Psychopathology Flashcards
Define the four definitions of Abnormality
Definition 1: Deviation from Social Norms - Standards of acceptable behaviour are set by a social group and anything that deviates from this behaviour is deemed abnormal. In the past being homosexual was seen as deviant from social norms, campaigners have now changed the social perception and have made it normal. This proves that this explanation is subject to change.
Definition 2: Failure to Function Adequately - This is where people are not able to cope with everyday demands such as eating in public. It interferes with everyday life and the individual judges when their behaviour becomes abnormal.
Definition 3: Deviation from Ideal Mental Health - Physical illness being defined as the absence of signs of physical healthiness. This definition says we should look at mental illness in the same way, there are 6 categories that if are not there then this would suggest mental illness. They are: Self Attitudes, Self Actualisation (max potential), Integration, Autonomy, Reality and Mastery of Environment.
Definition 4: Statistical Deviation - Uses numbers to define abnormality, unusual behaviours occurring frequently. (using distribution curve)
Outline Limitations of ‘Deviation from Social Norms’ as a definition of abnormality.
- It lacks any cultural relativism as different actions are considered normal in different cultures thus the definition cannot be generalised across cultures.
- The definition will need to evolve with time as social norms do.
- There is no objective factual way of saying wether what someone is doing is deviating from social norms or not.
Outline Limitations of ‘Failure to Function Adequately’ as a definition of abnormality.
- Not everyone admits when they are failing as some may feel content with the way they are functioning, making it difficult to diagnose.
- It may not be obvious that someone is not functioning, therefore it is difficult to diagnose using this definition alone.
- It lacks cultural relativism, as what is considered adequate in on culture differs to another.
Outline Limitations of ‘Deviation from Ideal Mental Health’ as a definition of abnormality.
- The criteria that we should meet is over demanding, can individuals realistically achieve all 6 categories at once.
- Also the definition lacks cultural relativism, collectivist cultures believe in the greater good for the community but individualistic cultures believe in the ‘autonomy’ therefore it cannot be generalised across cultures.
- The definitions are all very subjective, you think you achieving to full potential but someone else may think you aren’t.
Outline Limitations of ‘Statistical Deviation’ as a definition of abnormality.
- Characteristics that are ‘abnormal’ are not all negative for example having a IQ would make you technically abnormal but you wouldn’t want to treat it.
- If someone is happy and content with their life then there is no point in labelling them abnormal just because the don’t fit in with everyone else’s statistics.
Outline the Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive characteristics for Phobias
Behavioural
Panic, in response to a stimulus people may freeze of scream and run away.
Avoidance, people will often avoid facing their fears which can make it difficult to go out and about.
Endurance, the opposite of avoidance where the sufferer takes it and endures it.
Emotional
Anxiety, phobias are classified as anxiety disorders, this prevents relaxation and makes it difficult to feel positive emotions.
Unreasonable emotional responses, the emotional response we have is much to over the top of what is reasonable and is disproportional to the danger.
Cognitive
Selective attention, people with a phobia may not be able to take their eyes off the stimulus if close by, this can interfere with their everyday life.
Irrational beliefs, the person may feel that if they show they have a phobia of something they may look weak.
Cognitive distortions, the persons perceptions of the stimulus will be distorted.
Outline the Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive characteristics for Depression
Behavioural
Activity levels, levels of activity are bought down and many people become lethargic, meaning they will withdraw from work and social life.
Disruption to sleep and eating, suffers can experience insomnia or hypersomnia, along with this their appetite can fluctuate.
Self-harm, depression can lead to increased violence to themselves and others.
Emotional
Lowered mood, the clinical definition of low mood is characterised by emptiness.
Anger, often experienced with sufferers of depression.
Lowered self esteem, sufferers may report of hating themsleves.
Cognitive
Poor concentration
Cognitive Bias, sufferers attend to the negative aspects of life and not the positive.
Absolutist thinking, will look at things as black and white.
Outline the Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive characteristics for OCD
Behavioural
Compulsions are repetitive, the sufferer feels compelled to do the behaviour over and over.
Compulsions reduce anxiety, most sufferers perform the behaviour to reduce anxiety.
Avoidance, sufferers may avoid situations where they need to do the compulsion, this can effect their everyday life.
