Psychopathology Flashcards
What are the 4 methods psychologists use to justify diagnosing a psychological disorder?
Deviation from social norms
Statistical deviation/infrequency
Failure to function adequately
Deviation from ideal mental health
What is a social norm and the 2 types?
Expected ways of behaving in society, implicit and explicit (written e.g laws)
Why does the deviation from social norms definition believe you are abnormal?
If you deviate from explicit and implicit social norms (e.g anti-personality disorder)
What is the strength of deviation from social norms?
On the surface this seems to be a reasonable definition, you can quickly tell if someone has a mental health disorder as they normally deviate from social norms
What are the weaknesses of deviation from social norms? (3)
Cultural differences - Greece tooth fairy and roof
Overtime social norms change (homosexuality mental disorder)
Deviation from social norms could be seen as just excentric
Why does the statistical deviation/infrequency definition believe you are abnormal?
If your behavior is statistically uncommon (rare) and therefore not seen very often in society
What is a strength of the statistical deviation definition?
Real life applications and its commonly used in practice
What are the weaknesses of the statistical deviation definition? (2)
Ignores unusual characteristics that may be positive (high IQ like steven hawkins)
Some mental disorders like depression are meant to affect 20% of population and therefore would be considered ‘normal’
Why does failure to function adequately believe you are abnormal?
If someone deviates from their normal pattern of behavior and fail to function adequately
What does failure to function adequately focus on?
A persons everyday behavior
What is a strength of failure to function adequately?
Attempts to include subjective experience of the individual, tries to acknowledge the patient as difficult as it may be
What are the weaknesses of failure to function adequately? (2)
How can a psychologist make a decision about whether we can function correctly, its their OWN subjective opinion
Confuses with deviation from social norms as it could be that these everyday activities are ‘norms’ that are being broken
What can we use when talking about failure to function adequately?
Rosenhan's and Seligmans 7 abnormal characteristics 1 - Suffering 2 - maladaptiveness 3 - unconventiality of behavior 4 - unpredictability 5 - irrationality and incomprehensibility 6 - observer discomfort 7 - violation of moral standards S.M.U.U.I.O.V
What does the deviation from ideal mental health definition argue about abnormality?
You are abnormal if you are not psychologically healthy
Who can we use to talk about in deviation from ideal mental health?
Jahoda - JAHODA’S RAPPAS (argues this is ideal mental health)
Resistance to stress
Accurate perception of reality and realistic view of the world
Positive attitude towards yourself
Personal autonomy (independent)
Adapt to any environment
Self-actualisation of potential`
What is the strength of deviation from ideal mental health?
Comprehensive definition as it covers a broad range of criteria for mental health and why someone would seek support
What are the 2 weaknesses of deviation from ideal mental health?
Some of Jahoda’s ideas are cultural bound, different idea of mental health ideality in each culture
Unrealistically high standard for mental health - aren’t all of us abnormal as we will all suffer from at least 1 at some point?
What are phobias?
Type of anxiety disorder, intense and persistent irrational fear of an object, event or situation THE FEAR IS SEVERE ENOUGH TO INTERFERE WITH EVERYDAY LIFE
What are the 3 phobic groups in the DSM-5?
Specific phobia - object or situation
Social phobia - social situation
Agoraphobia - outside or public place
What are 3 behavioural characteristics of phobias?
Panic (in response to phobic stimulus e.g crying)
Avoidance (avoid contact with any possible phobic stimulus)
Endurance (remaining in presence of phobia with high anxiety e.g flying)
What are 2 emotional characteristics of phobias?
Anxiety (unpleasant state of high arousal)
Emotional responses are unreasonable (disproportionate)
What are 3 cognitive characteristics of phobias?
Selective attention
Irrational beliefs
Cognitive distortions (think it will hurt you)
What does the behavioural explanation of phobia’s state?
That phobias can be learned by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning KNOWN AS THE TWO PROCESS MODEL
What does classical conditioning believe we pair together to acquire a phobia?
Neutral stimulus (no fear) with unconditioned stimulus (fear)
What is supporting evidence for the two process model explaining phobias?
Little albert study (able to create a phobia due to classical conditioning)
What is important in operant conditioning to maintain a phobia?
Negative reinforcement (avoiding a feared object reduces fear so is therefore reinforcing)
What are 2 strengths of the behavioral explanation of phobia’s?
Supporting evidence - Little Albert (watson and rayner)
Can explain many phobias and has lead to development of successful behavioural therapies S.D)
What are 3 weaknesses of the behavioral explanation of phobia’s?
Only focuses on behavioural aspects of phobias (not cognitive)
Explanation is incomplete, ignores evolutionary theory
Many people have phobia’s without suffering a traumatic experiance
What is the aim of behavioural therapies for treating phobias?
Reduce phobic anxiety through principle of classical conditioning so NS is paired with relaxation instead - KNOWN AS COUNTERCONDITIONING
No option for avoidance
What are the 2 behavioural therapies for phobias?
Systematic desensitisation
F|ooding
What is systematic desensitisation?
Based on un-learning the fear response, learning deep relaxation techniques when faced with fear stimulus.
What is systematic desensitisation based on?
idea of reciprocal inhibition (cannot be anxious and relaxed at same time)
What are the stages of systematic desensitisation?
Taught relaxation techniques
Gradually increase fear stimulus, creating a hierarchy
Progress up
What is flooding?
Aims to remove assosiation but with no gradual build up, assumes high levels of anxiety cannot be maintained so ‘floods’ person with main fear until body is forced to reduce fear response
What do you learn through flooding a phobia?
The phobic stimulus is not harmful KNOWN AS EXTINCTION
What is research evidence to support systematic desensitisation?
Gilroy 2003 - followed up patients treated for phobia of spiders through S.D at 3 months and 33 months, compared to a control group who had relaxation but no exposure, those treated with S.D had less fear at 33 months
What is research evidence to support flooding?
Wolpe 1960 - used flooding to remove girls phobia of being in cars by driving her around for hours until anxiety went
BAD COS NOT GENERALISABLE ONLY 1 PERSON
What are 3 strengths of the behavioural therapies for phobias?
Research evidence to support, shows they work
Flooding is more cost effective as quicker
S.D offers a patient pleasant aspects (relaxation) so is widely chosen
What are 3 weaknesses of the behavioural therapies for phobias?
Best suited to simple phobias, what about social or agoraphobia?
Flooding is very traumatic BUT NOT UNETHICAL
Treatments do not address any underlying psychological or emotional issues
What is depression?
A type of mood disorder affecting thoughts, feelings and behaviours aswell as the physical wellbeing of a person
What are the 4 categories of depression in the DSM-5?
Major depressive disorder - severe but short term
Persistent depressive disorder - long term and reoccuring
Disruptive mood dyregulation disorder - childhood temper tantrums
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder - disruption to mood prior and during menstrauation
What are the 3 behavioural characteristics of depression?
Irritable and aggressive - includes physical aggression e.g self harm
Disruption to sleep - insomnia/hypersomnia and changes to eating pattern
Reduced/increased energy levels - psycho-motor agitation