Chapter 1 and 2 Flashcards
Psychological Abnormality
behaviour, speech, or thought that impairs the ability of a person to function in a way that is generally expected of them, in the context where the unusual functioning occurs
Mental Illness
used to convey the meaning as psychological abnormality, but it implies a medical rather than psychological cause
Psychological Disorder
specific manifestation of this impairment of functioning as described by some set of criteria established by a panel of experts
Psychopathology
1) scientific study of psychological abnormality
2) problems faced by people who suffer from disorders
5 principles of establishing a criteria for abnormality
1) Statistical concept
2) Personal dysfunction
3) Personal distress
4) Violation of Social Norms
5) Diagnosis by an expert
Statistical concept
behaviour is considered abnormal if it occurs infrequently in the population
Problems with statistical concept
1) not all infrequent conditions are viewed as abnormal
2) no guidance on how rare a condition must be
Personal distress
if the condition causes distress, it is abnormal
Problems with personal distress
1) not all psychological disorders cause personal distress
2) distress is a universal phenomenon but we do not all have a mental illness
3) not all distress is abnormal
Personal dysfunction
when the condition interferes with appropriate and adaptive functioning
Problems with personal dysfunction
1) definition of “appropriate”functioning
2) exceptions to the rule for harmful dysfunction and evolution
3) value judgement inherent in “harmful dysfunction” approach
Violation of Social Norms
condition is abnormal if it violates social norms
Problems with violation of norms
1) not all violations of social norms are diagnosable conditions ex. terrorists
2) cultural norms must be considered
Diagnosis by an Expert
a condition exists if an expert says it does
Problems with diagnosis by an expert
1) important to know who the experts are - not all mental health professionals are trained to diagnose mental illness
2) arguments that mental illness is a construct made up by mental health professionals to keep people “in order”
3) arguments that anyone can be diagnosed with anything if you look in the DSM hard enough
Stone Age
believed that causes of mental illness was due to supernatural causes and demonic possession and treatment involved exorcism, magic, incantations, supernatural treatments
Hippocrates
first man to reject supernatural causes of mental illness, focused on natural causes - brain dysfunction and argued stress could influence mental functioning
what is a humour? what are the 4 humours? treatment
- disturbances in bodily fluids
- excess blood - cheerfulness
- excess yellow bile - ill temper
- excess black bile - gloom
- excess phlegm - restlessness
- treatment: healthy lifestyle - induce bleeding/vomiting
Plato
- emphasized socio-cultural influences on thought and behaviour
- believed was not supernatural causes
what did hippocrates believe about dreams?
- thought dreams were important in understanding why a person was suffering from a mental disorder
why did plato believe about dreams?
suggested that dreams served to satisfy desires because the inhibiting influences of the higher faculties were not present during sleep
Aristotle
- agreed with theory of 4 humours
- denied influence of psychology in abnormal behaviour - focused on biology
- advocated for humane treatment
Egyptians
- humane approach to treatment, created sanitoriums - temples where priests cared for people with mental illness
Rejection of Hipproacates’ views
methodism: mental illness as a disorder that resulted either from a constriction of body tissue or from a relaxation of those tissues due to exhaustion
treatment: natural bloodletting, ex. menstruation, haemorrhoid
- believed no difference between physical and mental disorders
Galen
- continued Hippocrates’ work
- believed two sources of mental disorders: physical and psychological
- compassionate care
- believed in warm baths rather than stressful procedures
- talking a sympathetic listener
Arab World
- continued the Greek/Roman tradition of compassionate care
- created units to ouse the mentally ill in 800AD
- Avicenna - emphasized natural causes of mental illness including environmental and psychological causes, used early principles of behaviourism in treatment
Europe in Middle Ages
- some belief in naturalistic causes/treatments for mental illness
-return to supernatural beliefs about mental illness
cause= demonic possession,treatment = exorcism - mentally ill cared for by clergy
