PSYC1002 Flashcards
Abnormalities and perception
What is the incidence of a disorder?
number of new cases that occur during a given period
What is the prevalence of a disorder?
number of people who have a disorder during a specified period of time
What is abnormal psychology?
Scientific study (explanation) of ‘abnormal behaviour’
What is abnormal?
The 3D’s- neither on its own is necessary or sufficient
- Deviance
- Distress
- Dysfunctiona
What is deviance and what are the problems with it?
Unusual/unexpected/rare
Problems is that eccentricity or unusual lifestyles do not classify as mental disease
Classification this way can lead to an overly hostile/aggressive society towards people who are different then they
Attitude that anyone different from majority need treatment- starts social oppression
There are positively valued deviations
• Being extremely tall or being a fast runner
E.g. homosexuality- defined as a mental disorder until 1973 just because people showed a deviance from societal norms
People are seen as disturbed if they violate the unstated norms of society
• E.g. talking to yourself, intently staring at someone…
What is distress and what are the problems with it?
E.g. depression and anxiety are distressing and lead to affected to seek help
But bipolar disorder (manic phase) and narcissism, people don’t feel distress towards themselves when they have these- they feel happy and joyous
Psychopaths aren’t very distressed either
There is normal distress in everybody
• Mental disorder doesn’t mean you are distressed but being distressed doesn’t mean you have a mental disorder
Culture/society can cause natural distress towards oneself through judgement
• E.g homosexuality
What is dysfunctional and what are the problems with it?
Behaviour interferes with ability to carry out function in society
E.g. ADHD when people can’t concentrate on schoolwork interferes with school life
But pathological independent and psychopathy- they still work really well in society
Problem because it is defined by norms of surrounding society
• Function of people in society is determined by society itself and is influenced by the era
What are all the D’s affected by? In this case, are they effective means of classification
• All the d’s are affected by current social values and constructs
o Some people think behaviour is normal and some abnormal depending on their culture and context
• Henceforth, deviance, personal distress and maladaptive behaviour all determine whether behaviour is normal or abnormal
• We can attempt to define abnormal behaviour as behaviour that is personally distressing, personally dysfunctional and/or so culturally deviant that other people judge it to be inappropriate or maladaptive
Is psychological abnormality and normality on a continuum, or in well defined categories?
Continuum
What is the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders?
Published by the American Psychiatric Association
Reflects biological/medical model of ‘mental illness’
Reflects the current state of knowledge about diagnostic categories and symptoms, rather than it being a reflection of reality
What are the different models of mental illness?
- Supernatural
- Biological
- Psychological
- Sociocultural
What is the supernatural model of mental illness?
o Mental disorders are caused by supernatural causes
o This is not empirically proven
o Cause: spirits, stars or moon, past lives
o Treatment- exorcism, prayer, etc.
What is the biological model of mental illness?
o Cause: internal physical problems (=biological dysfunction)
o Treatment: bleeding, diet, exercise, medication
Today, medication is commonly used
What is the psychological model of mental illness?
o Interpretations and values are such that it causes us suffering
o Eventually seek evidence to strengthen and confirm our beliefs
o Cause: beliefs, perceptions, values, motivation
o Treatment: psychotherapy
Breaks down false realities of the world
What is the sociocultural model of mental illness?
o Main causes of suffering is society’s expectations
o Causes: poverty, prejudice, cultural norms
There is the problem of culture-bound disorders, which occur only in certain locales
o Treatment: fix social ills
Are all models mutually exclusive?
No- all are as important as the others (except supernatural)
Describe a timeline of the biological/medical model
• Historically- mental illness= “madness”
o What we now classify as psychosis and dementia
o Gross distortions in perceptions of reality
o Bizarre disorganised thought, affect, behaviour
o Oldest model that is empirically verifiable
• Ancient Greece, Rome
o Hippocrates (460-377 BC), Galen (129-198)
Hippocrates suggested that mental illness was caused by physical disturbances in the body
• Middle Ages (6th-15th century)
o Europe: Catholic church took over authority
o Islamic civilisations upheld biological model
Ali al-Husayn ibn Sina (980-1037), Al-Razi (865-925)
• Europe 19th-10th century: some mental illnesses found to have physical causes (e.g. germs)
o Psychiatry became a legitimate field of medicine
o Starting point for many discoveries of bacteria and their effect on illnesses
o Biological emphasis was given impetus by the discovery that general paresis resulted from massive brain deterioration caused by syphilis
• Today: dominant model in psychiatry
o Assumes that psychological disorders can be
Diagnosed similarly to physical illness
Caused by biological disease processes
• Structural brain abnormalities (Shizophrenia)
• Neurochemical imbalance (depression)
Best treated with biological agents- medication, surgery, ECT…
What are limitations of the biological model?
o Need to avoid extreme reductionism
Certain complex psychological phenomena may be impossible to explain at the neural/molecular level
o Need to avoid over-extrapolation from animal research
Humans are more sophisticated/have more sophisticated motivations
o Need to avoid assuming causation from treatment
Avoid circular logic
o The medical model may not be applicable to conceptualising and diagnosing ‘mental illness’
Clear boundary between physical health and illness
• But continuity between mental health and disorder
What was the psychoanalytic model?
o Most dominant model of psychiatry during 1st half of the 20th century
o Don’t use classical psychoanalysis in psychology now
o Human personality is in constant conflict between three elements that develop in stages:
-Id
-Ego
-Superego
o Unresolved conflict between id, ego and superego can cause anxiety, distress, guilt and shame
o To avoid pain of unresolved conflict and to protect the consciousness, ego develops defence mechanisms
o Defence mechanisms can be more or less successful
o Defence mechanisms can create suffering and symptoms, especially when rigidly applied
Displacement depression
Projection paranoia
Reaction formation overprotection , dependence
Repression obsessiveness
o The same process explains both normal and abnormal behaviour, emotion and thought
o Revolutionised the concept of mental illness
o Popularised the concept of neurosis
o Made no clear dividing line between normal and abnormal conditions and processes
o Treatment
Insight
What is the id?
- Unconscious part of self
- Instinctual drive you are born with
- Motivation: libido-energy derived from id
- Instinct based on pleasure principle wants to feel good
- Unthinking and unreasonable motivation
What is the ego?
- Begins to develop at age 2
- Conscious self (thinking, problem solving, language)
- Second part of personality
- Reality principle
- Wants to mediate between Id and superego
What is the superego?
• Develops at about age 5-6
• Moral self, conscience
• Resolution of Oedipus conflict in male child
o Internalisation of values/expectations of society through identification with father
• In direct conflict with id
What are defence mechanisms of the ego?
Repress id impulses into unconscious
Distort id impulses into acceptable forms
• Displacement
o Displacing your hate from one thing to another
• Reaction formation
o Turning your hate into love
• Projection
o Projecting your hate on something that symbolises what you hate
• Sublimation
o Expressing the feelings in art
o According to the traditional model, only males can do this
A normal process, we all experience it
What are critiques of the psychoanalysis model?
- Limited empirical evidence
- Lack of falsifiability