Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the 4 definitions of abnormality ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Statistical Infrequency
Deviation from social norms
Failure to function
Deviation from ideal mental health
What is statistical infrequency ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Abnormal Behaviour – a trait/behaviour/thinking which is numerically rare compared to the rest of the population
account desirable behaviour - normal undesirable behaviour
Evaluation - Statistical Infrequency - Limitation - Doesn’t distinguish between desirable and udesirable traits ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - Definition fails to account for behaviour wich is statistically rare but desirable such as high IQ
Further - Some statistically ‘‘normal’’ behaviour is still undesirable such as depression which still requires treatment
useful for normal/abnormal cases - people dont benefit from label
Evaluation - Statistical Infrequency - Strength - Real life application to intellectual disability disorder ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - This definition is used in the diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder showing that this definition of abnormality is useful in defining normal and abnormal characteristics
Counter - Some people dont benefit from a label. The label of a disability such as intellectual disability disorder could negatively impact the way patients are viewed by others and themselves
What is deviation from social norms ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Abnormal behaviour is behaviour which goes against unwritten rules/expectations of society
Norms are specific to time and culture – not many behaviours are considered universally abnormal
Social norms vary from place to place - Nymphomania
Evaluation - Deviation from social norms - Limitation - Culturally relative ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - Social norms vary from one generation to another and from one community to another, therefore someone may label another as being abnormal based on their own culture/norms
Further - Nymphomania was a historical example of deviating from social norms that no longer applies in society
Used to control groups - Drapetomania/slave disorder
Evaluation - Deviation from social norms - Limitation - Can lead to human rights abuses ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - Historically this definition has been used to control groups who deviate from the majority, such as homosexuality
Further - Drapetomania was a disorder that ‘caused slaves to flee captivity’, this disorder was designed to keep slaves in captivity and wasnt real
What is failure to function ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Defines abnormality as the inability to cope with everyday living
Not being able to maintain basic nutrition, hygiene, hold a job or maintain a relationship
Can be choice - people have free will
Evaluation - Failure to function - Limitation – Leads to Discrimination/Social Control ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - Hard to distinguish between failure to function and conscious decision to deviate from social norms
Further - people may choose to live off-grid or take part in high risk leisure activities, these people may just choose to do these things
acknowledges patient experience - patient may be unaware of themselve
Evaluation - Failure to function - Strength – Recognises the Patients Perspective ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - The definition is based on the subjective experience of patients and therefore acknowledges the experience of patients
Counter - someone else will still need to judge if a patient is distressed or distressing others while the individual might be content or unaware that they are not coping
What is the deviation from ideal mental health ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Instead considers what is normal
People are defined as abnormal if they do not meet Jahoda’s criteria:
No symptoms of distress
Rational thinking
Self-actualisation
Cope with Stress
Realistic view of the world
Good self-esteem and lack of guilt
Independent of other people
Can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
The more criteria you fail to meet the more abnormal you are
unrealistically high standard/sustainability - holistic
Evaluation - Deviation from ideal mental health - Limitation - Criteria is too demanding ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - The definition sets an unrealistically high standard. It is unlikely all criteria’s can be met or sustained for a long period of timemeaning everyone is abnormal
I&D - however it is a holistic approach with a criteria that covers most reasons why someone would seek help from mental health services
Based on western cukture - imposed etic
Evaluation - Deviation from ideal mental health - Limitation – Cultural Relativism ?
(Definitions of Abnormality)
Point - The criteria for ideal mental health are based on Western cultural norms. Factors are biased and desired in individualitic cultures but are not desirable in collectivist cultures
I&D - Deviation from ideal mental health may suffer from imposed etic, where western cultures impose their own cultural ideas of the ideal mental health to other cultures
How does the DSM-5 classify phobias ?
(Characteristics of Phobia)
Definition:
Excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place or situation
Fear is out of proportion to any real danger
Classification:
Specific phobia – phobia of an object
Social phobia – phobia of social situation
Agoraphobia – Phobia of being outside
What are the three types of characteristics of phobia ?
