Psychopathology Flashcards
What is psychopathology?
Study of mental illness/distress or the manifestation of behaviour and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness/psychological impairment.
It seeks to define what makes a behaviour abnormal,
What are the four definitions of abnormality?
Statistical Infrequency
Deviation from Social Norms
Failure to Function Adequately
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
What are abnormal behaviours?
Behaviours that are extremely rare and found in very few people.
What is statistical infrequency as a definition for abnormality?
A mathematical method for defining abnormality.
Human attributes fall into a normal distribution within the population. This means there’s a central average, and the rest of the population fall symmetrically above and below that mean.
5% of the population that fall more than two standard deviations from the mean are abnormal.
What is Deviation from Social Norms as a definition of abnormality?
When a behaviour does not fit within what is socially acceptable.
Dependent on the culture which the behaviour occurs.
Aren’t the same across societies so what’s abnormal in one culture isn’t abnormal in another.
However, slight deviations may not be regarded as abnormal if the social norm isn’t considered important by the society.
What is Failure to Function Adequately as a definition of abnormality?
An individual is not able to cope with everyday life. People may act differently but if they have a basic inability to manage in everyday life their behaviour is abnormal.
Ability defined by Rosenhan and Seligman into seven sections; unpredictability, maladaptive behaviour, personal distress, irrationality, observer discomfort, violation of moral standards and unconventionality.
The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) measured how well individuals function in everyday life. Considers Rosenhan and Seligman’s sections plus occupational functioning.
What is Deviation from Ideal Mental Health as a definition of abnormality?
Deviating from an idea of positive mental health. Defined in terms of Jahoda’s (1958) criteria of ideal mental health.
Absence of the criteria for positive mental health indicates abnormality and a potential mental disorder.
What are the 6 criteria that Jahoda suggested that needed to be fulfilled for ideal mental health.
Positive attitude towards the self Self-actualisation Autonomy Resistance to stress Environmental mastery Accurate perception of reality
What is positive attitude toward the self?
This is linked to the individual’s level of self-esteem. For ideal mental health the positive attitude should be at a good level, so that the individual feels happy with themselves.
What is self-actualisation?
Self-actualisation is being in a state of contentment, feeling that you have become the best you can be.
What is autonomy?
This is having the independence and self-reliance. The ability to function as an individual and not depending on others.
What is resistance to stress?
This criteria is that an individual should not feel under stress and they should be able to handle stressful situations competently.
What is environmental mastery?
Having environmental mastery means that the person can adapt to new situations and be at ease at all situations in their life.
What is accurate perception of reality?
This criteria is focused on how the individual sees the world around them and to achieve ideal mental health they should have a perspective that is similar to how others see the world. This is focused very much on the distortions of thinking that some people, e.g. people with schizophrenia, may experience.
Give 4 evaluation titles for statistical deviation.
(L x1) Real life applications
in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder. identify abnormal behaviours and characteristics. Measurement of how severe their symptoms are compared to statistical norms. Therefore, statistical deviation is a useful part of clinical assessment.
(S x3)Desirable abnormal behaviour
For example, very few people have an IQ over 150. People would like to be classed as a genius! Does not distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviour. Need a way of identifying behaviours that are both infrequent and undesirable.
Cut off points are subjectively determined. For example, people disagree on what constitutes an abnormal lack of sleep. However, since this is a symptom of depression, it is important to know where the cut-off point lies for a diagnosis to be made. This means that disagreements = difficult to define abnormality in terms of statistical infrequency.
Labels that aren’t necessary. For example, someone with a very low IQ may not be distressed and may be capable of working. A label of ‘intellectual disability disorder’ wouldn’t benefit them. This shows that labelling a person as abnormal could have a negative effect on their self-view and the way others view them.
Give 4 evaluation titles for deviation from social norms.
(S x1)Includes desirability not just infrequency
(L x3) Social norms change
Something abnormal someone does, doesn’t mean they’re abnormal
Cultures show variation in what’s normal
Give 4 evaluation titles for the failure to function adequately.
(S x1) Subjective of the individual
(L x3) Dysfunctional Vs Functional
Different definitions
Generalising the definition to everyone
Give 4 evaluation titles for deviation from ideal mental health
(S x1) Comprehensive
(L x3) Cultural differences
Unrealistic criteria that few meet
Mental health = physical health?
What is a phobia?
A phobia is an anxiety disorder, which interferes with daily living.
An irrational fear of an object/situation
Name the three types of phobias.
Specific phobias, agoraphobias, and social anxiety
What is a specific phobias? Give examples
Phobia of an object/situation.
E.g. Arachnophobia, satonphobia.
What is agoraphobia? Give examples.
Phobia of being outside or public places.
E.g. Fear of going outside, fear of crowds (enochlophobia)
What is social anxiety?
Phobia of a social situation.
E.g. Fear of public speaking,fear of using public toilets.
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
Panic - crying, screaming, running away
Avoidance - efforts made to avoid feared objects/situations to reduce anxiety
Endurance - remaining in the presence of the phobic stimulus but experiencing high levels of anxiety.
What are emotional characteristic of phobias?
Anxiety - unpleasant state of high arousal that prevent relaxation and positive emotion.
Emotional responses are unreasonable - disproportionate to the danger posed by the stimulus.
What are the cognitive characteristic of phobias?
Selective attention to phobic stimulus - attention placed once identified.
Irrational beliefs - unsupported view of phobic stimuli.
Cognitive distortions - exaggerated/irrational thought pattern around phobic stimuli.
Recognition of exaggerated anxiety- conscious awareness that anxiety levels experienced are overstated.
What is the behavioural approach?
Emphasises the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour. Behaviour is explained in terms of what is observable.
