Lecture 2: Models of Abnormality Flashcards
models/paradigms
perspectives in science that are used to explain events and assumptions, and guide treatment techniques and principles
biological model
someone’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior can be explained by biological means
brain anatomy and chemistry
neurons communicate via neurotransmitters at synapses
- can also communicate with hormones
- disorders have been linked to certain brain regions, neurotransmitters, or hormones
three factors that cause biological abnormalities
- genetics: heritable information that is passed down from parents to siblings that is stored in genes (mutation/result of evolution)
- evolution: mental disorders might have been adaptive; they have helped individuals to survive and reproduce in the past
- viral infection: exposure to viruses may cause psychological disorders
biological treatments
try to find the physical sources of dysfunciton to choose a treatment
drug therapy
psychotropic medications = drugs that affect emotions and thoughts
- antianxiety drugs
- antidepressant drugs
- antibipolar drugs (mood stabilizers)
- antipsychotic drugs (reduce confusion, delusions, and hallucinations)
psychosurgery
brain surgery to reduce mental disorders
brain stimulation
- electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) = two electrodes are placed on the forehead that send a short-lived charge of electricity through the brain; used for depression unresponsive to other treatments
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- deep brain stimulation (DBS)
strengths and weaknesses of biological treatments (general)
- strengths: produces new information, treatments bring relief when other treatments fail
- weaknesses: limits understanding of abnormalities by excluding nonbiological factors, producing undesirable effects
psychodynamic model (Freud)
behavior is influenced by unconscious forces, and abnormal behavior is a result of conflict between these forces
- based on Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis (Id, Ego, Superego)
Id
unconscious instinctual needs, pleasure principle (= always seek gratification)
Ego
unconscious reason, reality principle (= it can be unacceptable to express our id impulses)
Superego
conscious morality, morality principle (= a sense of what is right and what is wrong)
Ego defense mechanisms
control unacceptable id impulses and avoid or reduce the anxiety they arouse
repression
person avoids anxiety by simply not allowing painful or dangerous thoughts to become conscious
denial
person simply refuses to acknowledge the existence of an external source of anxiety
projection
person attributes his or her own unacceptable impulses, motives, or desires to other individuals
rationalization
person creates a socially acceptable reason for an action that actually reflects unacceptable motives
displacement
person displaces hostility away from a dangerous object and onto a safer substitute
intellectualization
person represses emotional reactions in favor of overly logical response to a problem
regression
person retreats from an upsetting conflict to an early developmental stage in which no one is expected to behave maturely or responsible
self-theory
emphasizes unified personality
object-relations theory
emphasizes relationships with others
psychodynamic therapies
aim to uncover past traumas and the resulting inner conflicts; once the conflicts are resolved, personal development can resume
- free association
- therapist interpretation
- catharsis
- working through
free association
naming any thought that comes to mind
therapist interpretation
drawing conclusions from patients’ words and behaviors; interpretation is particularly important for the following phenomena:
- resistance = unconscious refusal to fully participate in therapy
- transference = redirection toward psychotherapist of feelings associated with important figures in patient’s life and dream interpretation
- dreams = they are seen as the “royal road to the unconscious”
catharsis
relieving repressed feelings
working through
examining the same issue multiple times to gain insight
short-term psychodynamic therapies
patient chooses a single problem to focus on for the short-term
relational psychoanalytic therapy
therapist and patient must have a personal relationship; therapist tells things about themselves
strengths and weaknesses of psychodynamic model
- strengths: first to recognize the importance of psychological theories and treatment and saw abnormal functioning nested in the same processes as normal functioning
- weaknesses: difficult to research non-observable unconscious concepts, limited research support
cognitive behavioral model
focuses on maladaptive behavior and cognitions in understanding and treating psychological abnormality
- importance is placed on the ways in which behaviors and cognitions affect each other
behavioral dimension
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
- modeling
cognitive dimension
focuses on maladapting thinking processes: inaccurate assumptions and attitudes, illogical thinking processes
exposure therapy
behavior focused intervention in which fearful people are repeatedly exposed to objects or situations they dread
strengths and weaknesses of cognitive behavioral model
- strengths: can be tested, clinically useful, theories lend themselves to research, therapies are effective
- weaknesses: precise role of cognition in abnormality must be determined, problematic behaviors and cognitions may be the result and not the cause of difficulties, therapies do not help everyone, some changes may not be possible to achieve
humanistic existential model
psychological health depends on ability to pursue goals and have a free and meaningful life
- consists of humanistic view: believes humans are driven to self actualize (=fulfill their potential for goodness and growth)
- consisits of existential view: states that humans must have accurate self-awareness and live a meaningful/authentic life to be psychologically healthy
Carl Rogers
pioneer of the humanistic perspective
humanistic theory
basic human need for unconditional positive regard
