Psychopathology Flashcards
psychopathology
study of psychological disorder
what do abnormal behaviours do?
they violate society’s ideas of what’s an appropriate level of functioning
Statistical infrequency
abnormality’s defined as behaviours that are very rare
normality’s defined as typical values
deviation from social norms
Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society- can be laws or unwritten norms
failure to function adequately
Occurs when someone is unable to cope with day-to-day living
Deviation from ideal mental health
Occurs when someone does not meet a set of criteria for good mental health
JAHODA- deviation from ideal mental health
we define physical illnesses by looking at the absence of signs of physical health, so we should do the same fro mental illnesses. her criteria for good mental health: -self attitudes, high self esteem -personal growth and self-actualisation -Integration, coping with stressful situations -autonomy, being independant -an accurate perception of reality -mastery of the environment.
statistical infrequency evaluation
- abnormalities can be desirable (very high IQ) and some normal behaviours are undesirable (depression) Using it to define abnormality means we cant distinguish between desirable & undesirable behaviours
- subjective cut off point of normality from abnormality
- cultural relativism- some behaviours are statistically infrequent in 1 culture but frequent in another. There’s no universal standards for labelling behaviour as abnormal.
deviation from social norms evaluation
- susceptible to abuse- what’s socially accepted now may not be accepted 50 years ago. If we define abnormality through this, there’s a danger of creating definitions based on prevailing social morals and attitudes.
- deviance is related to context and degree- behaviours must be judged based on its context
- Is a practical and useful way of identifying desirable and undesirable behaviours.
- cultural relativism- social norms are defined by culture
failure to function adequately evaluation
- is subjective
- some dysfunctional behaviours can be adaptive and functional for the individual- so the failure to distinguish between functional and dysfunctional behaviour mean the definition’s incomplete.
- has sensitivity and practicality- it recognises the subjective experience of the patient as it allows us to view the mental disorder from the person experiencing it.
- cultural relativism
deviation from ideal mental health evaluation
- unrealistic and difficult to measure criteria
- equates mental and physical health- not many mental issues have physical causes or symptoms
- a positive approach- alternative perspective on mental disorders, shows what’s desirable instead of what’s undesirable
- Jahoda’s criteria’s culture bound (e.g. self-actualisation)
phobia
excessive fear and anxiety triggered y an object/place/situation
it’s irrational and the fear’s out of proportion
specific phobia
phobia of an object or a situation
animal/ flying
social phobia
phobia of social situations
public speaking/ public toilets
agoraphobia
phobia of being outside/ in a public space
emotional characteristics of phobias
persistent, excessive and unreasonable fear, anxiety and panic that are caused by the presence of the object/situation
behavioural characteristics of phobias
avoidance, freezing or fainting
cognitive characteristics of phobias
irrational nature of persons thinking and resistance to rational arguments. the person recognises the fear’s unreasonable
depression
mood disorder- low moods and energy levels
emotional characteristics of depression
-sadness- low self-esteem etc
-loss of interest and pleasure in usual hobbies
-anger
the diagnosis of ‘major depressive disorder’ requires the presence of at least 5 symptoms that must include the 3 above
behavioural characteristics of depression
- reduced/ increased activity level
- affected sleep
- affected appetite
cognitive characteristics of depression
- irrational negative thoughts and self beliefs
- guilt
- sense of worthlessness
- negative view of the world which can then be self-fulfilling
ocd
anxiety disorder that usually begins in young adult life
it has 2 main components: obsessions and compulsions
obsessions
persistent intrusive thoughts/ impulses that are perceived as inappropriate/ forbidden
compulsions
repetitive behaviours
emotional characteristics of OCD
anxiety and distress- sourced by obsessions and compulsions
embarrassed and shame- sufferers are aware their behaviours are excessive
disgusted- common obsession is germs so they feel disgusted
cognitive characteristics of OCD
at some point the person recognises the obsessions/ complies are excessive and unreasonable
behavioural characteristics of OCD
compulsive behaviours are performed to reduce the anxiety created by obsessions. the behaviours are receptive and concealed and they can also be mental acts (hand washing/ counting)
behavioural approach to explaining phobias
explains key behavioural aspects of phobias (avoidance, endurance and panic) rather than. the emotional/ cognitive aspects of phobias
behavioural approach to explaining phobias- two process model
Hobart Mowrer- created a theory that explains 2 processes that leads to the development of a phobia- they’re acquired by classical conditioning, and maintained by operant conditioning
two process model- acquisition by classical conditioning
learning to associate something we dont initially fear (NS) with something that already triggers a fear response (UCS)
Little Albert- classical conditioning
Watson and Rayner wanted to demonstrate that emotional responses could be learned through classical conditioning.
two process model- maintenance by operant conditioning
responses learnt by classical conditioning decline over time, but phobias are usually long lasting.
operant conditioning- the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is increased if the outcome is reinforced. For phobias, the avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces fear and is thus reinforcing. (is an example of negative reinforcement)
