Psychopathology - Intro Flashcards
What is psychopathology?
means “disease of the mind”. The study of abnormal thoughts, behaviours and feelings.
What is Deviation from social norms?
Behaviour is deemed ‘abnormal’ if it is very different to the acceptable behaviour being produced by other members of the same society/cultural group.
The behaviour in question is unexpected by other group members.
Behaviour offends in some way the other members of that society.
Society sets unwritten rules (social norms).
What do social norms lack?
Temporal validity because they can change over time.
Evaluate deviation from social norms.
- It is a subjective measurement of abnormality as norms change over time and vary between societies.
- Eccentric behaviours are not necessarily abnormal.
- This approach has been used as a form of social control.
- Social norms are necessary and specific to each society to ensure everyone gets along.
- Anti-social behaviour can be seen as abnormal under this definition.
What is the DSM?
It was published in 1952 and produced by a single national professional association. it categorises different disorders on the basis of signs and symptoms.
What is the ICD?
It is produced by a global health agency and is the official international classification in psychiatry. It categorises different disorders on the basis of signs and symptoms while also taking into account social and environmental problems that influence disorders.
Give an example of a norm that differs in certain societies.
in Japan you are deemed insane if you do not want to work.
some cultures speak to the spirits of the dead.
What is statistical infrequency?
a behaviour that is statistically rare. e.g. if an ideal behaviour is represented as 100, the further away from 100 a persons behaviour is the more statistically rare they are.
Evaluate statistical infrequency (use IQ example).
- for example people who have below 70IQ are seen as having a problem whereas people who have above 130IQ are seen as a genius despite them both being statistically infrequent. Being a genius is desirable.
- some disorders, like depression, are not statistically rare. Therefore, there is an issue with who decides the cut-off point.
What is deviation from ideal mental health?
It is based on a set of criteria, this criteria must be met to ensure ideal mental health.
Who made the criteria for ideal mental health?
Jahoda (1958)
What are the criteria for ideal mental health?
- Personal growth (self actualisation)
- Reality perception (should know what’s real)
- Autonomy (should be independent)
- Integration (Should ‘fit in’ with society and can cope with stressful situations)
- Self-attitudes (should be positive, high self esteem)
- Environmental mastery (should cope in your environment)
PRAISE
Evaluate deviation from ideal mental health.
- criteria can be seen as too demanding.
- criteria reflect Western cultural norms.
- If we fail to meet one of these criteria we are deemed to be abnormal.
- This model is culturally relative, e.g. self actualisation is relative to individual cultures.
What is a positive skew?
Remember right foot. for example people scoring lower in test. Look at booklet for extra info.
What is failure to function adequately?
Under this definition a person is considered abnormal if they are unable to cope with the demands of everyday life.