- if received early in life, you develop unconditional self-regard (=you recognize your worth as a person even while recognizing you are not perfect)
- if not received early in life, you acquire conditions of worth (= standards that you say are lovable only when you conform to certain guidelines); leads to a distorted view of oneself and problems in functioning
client-centered therapy
therapist creates supportive climate with unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and genuineness
gestalt therapy
achieve self-acceptance through challenging and frustrating clients, pushing them to accept their real emotions
existential therapy
focuses on client’s acceptance of responsibility for their own life
strengths and weaknesses of humanistic existential model
- strengths: uses domains missing from other models, emphasizes health, views individuals as people who have yet to fulfill their potential (rather than as patients with psychological illnesses), optimistic
- weaknesses: focuses on abstract issues which make it difficult to research, disapproval of scientific approach
sociocultural model
abnormal behavior includes social and cultural forces that influence the individual
- family-social perspective
- multicultural perspective
family-social perspective
theorists should concentrate on the broad forces that operate directly on an individual
- social labels and roles
- social connnections and supports
- family structure and communication
family system theory
family is a system of interacting parts whose interaction exhibits consistent patterns and unstated rules which can lead to abnormal behavior
multicultural perspective
theorists should concentrate on culture, ethnicity, gender, and similar factors to understand thoughts and behavior
family-social treatment
focuses on social settings
- group therapy
- self-help group
- family/couple therapy
- community therapy
group therapy
clients with similar problems come together and meet with a therapist
self-help group
people with similar problems who help and support one another without the direct leadership of a clinician
community therapy
people receive treatment in familiar social settings
- a key principle is prevention: reaching out to clients rather than waiting for them to seek treatment
multicultural treatment
- culture-sensitive therapies: address unique issues faced by minority groups
- gender-sensitive therapies: focus on unique issues faced by people of different genders
strengths and weaknesses of the sociocultural model
- strengths: added to clinical understanding and treatment of abnormality, increased awareness of clinical and social roles, have been successful when other treatments failed
- weaknesses: research is difficult to interpret, models are unable to predict abnormality in specific individuals
developmental psychopathology perspective
uses an integrative framework to understand how variables and principles from various models account for adaptive and maladaptive human functioning
central principles of the developmental psychopathology perspective
- equifinality: you can end in the same place after starting at a different place
- multifinality: you can end in a different place after starting at the same place
clinical assessment
collection of information to get a conclusion about how and why a person behaves abnormally and how that person may be helped
clinical interviews
gather information about client’s psychological functioning with the help of different sorts of procedures
projective tests
people interpret vague stimuli, and they will project parts of their personality onto the way ther interpret things
- reliability and validity are not supported and may be biased
- Rorschach test
- thematic apperception test (TAT)
- sentence-completion test
- drawing
personality inventories
measures personality characteristics via questionnaires about own personality
- greater reliability and validity than projective tests
- minnesota multiphase personality inventory (MMPI): assesses 10 clinical scales, including depression and hysteria levels
response inventories
test that lets people answer questionnaires that are focused on specific areas of funcitoning
- many have no standardization, reliability, and validity
psychophysiological test
measures physiological responses
- not fully accurate and reliable
neurological tests
measures brain activity and brain structure
- neuroimaging techniques: provide images of brain structure or activity
- neuropsychological tests: meausres perceptual, motor, and cognitive performances in order to detect abnormal functioning
intelligence tests
rate various skills by letting people do different tasks, the final score is the IQ
- standardized, very high reliability, and fairly high validity
- motivation and anxiety can influence performance, tests may contain cultural biases
clinical observations
systematically observing behavior
naturalistic observation
natural environment, observation by people in a direct environment
analog observation
clinical setting, observed with camera or one-way mirror
- not always reliable, becasue of 2 different observers
- validity is at risk because not all behaviors are recorded
- observer bias
self-monitoring
people report own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- people can inaccurately report behaviors and might change behaviors unintentionally
syndrome
cluster of symptoms that occurs together on a regular basis
classification system
list of disorders with a description of symptoms that belong to disorders
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
- International Classification of Disorders (ICD)
- Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)
DSM-5
provides:
- categorical information: different categories of mental disorders
- dimensional information: how severe a mental disorder is and how dysfuncitonal
- additional information
changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5
- merging categories
- separating categories
- the addition of new categoreis
- adding new terminology
treatment
clinicians base treatment on theoretical information, that is supported by research (= empirically supported/evidence-based)
rapprochement movement
identifying a set of common factors or strategies that run through all successful therapies
