Defining Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
What is the definition of abnormal psychology?
The branch of the science of psychology that addresses the description, causes, and treatment of abnormal behaviour patterns
How do we define abnormal behaviour?
- is the behaviour unusual?
- does the behaviour violate social norms?
- does the behaviour involve a faulty interpretation of reality?
- does the behaviour cause personal distress?
- is the behaviour maladaptive?
- is the behaviour dangerous?
Descriptors of Abnormality
Deviant
Different
Disordered
Bizarre
What factors affect our perceptions of what is normal?
Culture and context
Risk factors for developing a psychological disorder
Age Education Childhood trauma Current stress Life events Lack of social supports Gender Physical health
The demonological model
Demonic possession is what causes abnormal behaviour
The treatment was trephining
Trephining
Cutting a hole in the skull to release the spirits
The origins of the medical model
Hippocrates and ill humours
Abnormal behaviour is the result of underlying biological processes
Treatment of mental patients during medieval times
Abnormal behaviour was a sign of possession of evil spirits or the devil
The treatment was exorcisms
Witchcraft and Abnormal Behaviour
So-called witches may have been people who were actually mentally disturbed
Persecuted because their abnormal behaviour was taken as evidence they were in league with the devil
Malleus Maleficarum
Asylums in Europe and the New World
Residents were held in disgusting conditions and often chained up
Some asylums became a public spectacle
The Reform Movement
The idea that people who behave abnormally suffer from diseases and should be treated humanely
Was not popular at the time
Moral Therapy
The belief that providing humane treatment in a relaxed, decent, and encouraging environment could restore functioning
Phenothiazines
A group of antipsychotic drugs that help suppress the more flagrant behaviour patterns associated with schizophrenia
The Community Mental Health Movement
Mental illness should be treated as a medical condition in a medical facility
Deinstitutionalization
The belief that psychiatric patients would benefit from the opportunity to lead more independent and full-filling lives in the community while relying on general hospitals for short-term care during episodes
Psychiatric Homelessness
As deinstitutionalization left fewer beds for mental patients, poorer people left behind in the shuffle ended up on the streets
The Biological Perspective
Mental disorders are diseases of the brain with underlying biological defects or abnormalities
Dementia Praecox
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are caused by a biochemical imbalance
General Paresis
A degenerative brain disorder that occurs during the final stage of syphilis
The Psychological Perspective
Organic factors alone could not explain abnormal behaviour
Charcot
Experimented with hypnosis in treating hysteria
-a condition in which people present physical symptoms with no underlying physical cause
These symptoms could be removed by means of hypnotic suggestion
The Sociocultural Perspective
Psychological problems are rooted in the social ills of society, such as poverty, lack of economic opportunity, rapidly changing social values and morals, race and gender discrimination
The Homelessness in Canada
Lack of available housing, transitional care facilities, and effective case management for homeless Canadians who have psychological disorders and addictions
Biological Perspectives vs the Medical Model
A focus on biological factors does not require the medical model
Epigenetics
The study of the heritable and acquired changes in genes
Norepinephrine
Excesses and deficiencies linked to mood disorders and eating disorders
Acetylcholine
Reduced levels linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Dopamine
Excessive levels linked to schizophrenia
Serotonin
Imbalances of which have been linked to depressive and bipolar disorders and anxiety
Central Nervous System
The brain and the spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
Part of the nervous system that consists of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
Hindbrain
Medulla, pons, cerebellum
Midbrain
Lies above the hindbrain and contains nerve pathways linking the hindbrain to the upper region of the brain, called the forebrain
Forebrain
Includes structures such as the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum
Reticular Activating System
A weblike network of neurons that play important roles in regulating sleep, attention, and states of arousal
Somatic Nervous System
Relays information from the sense organs to the brain and transmits messages from the brain to the skeletal muscles, resulting in body movements
Autonomic Nervous System
