Psychopathology Flashcards
Outline statistical infrequency (SI)
Abnormality is defined as statistically rare behaviour, which can be expressed in terms of normal distribution (bell curve), where the most common behaviour is normal, and uncommon behaviour is abnormal
What are the weaknesses of SI?
- Doesn’t account for infrequent desirable behaviours (e.g. high IQ)
- Cut-off point for infrequency is still subjective; can deprive people of help if incorrectly placed
- Some mental illnesses are common (e.g depression); not all abnormal behaviours are uncommon
What is a strength of SI?
Evaluation from a clinician would be objective since patient meets a statistical requirement
Outline failure to function adequately (FFA)
Abnormality is defined as an inability to cope with daily life and its demands
What are the weaknesses of FFA?
- Assessing whether client is coping is subjective to clinician
- Doesn’t account for people who are abnormal but coping (e.g. psychopaths can function in society)
- Not all maladaptive behaviour is mental illness; we wouldn’t call those who engage in extreme sports mentally ill
What is a strength of FFA?
Respects the individual’s personal experience, compared to other methods
Outline deviation from social norms (DSN)
Social norms are unwritten behavioural expectations that differ according to culture, time, and context: to violate them is to be abnormal
What is a weakness of DSN?
It is susceptible to abuse - prevailing social and moral attitudes in a certain time period could influence what is deemed abnormal (e.g. homosexuality, opposing political views)
What is a strength of DSN?
It is not ethnocentric as social norms differ across cultures, therefore it doesn’t impose a Western view of abnormality onto non-Western cultures
Outline deviation from ideal mental health (DIMH)
Uses a humanistic approach to define features of ideal mental health, and deviation from the features indicates abnormalities
What are the features of ideal mental health? (DIMH)
- Positive self-attitude
- Personal growth (self-actualisation and achieving full capability)
- Resistant to stress
- Autonomy (independent and self-regulating)
- Accurate view of reality
- Environmental mastery (being able to love, function at work, etc…)
What is a weakness of DIMH?
The criteria are hard to achieve, therefore most people would be deemed abnormal
What is a strength of DIMH?
It is a holistic approach that provides suggestions for personal developments based on multiple factors - it can suggest how to overcome problems (optimistic)
What are the emotional characteristics of a phobia?
- Anxiety that is disproportionate to level of danger (excessive and irrational)
- Fear
What are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia?
- Avoidance of phobic stimulus
- Panic via stress response: freezing, fainting
- Marked distress that distinguishes phobia from a daily fear
What are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia?
- Irrational thoughts; resistant to rational arguments
- Aware of how the fear is excessive (may not be present in children; also distinguishes disorder from delusional mental illness such as schizophrenia)
What are the features that define failure to function adequately (FFA)?
- maladaptive behaviour (self harm)
- personal distress (being affected by feelings)
- observer discomfort
- unpredictability (impulsive)
- irrationality (illogical)
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
- Fatigue leading to lessened activity
- Change in eating/appetite leading to weight gain or loss
- Aggression to self or others (self harm)
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
- Persistent low mood
- Feelings of guilt, helplessness, lack of value
- Anhedonia (no longer taking pleasure in activities)
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
- Poor concentration
- Negative schemas regarding self, world and future
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
- Compulsions (that aim to reduce anxiety caused by obsessions)
- Avoidance of things that trigger obsessions
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
- Anxiety (from obsessions)
- Depression due to lack of control over thoughts
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
- Obsessions (intrusive thoughts of unpleasant or catastrophic thoughts/imagery)
- Hypervigilance as the patient is looking out for the source of obsessions
Outline the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (2-process model)
2-process model aims to explain how phobias are learned:
- 1st stage is initiation via classical conditioning, where fear and neutral stimulus are paired to create a conditioned fear response
- 2nd stage is maintenance via operant conditioning, where avoidance behaviour negatively reinforces phobia
Outline the role of classical conditioning in the behavioural approach of explaining phobias
Phobia is acquired through association of a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus that triggers an unconditioned response of fear
Little Albert was conditioned to fear furry white objects (overgeneralisation) since a rat was paired with a loud noise, leading to a conditioned fear response - shows behavioural is applicable to people too
What is the social learning view of explaining phobias?
Neo-behaviourist view that claims phobias may be acquired through **modelling and vicarious reinforcement (e.g. seeing someone get attention for bejng fearful)
What is a criticism of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias?
2-process model ignores cognitive factors - irrational thinking could lead to a phobia, e.g. “what if i get trapped in this elevator?”
Outline flooding as a behavioural treatment for phobias
- Patient is immersed in a phobic experience for one long session, experiencing phobia at its worst
- Session continues until patient’s anxiety disappears
- E.g. arachnophobic patient has a big spider on their hand and can’t leave until calm
What is the rationale behind flooding as a behavioural treatment of phobias?
It operates under the belief that the fear response and adrenaline release has a limit, so as adrenaline decreases, new stimulus-response links can be made to replace fear response
Name the 3 features of systematic desensitisation as a behavioural treatment of phobias
- Counterconditioning: learn new association to counter old association - reciprocal inhibition
- Relaxation: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation
- Desensitisation hierarchy: gradual introduction to feared situation via stages
Outline counterconditioning as a feature of systematic desensitisation
Basis of SD is to learn a new association that counters the original fearful association - anxiety is reduced by reciprocal inhibition (can’t be relaxed and calm), leading to desensitisation
Outline relaxation as a feature of systematic desensitisation
Therapist teaches client relaxation techniques to practice during the stages of exposure: deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation
Outline desensitisation hierarchy as a feature of systematic desensitisation
The patient is gradually introduced to the feared situation in stages; at each stage the patient does relaxation to diminish anxiety, and can only pass a stage once anxiety is fully dissipated
What is a weakness of flooding?
It is traumatic for the patient; not all individuals will find it beneficial
What is a strength of flooding?
Research suggests it can be just as effective as systematic desensitisation; practical application
What are the strengths of systematic desensitisation?
What are the weaknesses of systematic desensitisation?