(Characteristics of Phobia)
Behavioural characteristics – how the disorder affects behaviour
Emotional characteristics – how the disorder affects how we feel
Cognitive characteristics – how the disorder affects how we think
What are behavioural characteritics for phobias ?
(Characteristics of Phobia)
Panic – phobic stimulus causes crying, screaming, freezing
Avoidance – make an effort to prevent contact with the stimulus. Can affect everyday life
Endurance – remains with phobic stimulus but continues experiencing anxiety
What are the emotional characteristics for phobias ?
(Characteristics of Phobia)
Anxiety – unpleasant state of high arousal
Fear – immediate and unpleasant response when encountering or thinking of the phobic stimulus
Emotional responses are unreasonable - disproportionate to danger
What are the cognitive characteristics to phobias ?
(Characteristics of Phobia)
People with phobias process stimuli differently
Selective Attention - if they can see the stimulus, they cannot look away
Irrational beliefs – may hold irrational beliefs about the phobic stimulus
Cognitive distortions – perception of the stimulus is distorted
How do we acquire phobia through classical conditioning ?
(Behaviourist Explanation of Phobia)
We learn to associate something which we do not initially fear (neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers a fear response (unconditioned stimulus)
Watson and Rayner - Caused phobia in little Albert
Neutral stimulus (NS) – Albert was given a white rat which he played with
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) - After, whenever they presented the rat researchers made a loud, frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to his ear
Unconditioned Response (UCR) - this creates fear
NS (rat) became associated with the UCS (loud bang)
conditioned stimulus (CS) – rat becomes the conditioned stimulus that produced fear – conditioned response (CR)
This then generalised to similar objects
How do we maintain phobias through operant conditioning ?
(Behaviourist Explanation of Phobia)
People experience negative reinforcement
Individual avoids phobic stimulus
Results in a desirable consequence – escape fear
Reinforces the avoidance behaviour and phobia is maintained
Watson/Rayner Little Albert - idiographic approach
Evaluation - Strength - Research support ?
(Behaviourist Explanation of Phobia)
Point - Watson and Rayner demonstrated the process of classical conditioning in forming phobias in Little Albert by conditioning him to fear white rats
I&D - Due to the use of a case study this utilises the idiographic approach, so meaningful generalisations cannot be made
Systematic desensitisation uses classical conditioning - flooding/neg re
Evaluation - Strength - Application to theory ?
(Behaviourist Explanation of Phobia)
Point - The treatment of Systematic Desensitisation is very successful and uses the principles of classical conditioning to help people unlearn their fears
Further - the treatment of flooding uses the principles of operant conditioning to prevent people from avoiding their phobias and stopping negative reinforcment
Bounton other factors - Seligman biological prepardness
Evaluation - Limitation - Other Explanation for Phobia ?
(Behaviourist Explanation of Phobia)
Point - Behaviourist explanation does not account for all phobias. Bounton suggests evolutionary factors play a role in phobias
Further - Seligman says humans have evolved to have ‘biological preparedness’’ which is the innate predisposition to have certain fears to ensure our survival
What is systmatic desensitisation ?
(Behaviourist Treatment of Phobia)
Therapy aims to gradually reduce anxiety through classical conditioning
Uses counterconditioning – teach a new response to the phobic stimulus
Impossible to be scared and relaxed at the same time – called reciprocal inhibition – one emotion prevents the other
what are the three processes of systematic desensitasation ?
(Behaviourist Treatment of Phobia)
Anxiety heirachy - list of situations related to phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged in order from least to most frightening
Relaxation - therapist teaches patient to relax as deeply as possible
Exposure - patient is exposed to phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state. Takes place across several sessions starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy. When they can stay relaxed they move up a level
What is flooding ?
(Behaviourist Treatment of Phobia)
Flooding involves exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus without any gradual build up
What is the negative triad ?
(Cognitive Explanations of Depression)
Negative self schemas cause cognitive bias, which maintain the negative triad
What is the cycle of OCD ?
(Characteristics of OCD)
How is diffusion different in OCD patients ?
(Biological Treatments of OCD)
Goes across cleft BUT doesn’t make it to postsynaptic receptor site and gets reabsorbed back into presynaptic neuron, gets broken down and reused
