Psychopathology Flashcards
What is statistical infrequency?
- Abnormality in terms of statistics/numerically rare.
- Rarely seen behaviour/characteristics are abnormal.
What’s an example of a statistically infrequent characteristic?
An IQ of below 70 or above 130.
What’s a positive evaluation of statistical infrequency?
Real life application: most assessment of mental disorders is compared with statistics, intellectual disability disorder.
Give negative evaluations of statistical infrequency
1) Unusual characteristics can be positive: abnormal but not requiring of treatment, desirable perhaps? e.g. IQ over 130.
2) Not everyone benefits from a label: if someone is living a normal life –> is a negative label needed?
What is deviation from social norms?
- Behaving in a way that is different from the expected way.
- Relatively few behaviours are universally abnormal.
-Some are accepted not but weren’t in the past, culturally dependent.
E.g. Anti-Social Personality Disorder
Evaluate deviation from social norms
1) Social norms culturally relative :( : can’t compare normality across cultures due to differing standards.
2) Could lead to human right abuses? E.g. Drapetomania - black slaves trying to escape is a form of social control.
How does Deviation from Ideal Mental Health differ from all other outlooks of abnormality?
It looks at what makes us normal as opposed to characteristics which make us abnormal.
Who came up with Deviation from Ideal Mental Health?
Jahoda (1958)
Give as many of the criteria for Deviation from Ideal Mental Health as possible
1) No symptoms/distress.
2) Rational
3) Self-actualise
4) Cope with stress
5) Realistic view of the world
6) Good self-esteem
7) Independent
8) Successfully work
Evaluate Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
1) Culturally relative?: self-actualisation may be considered self-indulgent in collectivist cultures
2) Unrealistically high standards: few people can meet all criteria –> but it does show how to improve health
What is Failure to Function adequately?
Inability to cope with everyday living, e.g. not maintaining a relationship or holding down a job.
Who came up with Failure to Function adequately?
Rosenhan and Seligman (1989)
Give some criteria for Failure to Function adequately
- No longer conform to interpersonal rules (personal space).
- Experience personal distress.
- Behave irrationally or dangerously.
Evaluate Failure to Function adequately
1) Hard to explicitly see sometimes: Failure to Function adequately or Deviation from social norms? e.g. extreme sports seen as behaving maladaptively?
2) Subjective: distressed but not suffering? Objective by ‘Global Assessment of Functioning Scale’
Give 2 behavioural characteristics of Phobias
1) Panic - e.g. crying, running away from phobic stimulus.
2) Avoidance - of stimulus, affecting everyday living.
Give 2 emotional characteristics of Phobias
1) Anxiety + fear - one leads to the other.
2) Unreasonable responses - e.g. crying to tiny spider
Give 2 cognitive characteristic of Phobias
1) Selective attention to phobic stimulus - hard to look away from stimulus.
2) Irrational beliefs.
Give 2 behavioural characteristic of depression
1) Activity levels - decline –> lethargic, in extreme cases can’t get out of bed.
2) Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour - increase/decline
Give 2 emotional characteristic of depression
1) Lowered mood - worthless or empty.
2) Anger –> aggression or self-harming.
Give 2 cognitive characteristic of depression
1) Poor concentration.
2) Absolutist thinking - unfortunate situation = absolute disaster
Give 2 behavioural characteristic of OCD
1) Compulsions - action carried out repeatedly; ritualistic.
2) Avoidance - of situation that triggers anxiety.
Give 2 emotional characteristic of OCD
1) Anxiety and distress - of unpleasant thoughts and anxiety that comes with it can be overwhelming.
2) Guilt or disgust.
Give 2 cognitive characteristic of OCD
1) Obsessive thoughts - of fear.
2) Insight into excessive anxiety - aware of irrationality, sufferers become overaware of their obsession
What is the name for the behavioural approach to explaining phobias, and who came up with it?
Two-process model
Mowrer (1960)
Classical conditioning is also known as learning by ____ ?
Learning by association