Regulates the activities of glands and involuntary functions, such as respiration, heartbeat, and digestion
Sympathetic Nervous System
Activity leads to heightened states of arousal
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Activity reduces states of arousal and regulates body processes that replenish energy reserves
The Structure of the Mind (Freud)
Unconscious = not readily in awareness Preconscious = lies outside of awareness but can be brought into the conscious with cues Conscious = present awareness
The Id
Operates unconsciously
Follows the pleasure principle = demands instant gratification
Primary process thinking = relating to the world through imagination and fantasy
Ego
Governed by the reality principle = consideration of what is socially acceptable and practical in gratifying needs
Secondary process thinking = reality-based thinking and problem solving activities of the ego
Delayed gratification
Self
The sum total of a persons thoughts, sensory impressions, and feelings
Superego
Moral standards
Identification = the process of incorporating the personality or behaviour of others
Ego ideal
Stages of Psychosexual Development
Oral stage Anal stage Phallic Stage Latency Stage Genital Stage
Defence Mechanisms
Prevents socially unacceptable impulses from rising into consciousness
Repression
Expulsion from awareness of unacceptable ideas or motives
Regression
The return of behaviour that is typical of earlier stages of development
Displacement
The transfer of unacceptable impulses away from threatening individuals toward safer or less threatening objects
Denial
Refusal to recognize a threatening impulse or desire
Reaction Formation
Behaving in a way that is the opposite of one’s true wishes or desires in order to keep these repressed
Rationalization
The use of self-justifications to explain unacceptable behaviour
Projection
Imposing one’s own impulses of wishes onto another person
Sublimation
The channeling of unacceptable impulses into socially constructive pursuits
Primary Reinforcers
Influence behaviour because they satisfy basic physical needs
Secondary Reinforcers
Influence behaviour through their association with established reinforcers (money)
Humanistic Perspective
Emphasizes the personal freedom that people have in making conscious choices that give their lives meaning and purpose
Self-actualization
Inborn tendency to strive to become all they are capable of being
Unconditional positive regard
Valuing other people as having basic worth regardless of their behaviour at a particular time
Conditional Positive Regard
Valuing other people on the basis of whether their behaviour meets one’s approval
Neo-Humanistic Perspective
Emotions are adaptive Emotional intelligence Emotion-focussed therapy International network on Personal Meaning -role of meaning in daily life
Albert Ellis
Cognitive-behavioural Perspective
Irrational beliefs about unfortunate experiences fosters negative emotions and maladaptive behaviour
Cognitive-behavioural therapy
Aaron Beck
Cognitive-behavioural perspective
Depression may result from cognitive errors such as judging oneself entirely on the basis of one’s flaws or failures and interpreting events in a negative light
Alberta Bandura
Cognitive-behavioural perspective
Social-cognition theory = emphasizes the roles of thinkings, or cognition, and of learning by observation or modelling
Gestalt
Centered on increasing a person’s awareness, freedom, and self-direction
Focuses on the present moment rather than past experiences
Based on the idea that people are influenced by their present environment
Downward Drift Hypothesis
Suggests that mental illness leads to poverty
The Interactionist Perspective
No one theoretical perspective can account for the complex forms of abnormal behaviour
Multiple domains explain abnormal behaviour
The Diathesis Stress Model
A predisposition or vulnerability and environmental stressors can lead to the development of a disorder
The Biopsychosocial Model
Two internal systems = biological and psychological
One external system = socioculture and environmental factors
Overall Perspective on Treatment Change
- Psychotherapy is effective
- Long-term therapy is better than short-term therapy
- No specific modality is clearly better for some disorders
- Medications plus psychotherapy is not consistently better than psychotherapy alone
- The curative effects of psychotherapy are often more long-term than those of medication
- The effective use of psychotherapy can reduce the costs of physical disorders
- There is no evidence that different mental health care specialists differ in treatment effectiveness
- All three of these groups are more effective than counsellors or long-term family doctors
- Clients whose length of therapy or choice of therapy was limited by insurance or managed care did worse than those without such limits
- Approximately 5% of people who seek treatment get worse
