Psychopathology Flashcards
What is seen as abnormal
All societies have their standards of behaviour and attitudes
Deviating from these can be seen as abnormal
What are the problems of defining abnormality
Cultures vary so there isn’t one set of rules
Defining abnormality as deviation from social norms can be used to justify the removal of unwanted people from society e.g. opposing a political regime can be seen as abnormal
What is considered acceptable or abnormal can change over time e.g. homosexuality
How can abnormality be shown with a bell curve
People who behave averagely make up the middle of the bell curve
People who behave abnormally make up the tail ends of the curve
This shows that abnormality is the deviation from statistical norms
Negative evaluation: Problems with defining abnormality as deviation from statistical norms
Why can’t we define abnormality from just statistical norms
Doesn’t take into account desirability of behaviour, just its frequency
E.g. high IQ is abnormal, as is a low one, but a high IQ is desirable but a low one isn’t
No distinction between rare, slightly odd behaviour and rare, psychologically abnormal behaviour
No definite cut-off point where normal behaviour becomes abnormal behaviour
Some behaviours considered abnormal are quite common e.g. mild depression
What does failure to function adequately mean
You can’t function adequately if you can’t cope with the demands of day-to-day life
What is the criteria for failure to function adequately
Dysfunctional behaviour
Observer discomfort
Unpredictable behaviour
Irrational behaviour
Personal distress
If you tick more than one box then your behaviour is considered abnormal
Positive evaluation: strengths statistical infrequency
Why is statistical frequency good to show abnormality
Obvious and relatively quick way and easy way ti define abnormality
Real life application: relatively easy to determine abnormality using psychometric tests developed using statistical methods
Most patients with mental disorders will have their symptoms compared to the social norm
What are Jahoda’s six conditions associated with ideal mental health
Positive self attitude
Self actualisation ( realising your potential, being fulfilled )
Resistance to stress
Personal autonomy ( making your own decisions, being in control )
Accurate perception of reality
Adaptation to the environment
Negative evaluation of Jahoda’s six conditions
They’re subjective ( ideas of what is required will differ from person to person )
E.g. a violent offender may have a positive self-attitude and be resistant to stress - yet society wouldn’t consider them to have good mental health
Positive evaluations of Jahoda’s six conditions
Comprehensive - covers a broad range of criteria
This covers all aspects of mental health and makes us aware of all the different factors which can affect our mental health
What symptoms are associated with mental illness
Impairment of intellectual functions, such as memory or comprehension
Alterations to mood that lead to delusional appraisals of the past or future, or lack of any appraisal
Delusional beliefs, such as of persecution or jealousy
Disordered thinking - the person may be unable to appraise their situation or communicate with others
How do scientists classify mental disorders
DSM: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Used to classify disorders using defined diagnostic criteria
Includes a list of symptoms which are used to diagnose
What is a phobia
An example of an anxiety disorder
An extreme, irrational fear of a particular object or situation
The DSM classifies several types of phobia: specific phobias, agoraphobia, social phobia ( social anxiety disorder )
What are specific phobias
This is a fear of specific objects of situations
Subtypes of specific phobias
Animal type ( zoophobia, e.g. fear of spiders )
Environmental danger type ( e.g. fear of water )
Blood-injection-injury type ( fear of needles )
Situational type ( e.g. fear of enclosed spaces or heights )
Other ( any phobia not covered in categories above )
What is agoraphobia
Fear of open spaces, using public transport, being in an enclosed spaces, waiting in line or being in a crowd, or not being at home
Linked to a fear of not being able to escape or find help if your in an embarrassing situation
Involves the sufferer avoiding the situation in order to avoid distress
May develop as a result of other phobias, because the person’s afraid that they may come across the source of their fear if they leave the house
What is social anxiety disorder ( social phobia )
Fear of being in social situations
( e.g. eating in public or talking in front of a group of people )
It’s usually down to the possibility of being judged or being embarrassed
What are the cognitive symptoms of phobias
Irrational beliefs about the stimulus that causes fear
People often find it hard to concentrate because they’re preoccupied by anxious thoughts
What are the behavioural symptoms of phobias
Avoiding social situations because they cause anxiety
This happens especially if someone has social anxiety disorder (social phobia) or agoraphobia
Altering behaviour to avoid the feared object or situation, and trying to escape if it’s encountered
People are often generally restless and easily startled
What are the physical symptoms of phobias
Activation of the fight or flight response when the feared object or situation is encountered or thought about
This involves release of adrenaline, increased heart and breathing, and muscle tension
What are the emotional symptoms of phobias
Anxiety and a feeling of dread
How do behaviourists believe phobias are caused
Through classical and operant conditioning
How can phobias be caused by classical conditioning
In classical conditioning a natural reflex is produced in response to a previously neutral stimulus
Phobias can be created when a natural fear response becomes associated with a particular stimulus
Process of causing a phobia from classical conditioning
A certain stimulus, e.g. a loud noise ( UCS ) triggers a neutral reflex, e.g. fear ( UCR )
UCS repeatedly presented with another stimulus, e.g. a rat ( CS ) triggers fear ( UCR )
Over time, the rat presented by itself triggers fear ( CR )
How can phobias be generalised
Phobias can generalise to similar stimuli
E.g. Watson and Rayner conditioned a phobia in Little Albert of white rats which was generalised to fluffy white objects
How can operant conditioning play a part in phobias
Operant conditioning can be used to maintain phobias
How does Mowrer’s two process model explain how phobias are maintained
Explains how classical and operant conditioning can be used to maintain phobias
People develop phobias by classical conditioning - a CS is paired with an UCS to produce the CR
Once somebody has developed a phobia, it’s maintained through operant conditioning- people get anxious around the phobic stimulus and avoid it
This prevents anxiety and acts as negative reinforcement
How can operant conditioning explain how social phobia develop from a specific phobia
People are anxious that they’ll experience a panic attack in a social situation or an open place ( because of their specific phobia ), so they avoid these situations
Strengths of the behavioural explanation of phobias
Has been backed up with research: Barlow and Durante showed that 50% of people with a fear of driving had been in an accident so through classical conditioning the accident (UCS) turned driving into a CS
Behavioural therapies are very effective at treating phobias by getting the person to change their response to the stimulus
This suggest they treat the cause of the problem
Evidence that the behavioural explanation of phobias may be flawed
Facet found that only 7% of spider phobics recalled having a traumatic experience with a spider
This suggests that there could be other explanations, e.g. biological factors
How are mood disorders characterised
Characterised by strong emotions
These can influence a person’s ability to function normally
A mood disorder can affect a person’s perception, thinking and behaviour
What is major depression
Known as unipolar disorder
An episode of depression that can occur suddenly
Major depression can be reactive - caused by external factors e.g. death of a loved one
It can be endogenous - caused by internal factors e.g. neurological factors