Dysfunctional Behaviour Flashcards
Rosenhan + Seligman - Definitions of DB
Statistical Infrequency - abnormal behaviour because it is ‘uncommon’ - doesn’t consider desirability of behaviour (eg. high IQ = desirable) - cultural relativism
Deviation from Social Norms - deviates from being socially ‘acceptable’ - social attitudes change over time - breaking dominant culture - subcultures
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health - affected well being - based on Jahoda (1958) - subjective - new knowledge of world - new perceptions on reality - cultural relativism
Failure to Function Adequately - failure to cope with living every day life - subjective - who is to judge what is adequate living? - many ‘normal’ people fail to cope with everyday life
Jahoda (1958) - Definitions of DB
- Positive view of self
- Capable of personal growth
- Independent / Self-regarding
- Accurate perception of reality
- Be resistant to stress
- Ability to adapt to new environments
> Cultural Bias : based on Western Individualist Cultures
DSM - IV - Diagnosing DB
> Written by APA, 1994.
Complied by 1,000 people.
Mainly used in USA.
> Multi-axial tool:
Axis 1: Principal disorder - needs immediate attention
Axis 2: Personality disorders that may shape axis 1
Axis 3: Medical / neurological problems that may be relevant.
Axis 4: Major psychological stressors - job loss, divorce etc
Axis 5: Level of functioning 1-100. 100 = fine 1 = bad
EVALUATION:
> + Acknowledges Individ. Differences.
> - Diagnosing may be difficult - culture differences
> - Ethnocentric Bias
> - White, American, Male-Dominant, middle-class industry.
> - Societal changes - eg. Homosexuality
> + More holistic than ICD-10. Looks at range of facors.
ICD-10 - Diagnosing DB
> Written by WHO, 1992.
Ford + Widiger (1983) - Diagnosing DB - Biases
Gender Bias in diagnosing.
> AIM to asses effects of gender on patient when diagnosing histrionic / antisocial personality disorder.
> SAMPLE self selected - 354 psychologists - 76% male, South-East US.
> METHOD self-report
- Psychologists given 1 out of 9 core study scenarios with patients who have HPD or ASPD.
- Asked to give a diagnosis on a 7-point scale
- IV: Gender DV: Diagnosis
> RESULTS: when gender unspecified most common diagnosis was borderline personality disorder
- ASPD correctly diagnosed in males (42%) and females (15%)
- HPD mis-diagnosed in females (46%) and males (15%)
- HPD correctly diagnosed in females (76%) and males (44%)
> CONCLUSION: Biases are prominent in diagnosing based on stereotypical views of gender - typical to diagnose women with HPD and when it they have ASPD. Not as prominent vice versa.
> EVALUATION: well controlled
- relatively large sample
- high in eco. validity.
Watson + Raynor - Explanations of DB
BEHAVIOURAL
Phobias. - LITTLE ALBERT
> AIM to see if inducing a fear that was not once there is possible through classical conditioning.
> PROCEDURE Albert 11 months old - 5 sessions.
1 = LA presented with rat - steel bar struck when rat was reached for.
2 = Week later, rat presented 4 times, first time alone, 2nd 3rd and 4th time rat presented with sound of steel bar
3 = 5 days later, presented with blocks, neutural stimulus to stop fear response
4 = Other fluffy objects with steel bar
5 = Only fluffy objects
> RESULTS
1 = jumped, fell forward, whimpered
2 = rat presented alone - albert cried and ran away
3 = blocks - happy / other stimuli - negative response
4 = responded negatively
5 = fear response
> CONCLUSION that conditioning a fear became evident - it is possible to condition fear through CC.
> EVALUATION scientific credibility - reliable - can be repeated
- low eco. valid - lab experiment - not realistic
- reductionist - ignores biological factors and thought processes
- ethics - psychological stress or harm.
Gottesman + Shields - Explanations of DB
BIOLOGICAL
Adoption studies - Schizophrenia
> AIM to review research on genetic transmission of schizophrenia.
> SAMPLE - 3 adoption studies / 5 twin studies between 1967 and 1976. > 711 participants - 201 monozygotic twins and 319 dizygotic twins (non-identical)
> PROCEDURE - Schiz adoptive & twin studies were compared - through biological parents, siblings, adoptive parents and adoptive siblings.
Concordance rates for mono and dizy twins were compared
High rates of incidents of schizo in biological relatives suggested a higher concordance rate between monozygotic twins which suggests a genetic basis of schizo.
> RESULTS All 3 adoptive studies indicated the biological parents had schizo.
Normal children adopted into schizo families suggested little evidence of getting schizophrenia.
- 58 % concordance rate with monozygotic twins
- 12 % concordance rate with dizygotic twins
> CONCLUSION significant chance of inheriting schizophrenia through genes. not 100% concordance rate which suggests that the environment has a factor as well.
