrepute (psychologists and psychiatry)
What is the nature nurture debate in Szasz’s study?
Szasz suggests that mental issues is a social construct
A product of psychiatrists particular views on mental health
How does the reductionism and holism debate link to Szasz’s research?
More holistic view
The diagnosis can be explained by a wider understanding of society and psychiatrists processes of labelling
Szasz says the medical model is reductionist - only 1 interpretation of human behaviour (physical illness)