Paracelsus
- rejected idea of supernatural forces or excess bodily fluids as causes of mental illness
- St. Vitus’ dance - treated with early form of hypnotism
Johannes Weyer
- rejected supernatural causes of mental illness
- believed mental illness has natural causes
- advocated natural and physical treatment
History 1500AD onwards
- people advocated for protection of mentally ill and considered natural causes of mental illness
- St. Vincent de Paul - asylums were created
- Teresa of Avila - advocated for mentally ill
Phillipe Pinel
- ordered patients to be treated with compassion and be kept in good conditions
Dorothea Dix
- better conditions for prison inmates and mentally ill
- campaign resulted in opening of 32 hospitals, including 2 in Canada
single factor
trace origins of mental illness to one specific factor - tied to researcher’s orientation
interactionist factor
explain mental illness as product of many interacting factors - more effective theories
three essential elements to a good theory
1) integrate most of what is known about the phenomena in the simplest way possible
2) generate new testable predictions
3) identify what evidence would indicate the theory is inaccurate
3 major areas biological models focused on
1) CNS (brain)
2) PNS (sympathetic and parasympathetic system)
3) Endocrine system (hormones)
- all areas are interconnected
two parts of PNS
somatic NS, autonomic NS
autonomic NS two parts
parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight)
what do clusters of neurons form
brain circuits
what is the ANS involved in
fear and anxiety reactions
overreactive ANS
acquire phobias or other anxiety disorders
inflexible system
somatic system constantly activated, autonomic system under activated
what system is involved with stress, depression and anxiety
HPA axis
thyroid disregulation
cretenism, depression, anxiety
cretenism
dwarflike appearance and mental retardation
hypoglycemia
mimics anxiety - pancreas dysfunction
Freud’s four factors
1) levels of consciousness
2) structures of personality
3) stages of psychosexual development
4) defence mechanisms
ID
pleasure principle - structure present at birth - demand instant gratification without concern for consequences either to the self or to others
Ego
reality principle - first year of life - avoidance of pain or discomfort and the maximization of unpunished pleasure
Superego
moral principle - internalization of the moral standards of society
defense mechanisms
repression, regression, projection, intellectualization, denial, displacement, reaction formation, sublimation
repression
burying in the unconscious the unacceptable impulses of the id ex. inability to recall being sexual abused as a child
projection
attributing one’s own desires to others ex. cheating because everyone cheats
intellectualization
hiding the real issues behind a screen of abstract analyses ex. criminal appeals for conviction even though did not admit guilt
denial
refusal to acknowledge an unpleasant reality ex. planning a trip even though told you won’t live longer than two months
displacement
transfer of feelings from one person to another, less threatening person ex. person humiliated by boss takes anger out on boyfriend
reaction formation
repressing unacceptable desires by expressing the opposite viewpoint ex. man attract towards women scolds people who are promiscuous
sublimation
transformation of sexual or aggressive energy into some more acceptable activity ex. Freud thought artists who painted nudes were sublimating their sexual desires
Ivan Pavlov experiment
UCS - food
UCR - salivation to food
CS - bell
CR - salivation to bell
negative reinforcement
take something away, making behaviour more likely to occur ex. taking advil makes headache go away
positive reinforcement
doing something means receiving reward ex. opening freezer door and seeing ice cream
positive punishment
behaviour is reduced by consequent occurrence of unpleasant experience ex. kids come home late, clean bathroom
negative punishment
behaviour is reduced following the removal of something desirable ex. kid comes home late, take care away
social learning theory
most learning occurs from watching others
cognitive-behavioral theory
reflects the view that both thinking and behaviour are learned and therefore can be changed
public stigma
typical societal response that people have to stigmatizing attributes
self-stigma
internalized psychological impact of public stigma
biopsychosocial model
disorders cannot be understood as resulting from the influence of one factor, be it biological, psychological or social