> EVAULATION large sample - 711 - generalisable
- reductionist as ignores cognitive and behavioural explanations
- biological theory depends on 100% concordance rates which it does not have so environment is a factor.
- difficult to replicate - therefore affects reliability.
Beck et al - Explanations of DB
COGNITIVE
Cognitive distortions in patients w depression.
> AIM to understand the distortions
> SAMPLE - 50 patients w depression
16 men, 34 women, aged 18-48, mid-upper class, average IQ
(control group - 31 non-depressed patients)
> PROCEDURE face-to-face-interviews (self-report)
- reports of patients thoughts before, during and after interviews - some p’s kept diaries.
- records were kept of non-depressed patients thoughts
> RESULTS certain themes appeared in depressed p’s that didn’t appear in control group.
- Depressed p’s : low self esteem, self-blame, overwhelming responsibilities, desire to escape, anxiety, paranoia - stereotypical responses to situations - feel inferior in social / occupational groups.
- some patients - unlovable and depressed.
- distortions: automatic and involuntary.
> CONCLUSION Even in mild depression, patients have cognitive distortions that deviate from realistic and logical thinking - only related to depression and no other areas.
> EVALUATION - not generalisable - upper/mid class
- only 16 males - all at least av. intelligence
- wide age range
- High eco valid - quasi exp - all had depression
- self-report - may not be valid.
- therapy is a effective and useful treatment for depression
Lewinshon - Treatments of DB
BEHAVIOURAL
Positive reinforcement with depression.
> AIM To compare the amount of ‘positive reinforcement’ received by depressed and non-depressed patients.
> SAMPLE 30 depressed patients.
> PROCEDURE Quasi experiment
- Longitudinal (30) days
- P’s asked to check their mood daily using the depression adjective checklist - p’s ticked ones they felt that day.
- P’s asked to complete the pleasant activities scale (voting 320 activities) (eg. Yoga)
- Rated on a scale of pleasantness and frequency.
> RESULTS significant positive correlations between mood and ratings and pleasant activities - more positive mood ratings
- Individual differences, from a correlation from 0 to 0.66
> CONCLUSION Link between reinforcement from some pleasant activities and mood
- More research needed into identifying the individual characteristics that make some people more influenced by pleasant activities than others.
> EVALUATION Small sample (30)
- Usefulness > Shows that if people lose the positive reinforcement for living normally (going to work, school etc) they may become depressed - eg. people ask you how your day was most days at a new job but not so much once the novelty wears off.
Karp + Frank - Treatments of DB
BIOLOGICAL
Comparing drug treatments for depression.
> AIM to compare drug treatments and non-drug treatments for depression.
> SAMPLE focused mainly on women diagnosed w/ depression.
> PROCEDURE Depression analysed using variety of depression inventories
- Patients generally tested prior to treatment and post-treatment and some after a period of time after treatment.
- Health practitioners carried out assessments of symptoms.
> RESULTS Adding psychological treatments to drug therapy didn’t increase the effectiveness of the drug treatment.
- Occasionally studies showed less attention when combination therapies were used. This means people were more likely to continue with treatment if cognitive therapy was used with drug therapy.
> CONCLUSION Although it would seem logical that two treatments would be better than one, evidence doesn’t show any better outcomes, therefore drug therapy = effective.
> EVALUATION The biological medical model has been criticised for making people become patients. There is little emphasis on self-help and getting well and more on becoming a patient = professionalised
- Chemotherapy and other biological treatments can have several side effects. eg. Prozac can cause a psychotic state.
- One could argue that drugs only treat symptoms and not the cause.
- However, a range of biological treatments have helped improve the lives of millions of people who without this treatment would not be able to function adequately.
Beck et al - Treatments of DB
COGNITIVE
Comparing cognitive therapy and drug therapy.
> AIM to compare effectiveness of cognitive therapy and drug therapy.
> SAMPLE 44 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe depression who were attending clinics.
> PROCEDURE Patients arrived with 3 self-reports (before treatment) using Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale and Raskin scale.
- For 12 weeks, patients had either two 1 hour cognitive sessions or 100 imipramine capsules.
- Therapists observed to ensure reliability.
> RESULTS Both groups showed significant decrease in depression symptoms in all 3 scales.
- Cognitive treatments group showed significantly greater improvements - Average of 78.9% improvements vs 20% of drug therapy.
> CONCLUSION cognitive therapy leads to better treatment of depression, shown by fewer symptoms being reported and observed, and also better adherence to treatment.
> EVALUATION Cognitive therapy leads to better treatment of depression.
- Fewer symptoms individs suffer from
- Biological Treatments have higher risk factor
- Rating scale - open to interpretation
- High in eco. valid - patients already depressed - already attended clinics.
