Alternatives to the Medical Model

Question 1

Name the three main explanations

Answer 1

1. Behaviourist
2. Cognitive
3. Psychodynamic

Question 2

Behaviourist Explanation

Answer 2

Argue that mental illnesses are learned through the environment. For example Watson and Rayner classically conditioned Little Albert to have a phobia of white rabbits, maintained through negative reinforcement

Question 3

Behaviourist Treatments

Answer 3

Systematic Desensitisation- we cannot be relaxed and scared at the same time (Reciprocal inhibition) using a fear hierarchy we counter condition fear by pairing phobia with relaxation.

Question 4

Behaviourist Treatment Strengths

Answer 4

• Participants are less harmed
• Low refusal rate
• Works on the long term

Question 5

Behaviourist Treatment Weaknesses

Answer 5

• Time consuming

- Expensive to run

Question 6

Cognitive Explanation

Answer 6

Mental illnesses are caused by faulty or irrational thinking, the ways we process information have been skewed.

Question 7

Becks Negative Triad Mode

Answer 7

• Focussing on the negative features
• ie. Catastrophising, Mind Reading, Overgeneralising and Labelling
• Negative triad

Question 8

Ellis’s ABC Model

Answer 8

-States depression doesn’t occur as a direct result of a negative event rather the irrational thoughts triggered by them.

Question 9

Cognitive Treatments

Answer 9

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)- identify what situation caused the symptoms and then what the irrational thoughts about it are. Then challenges and reframes then into positives. Once completed they are tested.

Question 10

Becks Study

Answer 10

Compared the effectiveness of cognitive and drug therapy. Used self reports for a baseline, tested after 12 weeks of each condition. Both had decreased depressive symptoms, but lower drop out rate and higher self report scores in cognitive group

Question 11

CBT Strengths

Answer 11

• Better Adherence, 4% dropout compared to 32%

- Longer term treatment can patients can reuse what they learn

Question 12

CBT Weaknesses

Answer 12

• More expensive as needs trained therapists

- Drugs have immediate effect whereas therapy takes time

Question 13

Psychodynamic Explanation

Answer 13

Mental illness is due to unconscious unresolved conflicts from childhood. Our Ego balances the ID and Superego but when we overuse defence mechanisms such as projection, it results in abnormal behaviour

Question 14

Eve Whites DID

Answer 14

Dissociative Identity Disorder where she had three main personalities, Eve White, Eve Black and Jane. Distressing childhood events led to her personality fragmenting.

Question 15

Psychodynamic Treatments

Answer 15

Must identify unconscious conflicts, then discuss, accept and move forward from it. Dream Analysis is where patients recall dreams (Manifest Content) Therapist then uncovers the Latent content, which is what it symbolises. Sometimes objects have multiple meanings and they’ve been condensed.