Chapter 1: Psychopathology in Historical Context

Question 1

What is a psychological disorder?

Answer 1

psychological disfunction within an individual associated with a distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected

Question 2

What is a phobia?

Answer 2

a psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation

Question 3

Psychological disorder: What does psychological disfunction mean?

Answer 3

breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
(if not problematic then its fine)

Question 4

Psychological disorder: What does distress or impairment mean?

Answer 4

Someone who is extremely upset. Distress is a part of life. Impairment is severe effect in functioning

Question 5

Psychological disorder: What does atypical/not culturally acceptable mean?

Answer 5

Atypical/abnormal does not mean disorder (talented/excentric)
Not culturally acceptable does not mean disorder (dissenting political views)
Must have all three aspects of the psychological disorder

Question 6

What is a prototype? How is it used?

Answer 6

Prototype: typical profile of a disorder (symptoms)
- used to determine psychological disorder: if close enough–meets minimum criteria–then it is a disorder

Question 7

What is psychopathology?

Answer 7

Scientific study of psychological disorders
- practiced by specially trained professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists) also scientist-practitioners

Question 8

Who is considered a scientist practitioner?

Answer 8

Practitioners who
1) use latest scientific developments or
2) assess their treatments or
3) conduct research
MUST: describe disorder, determine cause, and treat

Question 9

What are the clinical description terms: presenting problem, clinical description, prevalence, incidence, course, and prognosis?

Answer 9

Presenting problem: why came to clinic (1st step)
clinical description: unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings
prevalence: number of people in population with disorder
incidence: new cases in given period
course: individual pattern: ie episodic/time-limited
prognosis: anticipated course of disorder

Question 10

What is etiology?

Answer 10

the study of origins
- why did it begin? what was the cause?
- sometimes determined in part by treatment

Question 11

What are the three historical models of psychopathology?

Answer 11

supernatural, biological, and psychological traditions

Question 12

What is the supernatural tradition of psychopathology?

Answer 12

Something outside of the individual is responsible for their psychological disorder
- demons/witches, stress/melancholy, exorcisms/torcher, mass hysteria (insect bite? social contagion), moon & stars (heavenly bodies effect mood)

Question 13

What is the biological tradition of psychopathology?

Answer 13

Psychological disorders come from biological causes

Question 14

What is Hippocrate’s contribution to biological tradition?

Answer 14

Hippocratic corpus: psychopathology is a disease from brain pathology, head trauma or heredity
Humoral theory: 4 humors must be balanced, environment & blood letting
- China: wind, acupuncture
- Egypt: Female hysteria from wandering uterus

Question 15

What revamped the biological tradition?

Answer 15

19th century!
Syphillis: behavioral and cognitive symptoms from bacteria cured with malaria fever and penicillin

Question 16

How did John Gray contribute to biological tradition?

Answer 16

insanity is always physical problem, treat with diet, rest, temperature, and ventilation
**Improved hospitals until they got too big

Question 17

What treatments came from an emphasis on the biological tradition?

Answer 17

Electric shock (insulin, electricity, epilepsy) brain surgery
Drugs developed: delusions, hallucinations, agitation, aggressiveness, agitation, tremors, shaking

Question 18

What were the drawbacks of the biological tradition?

Answer 18

Belief that psychological disorders were caused by physical ailments when they were unknown left a lack of desire to treat mental illness

Question 19

What is the psychological tradition of psychopathology? Who were the early proponents?

Answer 19

culture/environment influences psychological disorders in addition to physical influences.
Early philosophers recognized that individuals with poor environments needed to be reeducated which became the basis of psychosocial treatment

Question 20

What is the moral therapy?

Answer 20

An example of psychological treatment
- treat people normally *humanely and socially facultative manor
- miraculous results

Question 21

What caused the decline of moral therapy? What came after?

Answer 21

Civil war, immigration, Dorothea Dix’s mental hygiene movement because too many people in hospitals to be treated in humane manner (not enough staff) and then idea that psychological disorders were caused by brain pathologies lead to a lack of desire to treat
NEXT: psychoanalysis (mind) and behaviorism (learning & adaption)

Question 22

What is the psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 22

In the psychological tradition
- Freud developed it from Breuer’s hypnosis and talking through which came from Mesmer’s hypnosis and suggestions (disproven by Franklin)
- Freud & Breuer believed that they discovered the relationship between the unconscious mind and psychological disorders

Question 23

What are the three facets of the psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 23

1) Structure of the mind: id: pleasure principle, primary process, ego: reason principle, secondary process, and mediator between id and super-ego, unbalance causing disorder, super-ego: moral principle
2) Defense mechanisms: conflict of id and super-ego causing anxiety triggering defense mechanisms (projection ,reaction formation) to allow ego to continue. Too much anxiety –> disorder
3) Psychosexual stages of development: during development humans go through five sexual stages and incompletion or hyper fixation on a stage causes problems.

Question 24

What are later developments in psychoanalytic thought?

Answer 24

• ego psychology: disorders from insufficient ego
• neurosis: self-psychology - inability to form self-concept and crucial abilities
• object relations: values from others emotionally attached to causing conflict leads to disorder
• collective unconscious: carry wisdom from society and culture
• inferiority complex: feel inferior and strive for superiority

Question 25

What are the aspects of psychoanalytical psychotherapy?

Answer 25

reveal the nature of unconscious mental processes and conflicts through catharsis and insight
- free association (comes to mind)
- dream analysis
- Psychoanalyst may experience transference: pt may treat them like former parent

Question 26

What is psychodynamic psychotherapy?

Answer 26

A psychoanalytical method that emphasizes conflicts and unconscious processes with a social and interpersonal focus (emotions, avoidance, patterns, past experiences, emphasis, explore wishes)

Question 27

Why is the psychoanalysis not typically used today? Is it useful?

Answer 27

Unscientific
Usefulness is in its help to understand the influence of the unconscious mental processes and emotional responses from certain cues

Question 28

What is the humanistic theory of psychological thought?

Answer 28

Focuses on goodness and the ability to reach ones potential. Includes “self-actualizing”
- Maslow presents a hierarchy of needs (physical –> self actualization)
- Rogers presents a person -centered therapy with unconditional positive regard. Believed relationship is vital for growth
- No knew information because proponents were not interested in research

Question 29

What is the cognitive-behavorial method of psychological thought?

Answer 29

A combination of behaviorism, cognitive, and social learning models
- Pavlov & Classical conditioning: conditioned/unconditioned stimuli & responses, extinction possible
- Behavior therapy: application of behaviorism to psychopathology: systematic desensitization
- Skinner & operant conditioning: behavior changes because of what follows, “reinforcement”, believed that observable and quantifiable is all that is needed- biological/emotional are inconsequential
- Helpful additions to psychopathology but not consider biology and lifespan development

Question 30

What about psychopathology now?

Answer 30

biological, psychological, and social aspects all influence behavior and must all be considered