Emotional
Powerful anxiety, obsessive thoughts are unpleasant and the anxiety that comes with it can be overwhelming.
Depression, anxiety can lead to low mood and lack of activity this in turn leads to depression.
Guilt & Disgust, the sufferer may feel moral issues towards something external or internal.
Cognitive
Obsessive thoughts, they can take over their lives ie. worrying about germs.
Cognitive strategies to cope, sufferers cope with their obsessions by trying to manage their anxiety.
Excessive anxiety, sufferers are aware of their compulsions and know they are irrational, yet they still have thoughts about the worst outcomes of their anxiety.
Definition of a Phobia
A group of mental disorders characterized by high levels of anxiety in response to a stimulus.
Definition of OCD
An anxiety disorder which arises from irrational obsessions and compulsions.
Definition of Depression
A mood disorder where an individual feels sad and lacks interest in their usual activities.
Outline & Explain the Behavioural Approach to Explaining Phobias
Psychologists assume that all our behaviour is learnt and thus can be unlearnt. Watson stated that we are born as a blank slate and any behaviour that we act is all learnt from the environment around us. Most behaviour we learn is adaptive and helps us lead a happy and productive life however maladaptive behaviour can be learnt ie. Phobias.
According to this approach there is two main ways in which a phobia is learnt; Classical Conditioning & Operant Conditioning.
The two process model was developed which states that phobias start with classical conditioning and are maintained via operant conditioning. (Little Albert + Mowrer)
Evaluate the Behavioural Approach to Explaining Phobias
:) - The two way process model explains well why phobias are maintained over time and also has very important implication for therapy as it explains why exposure to the feared stimulus is vital. If patients are prevented from avoidance behaviour then the behaviour will stop being reinforced and so declines.
:) - The behavioural approach has extremely effective practical applications such as systematic desensitisation that help treat phobias. This means that it can be used by doctors in the medical profession help relieve symptoms.
:( - Nature vs Nurture - The behaviouralist approach completely overlooks any effects of nature and simply 100% relies on nurture. Bounton said that we easily acquire a fear of snakes and of the dark etc as this is an adaptive evolutionary skill for survival. These were called preparedness which are innate predispositions to certain fears. This is a serious limitation as it shows there is more than just conditioning in learning.
:( - The approach is highly reductionist and tries to simplify complex human behaviours like phobias into a stimulus response relationship. It neglects holistic ideas such as thoughts and genes. It also cant explain for situations where people develop a phobia but have never been in contact with the stimulus before.
:( - The two way process model states that the neutral stimulus associates with the unconditioned stimulus, however not everyone who is for example bitten by a dog will have a phobia of dogs. This can be explained via the stress diatheses model that states we have a genetic vulnerability but we still need an environmental trigger to elicit behaviours, this shows us that the two way process model is too simplistic on its own as there are individual differences.
Outline & Explain the Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression
This approach focuses on the cognitive aspect such as irrational thinking. It states that our thoughts are responsible for all of our actions. It explains depression through three different ways:
Negative Self-Schemas - Schemas are a template of an idea that people develop through experiences. They act as a framework for our mental state. Self schemas are templates we have about ourselves so someone with depression will have negative self schemas.
The Negative Triad - Depressed people develop an irrational way of thinking via three types of thoughts which are: a negative view of the world, a negative view of ones self and a negative view about the future.
The ABC Model - This suggests that depression is caused by irrational thoughts that interfere with being happy.
A = The activating event ie. failing a test.
B = Beliefs, a range of unrealistic beliefs ‘Musturbation’ the belief that we must always be perfect and ‘Utopianism’ the belief that life must always be fair.
C = Consequences, when an event triggers irrational beliefs then there are emotional and behavioural consequences.
Evaluate the Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression
:) - Practical applications such as CBT, this means it can be used in the medical profession to relieve symptoms and thus is an important area of psychology.
:) - Psychologist found that 65 pregnant woman for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth, they found women who had been judged to have high cognitive vulnerability were likely to have post natal depression.
:( - ABC Model can’t explain why some suffers experience anger and hallucinations etc. This is a big problem and lowers value of insight.
:( - Cognitive approach is oversimplified as it reduces complex behaviour to rational and irrational thoughts. It is not clear whether irrational thoughts cause the depression or vice versa, thus being difficult to prove cause and effect
