psychopathology Flashcards
define abnormality
behaving in ways the majority does not.
what are four limitations of abnormality
1) it fails to take into account the social desirability of minority behaviours.
2) there are some behaviours which are statistically frequent, but are either socially undesirable and/or classed as mental disorders.
3) the cut-off point for deciding abnormal behaviour is subjective.
4) the statistical infrequency of a behaviour can differ between cultures, so this definition is bound by culture.
how would you define abnormality as a deviation from mental health?
abnormality is possessing characteristics the mantally healthy person should not.
define ‘ideal mental health’. who came up with this?
Jahoda being able to... 1)make your own choices 2)resist stress 3)perceive reality accurately 4)self-actualise 5)adapt to the environment
give some limitations with Jahoda’s definition
1) most people cannot meet all criteria
2) bound by culture
3) claims about ideal mental health are value judgements
define abnormality as a deviation from social norms
doing things that society says should not be done
give three key limitations of the social norms’ definition
1) some behaviours which deviate from social norms are actually statistically frequent (littering)
2) different cultures have different social norms = culturally bound
3) the definition is era dependent
define abnormality as a failure to function adequately
abnormality is defined as failing to achieve some sense of personal well-being and failing to make some contribution to a larger group
what are four ways to fail to function adequately
1) their behaviour causes personal distress/discomfort (hearing voices)
2) their behaviour causes other people distress
3) if their behaviour is maladaptive to themselves or society (not going to work)
4) if their behaviour is considered bizarre (cross-dressing)
what are five limitations of failing to function adequately
1) there are some states that cause us personal distress which is an appropriate response
2) some behaviours classified as mental disorders do not cause personal distress.
3) it’s impossible to measure ‘personal distress’ in an objective way
4) failing to function adequately depends on context (crossdressing isn’t abnormal in a drag queen show)
5) culturally bound
what is a phobia
irrational fear of a particular object/situation, often to the point that it interferes with daily life.
give an example of a specific phobia
aminal type phobia (arachnophobia)
give an example of a complex phobia
agoraphobia / social phobias
what are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia
e.g. avoiding, panic, endurance
what are the emotional characteristics of a phobia
e.g. fear, anxiety
what are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia
e.g. difficulty in concentrating, cognitive distortions, irrational beliefs
which study does the behavioural approach for phobias derive from?
Watson and Reyner 1920 “Little Albert”
Albert (11months) was conditioned to be afraid of fluffy animals and objects (specifically a rat but generalised) as a loud sound (fear) was made every time the rat was given to him
what is the two-process model for phobias
acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.
what are the two behaviour therapies for treating phobias
Systematic desensitisation and Flooding
what is flooding
exposing the patient to the phobias to an extreme level (fear of heights = put them in a tall tower and leave them until they calm down)
what is systematic desensitisation
exposing the patient to their phobia slowly by creating a fear hierarchy and going through it with relaxation therapy. For example, fear of spiders = showing them a picture, showing them a spider from far away, letting them go closer to it, holding it…etc.
pros of flooding
1)
2)
cons of flooding
1) if cut short it can lead to further damage/fear
