psychopathology Flashcards
statistical infrequency AO1
behaviour is statistically rare so seen as abnormal
e.g. low/high IQ
Statistical infrequency AO3 (1 strength and 1 limitation)
(+) subjective- isnt reliant on opinions (objective) so is less likely to hold bias, cut off point is established as SI can clearly define rare behaviours
(-) not all disorders are statistically rare- some behaviours/ characteristics seen as abnormal even though they are quite frequent e.g. depression is a common mental health abnormality which would not be identified as statistically rare
deviation from social norms AO1
behaviour which deviates from the unwritten rules of society (social norms)
everday example= cutting infront of queue
psychological abnormality example= OCD because obsess over behaviours
Deviation from social norms AO3 (1 strength and 1 limitation)
(+) distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour (unlike statistical infrquency)- establishes social roles and norms
(-) social norms vary from culture to culture- cultured have different social norms so one cultures social norm may be classed as abnormal in another culture- cannot distinguish
failure to function adequately AO1
person unable to live a normal life and experience normal range of emotions/ engage in normal range of behaviour
Criteria:
1) personal distress- upset/ distressed
2) observer discomfort- persons behaviour makes others feel uncomfortable
3) maldaptive behaviour- behaviour prevents from acheiving life goals
4) irrational behaviour- no good reason for the behaviour
5) unpredictability- behaviour unexpected
6) violation of moral standards- differs from what you would expect in a given situation
e.g. OCD patient might make others worried about how much they wash their hands
failure to function adequately AO3 (1 strength and 1 limitation)
(+) behaviours are easily identified so can easily be identified when treatment is required
(-) subjective- based on opinions, context and degree of behaviour should be considered- depends on who is making the judgement
deviation from ideal mental health AO1
starts with a definition of normality
if person does not fulfill this criteria- could indicate abnormality
jahodas criteria:
1) positive attitude towards self- self esteem
2) self actualisation- state of contentment
3) autonomy- independence and self reliance
4) resistance to stress- able to handle stressful situations competently
5) environmental mastery- can adapt to new situations
6) accurate perception of reality- perspective is similar to how others see the world
e.g. person with depression lacks positive self attitude etc
deviation from ideal mental health AO3 (1 strength and 1 limitation)
(+) positive approach- focuses on positives rather than negatives- gives people who do deviate from ideal mental health somthing to work towards
(-) subjective- criteria is vague and hard to judge so decisions wether person doesnt meet the criteria is dificult to make
describe and evaluate the behavioral approach to explaining phobias AO1
- assumes all behaviour is learnt from the environment
- 2 process model- phobias learnt by classical and maintained by operant
- classical conditioning- learning through association - e.g. little albert- shown white rat (unafraid), shown a white rate with a loud noise simultaneously (afraid- cried), showed white rat again (afraid- cried)
- operant conditioning - when behaviour is reinforced.
positive - the addition of somthing positive encourages behaviour
negative- the removal of somthing bad encourages behaviour
describe and evaluate the behavioural approach to explain phobias AO3 (2 strengths and 2 limitations)
(+) behaviourist approach is scientific- can be measured objectively- e.g. little albert- phobia was clear to see and measure- variables could be measured and controlled to ensure no extraneous variables
(+) 2 process model has good explanatory power- explains how phobias are made and maintained- important implications for therapy- patient can be prevented from practising their avoidance behaviour
(-) reductionist- phobias (complex) caused solely by experiences, rewards and punishments- too simplistic, doesnt acknowledge role of biology
(-) deterministic- 2 process model says when individual experiences trauma and makes association they develop phobia- suggests programmed by environment- ignores free will
describe and evaluate the behavioural approach into treating phobias AO1
systematic desensitisation- behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety
anxiety hierarchy is designed by patient and therapist- arranged in order least to most frightening
relaxation techniques taught by therapist e.g. breathing techniques
exposure- finally patient is exposed to phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state
takes place over several sessions - starting at bottom of hierarchy working way to top
flooding- full immediate exposure to phobic stimulus
stops phobic response v quickly due to no option of avoidance behaviour
Describe and evaluate behavioural approach to treating phobias AO3 - SD
(-) SD takes place over multiple sessions- more costly- more likely to have a higher rate of patients ending the therapy course before full course has been complete due to lack of motivation- in this case flooding = better because it takes place over 1 session only
(+) has a higher success rate than flooding
has been found in experiment that SD had a 75% success rate across ppts - so effective
Describe and evaluate the behavioural approach to treating phobias AO3 - flooding
(-) unethical - traumatic experience for patients and causes high level of anxiety- could not be used on children due to how traumatic- would worsen their phobia - many patients wont complete the treatment as its too stressful
(+) cost implications- most cost effective treatment for phobias - patients treated quicker so more cost effective for healthcare providers
describe and evaluate the cognitive approach into explaining depression AO1
states that abnormal behaviour is caused by faulty thinking/ irrational beliefs
ABC model- ellis:
A- activating event - stressor
B- belief- persons schema that has been affected by the A
C- consequence- change in behaviour
Becks negative triad:
negative view on self, world and future e.g. i am not good enough, nobody likes me, i will never succeed
describe and evaluate the cognitive approach into treating depression AO3
(-) blames the patient for their depression- just in the patients mind - overlooks situational factors- unhelpful to place a burden of blame onto the person prone to negative thoughts and depression- if they feel responsible- could lead to delays in treatment
(+) real life application- led to the development of treatment e.g. CBT which was found to have an 81% effectivness rate after 36 weeks of therapy- suggests cog explan is valid
(-) family studies/ genetic research- suggest that a predisposition to depression is inherited - genes that affect serotonin- drug therapies also suggest depression is due to biological factors
(-) cog theories assume that thoughts are irrational- could be rational in the context of the challenges they face- doesnt apply to evryone suffering depression
