mental health Flashcards
how does the WHO define mental disorders
as “[are] characterised by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others
what historically are the 3 approaches to mentak health
supernatural, biological and psychological
References of the conflict between good and evil are a good example of this approach. Exorcisms and other similar rituals in other religions were used to restore the person to a ‘normal’ state
biological explanation
simple
- relate to malfunctions in the body itself
- The focus of the source of mental problem were traced to the body (e.g., the brain, the liver, the uterus) eg the 4 humours
psychological exp.
simple
- suggests that dysfunctional psychological processes (e.g., mood, personality, cognitions, emotions) are at the core of mental illnesses
- It is not just something in the body but the relationship between the body and the way we interpret information
who craeted introspection and what is it
- wilhelm wundt
* mainly concerned with mental processes, sensory physiology and psychophysics
* use of introspection
psychoanalytical theories
- proposed by sigmund freud
- explains personality as a dynamic process and the result of conflict between the parts forming the psyche
- resulting personality is determined by the experiences in the first few years of life
what is the topographical model
- mainly seperted as conscious and unconscious
- conscious and pre-conscious communicate well with each other, but the unconscious is not accessible
- ID is present from birth and active only at the unconscious level – based on the ‘pleasure principle’: Seeks immediate gratification regardless of the consequences
- SUPEREGO is the idealistic part of the psyche. It resides in the preconscious and operates based on moral and social ideals. It is formed of internalised conventions and morals from family and society
- EGO is mostly based on the conscious and acts as an active mediator between the ID and the SUPEREGO – based on the ‘reality principle’: We have to accept moral and social rules and we can not do what we want
limitations of psychoanalytic theory
- The ideas are hard to verify empirically
- Confusing terminology that changes across the development of the theory
- Changes in important parts of the theory are not clearly justified. For example, Freud changes the topographical model (unconscious, preconscious and conscious) to the structural model (id, ego and superego)
- The theory is mostly based on cases (clinical cases?), so it is hard to use as basis for behaviour in general populations
- Lack of consideration of cultural and social differences
- The role of the analyst is CRUCIAL, and the role of the client is not important
- places everyone into the same classification [same mold]
- ignores social, cultural difference!
- freud accepted no critics of the theory so allowed no development, held back psychological development
what are humanistic theorires
humanistic theories are focused on the ‘here and now’ now’ and involve emotional content
- The client ‘decides’ when the treatment is working and successful
- Includes a phenomenological perspective - everyone is unique so perceives the world uniquely, makes Freud approach shit
* Reality depends on the individual’s perception of it
* focuses on ‘how are things TODAY? how are you feeling?’
about carl rogers
- created client-centred approach+spent most of his career in san francisco = 1960’s San Francisco was the hippie movement, influences Rogers
- “I have never known an individual to choose the cruel or destructive path….it is cultural influences which are the major factor in our evil behaviours” (Rogers, 1961)
what is maslows hierarchy of needs
- self actualisation [fulfillingh capacities]
- esteem [valued by others]
- love and belonging [the feeling we belong]
- safety [needs of a person to survive]
- physiological needs [the things the organism needs to survive]
limitations of maslows hierachy+congruence
- Maslow creates a single criteria despite humanism preaching everyone being unique
- provides no formula on how to reach self-actualisation
- yet each individuals self congruence is subjective
what is congruence+incongruence
When these two aspects of the self are incongruent the individual will experience confusion, tension, and engage in maladaptive behaviour
- Incongruence as the root of many psychological and emotional problems
- When the ‘self as experienced’ is congruent with the ‘true’ self the individual can ‘self-actualise’
what is behaviourism
- analysises the behvioural response of the organism
- **What goes on inside the mind can never be studied scientifically and is not important **for understanding personality or other processes
- Behaviour is determined by events in the environment
- To understand mental processes we need to understand how these events cause behaviour
