Chapter 1 Flashcards
Four D’s of Defining Psychological Abnormality
Deviance
Distress
Dysfunction
Danger
Norms
Stated and unstated rules for proper conduct
What does deviance mean in the four D’s?
Abnormal behaviors, thoughts, and emotions are those that differ from a society’s idea of proper functioning.
Culture
A society’s history, values, institutions, habits, skills, technology, and arts.
True or False: judgments of abnormality depend on cultural norms rather than specific circumstances.
False: judgments of abnormality depend on specific circumstances as well as cultural norms.
True or False: behaviors, ideas, or emotions usually have to cause distress before they can be labeled as abnormal.
True: behaviors, ideas, or emotions usually have to cause distress before they can be labeled as abnormal.
What does dysfunction mean in the four D’s?
Interferes with daily functioning
Does danger need to be present in order for behaviors, thoughts, or emotions to be considered abnormal? Why or why not?
No, because most people who suffer from mental illness are not dangerous to themselves and/or others.
How is the criteria for defining psychological abnormality created?
A society selects general criteria for defining abnormality and then uses those criteria to judge particular cases.
Eccentricity
An unusual pattern with which others have no right to interfere
Why would a society not be able to apply their definition of abnormality consistently?
If a behavior is too familiar among members within a society, they may fail to recognize the four D’s (deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger).
What is an example of a behavior that has been viewed as normal but can be recognized as abnormal?
Excessive drinking among college students
What are the 15 characteristics of eccentrics that were identified in Weeks (2015)?
- Nonconformity
- Creativity
- Strong curiosity
- Idealism
- Extreme interests and hobbies
- Lifelong awareness of being different
- High intelligence
- Outspokenness
- Non-competitiveness
- Unusual eating and living habits
- Disinterest in others’ opinions or company
- Mischievous sense of humor
- Not married
- Eldest or only child
- Poor spelling skills
Treatment/Therapy
A procedure designed to change abnormal behavior into more normal behavior
What are the three essential features among all forms of therapy?
- Sufferer/patient/client
- Trained and socially accepted healer/therapist
- Series of contacts between the therapist and the client
In any given year, what percentage of adults in the U.S. display serious psychological disturbances and are in need of clinical treatment?
As many as 30%
In any given year, how many children and adolescents in the U.S. display serious psychological disturbances and are in need of clinical treatment?
As many as 17%
How was abnormal behavior viewed in ancient times?
Typically interpreted as victory by evil spirits and the cure for such behavior was to force the demons from a victim’s body
Trephination
An operation used in the Stone Age that involved using a trephine or stone instrument to cut away a circular section of the skull
Exorcism
To coax the evil spirits to leave or to make the person’s body an uncomfortable place in which to live
What was Hippocrates’ view on illness and psychological abnormality?
Hippocrates believed that illnesses had natural causes and that psychological abnormality was the result of a disease arising from internal physical problems.
What was the name of the German physician who believed that the mind was as susceptible to sickness as the body was?
Johann Weyer (1515-1588)
During the fifteenth century, Gheel, Belgium, was considered a forerunner of this type of program where people from all over the world were welcomed into the community as they received psychic healing.
Community mental health programs.
Asylums
Institutions whose primary purpose was to care for people with mental illness
