psychopathology overbiew Flashcards
define phobias
a group of mental disorders characterised by high levels of anxiety in response to a particular stimulus
emotional characteristics of phobias
- anxiety and panic
- fear that is persistent and excessive
behavioural characteristics of Phobias
- avoidance in the feared situation which interfere with the persons normal routine
- fainting or freezing
cognitive characteristics of phobias
- irrational nature of the persons thinking and the resistance to rational arguments
- e.g. a person’s fear of flying isn’t helped by the argument that flying is actually the safest form of transport
- the person recognises that their fest is excessive or unrealistic
define OCD
anxiety disorder where anxiety arises from obsessions (persistent thoughts) and compulsions (behaviours that are repeated)
behavioural characteristics of OCD
- compulsive behaviours are performed to reduce anxiety.
- repetitive and unconcealed
- e.g. hand washing
cognitive behaviours of OCD
- obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts that are seen as inappropriate
- e.g. that germs are everywhere
emotional behaviours of OCD
- stress and anxiety
- embarrassment/shame
define depression
a mood disorder when an individual feels sad and/or lacks interest in their usual activities
emotional characteristics of depression
- sadness and feeling empty
- feel worthless, hopeless
- low self esteem
- lost of interest in usual hobbies and anger is associated with depression
behavioural characteristics of depression
- reduced energy
- sense of tiredness
- agitation and restless
- sleep may be effected
cognitive characteristics of depression
- negative thoughts such as guilt, negative self beliefs
- negative view of the world
- these negative thoughts are irrational
define statistical infrequency
abnormality is defined as those behaviours that are extremely rare. I.e. any behaviour that is found in very few people is regarded as abnormal
what is the man objection to statistical infrequency ?
- there are may abnormal behaviours that are desirable
- e.g. a few people have an IQ over 150, yet we wouldn’t want to suggest that having a high IQ is undesirable
what is a problem with statistical infrequency ?
- if abnormality is defined in terms of statistical infrequency we need to decided where to separate normality from abnormality
- e.g. we might consider one of the symptoms of depression as difficulty sleeping. What then counts as abnormal? we might decide that sleeping less that 80% of the population is abnormal
strength of statistical infrequency
it can provide an objective way, based on data, to define abnormality
define deviation from social norms
- abnormal behaviour is seen as a deviation from unstated rules about how one ‘ought’ to behave.
- anything that violates these rules is considered abnormal.
- e.g. in the past homosexuality was classified as abnormal
a strength of deviation from social norms
- it distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour.
- it also takes account of the effects the behaviour of an individual is having on others.
- according to this definition, abnormal behaviour is behaviour that damages others.
limitation of deviation from social norms
- it relates to context and degree of behaviour
- not clear line between what is an abnormal deviation and what isn’t.
- e.g. a person on a beach wearing near to nothing is seen as normal but if this person was wearing near to nothing in a classroom then it would be regarded as abnormal
define failure to function adequately
- people are judged on their ability to go about daily life
- if they can’t do this and are also experiencing distress (or others are distressed by them) then it is considered a sign of abnormality
what is the DSM
-it is an assessment of ability to function, understanding/communicating, getting around, self care, getting along with people, life activities and participation in society
strength of failure to function adequately
- it does recognise the subjective experience of the patient, allowing us to view mental disorders from the perception of the person experiencing it.
- also, it is relatively easy to judge as we can lost behaviours and thus judge abnormality objectively
weakness of failure to function adequately
- the criteria is likely to result in different diagnosis when applied to people from different cultures as the standard of one culture is being used to measure another.
- this may explain why lower class and non white patients are more often diagnosed with mental disorders as their lifestyles are different from the dominant culture
define deviation from ideal mental health
-Jahadoa suggested six criteria necessary for ideal mental health. An absence of any of these characteristics indicate individuals being abnormal
what are the 6 criteria for ideal mental health that Jahoda proposed
- self attitude = high self esteem
- personal growth = the extent to which an individual develops their full capabilities
- integration = being able to cope with stress
- autonomy = independence
- accurate perception of reality
- mastery of environment = ability to love, function at home, work etc
strength of deviation from ideal mental health
- it is a positive approach as it offers an alternative perspective on mental disorders.
- Jahoda’s ideas had influenced in ‘positive psychology’
weakness of deviation from ideal mental health
- the criteria are difficult to measure
- according to the criteria most of us are abnormal
- we have to ask ourself how many criteria need to be lacking before a person is judged as abnormal
