Psychopathology Overview Flashcards
Maddux and Winstead (2008) proposed that there are 7 conceptions of psychology. List all 7.
- Commonsense conception: pathological phenomena are those that are abnormal
- Maladaptive behavior
- Distress and disability
- Social deviance
- Harmful dysfunction
- DSM definition
- Social constructionism vs. essentialism
Describe the “commonsense conception” of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
Defined: pathological psychological phenomena are those that are abnormal- statistically different or infrequent
Points: -deviation from statistical psychological normality
- very scientific definition, easy to measure in terms of statistics and standard deviations from the norm
-makes sense to us to only refer to experiences and behaviors that are infrequent, not common ones as pathological
-first determine what is statistically normal, then determine how far away a person is from this norm
-despite efforts, this approach relies on psychometrically sound measures and leaves a lot of room for subjectivity
Describe the “maladaptive behavior” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- adaptive vs. maladaptive: not based on statistical norms but on what is effective or ineffective about behavior, if a behavior works for a person, helps them deal with stress, accomplish goals (adaptive)… if it makes the situation worse (maladaptive)
- commonsense appeal but inherent subjectivity
- ability of a behavior to be adaptive or maladaptive depends on the situation
- doesn’t always correlate with statistical rarity
Describe the “distress and disability” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- subjective distress, unpleasant or unwanted feelings
- disability is a restriction in ability
- very subjective
- people define their personal distress in many ways, some conditions do not put the person in distress (pedophilia, antisocial PD) OR person might not be experiencing distress, OR person might be experiencing distress outside themselves (What is wrong with everyone else?)
Describe the “social deviance” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- deviates from cultural norms
- subjective
- depends greatly on culture
Describe the “harmful dysfunction” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- proposed by Wakefield (1992)
- grounded in evolutionary psychology, failure of the mental mechanism to perform the way it was designed by evolution
- acknowledges social norms but grounded in scientific theory
- 2 requirements (see other flashcard for details)
- designed function is defined scientifically and is not a value judgment
- still ends up being a consensus of opinion
- behavior considered more functional if it leads to survival, reproduction
What are the 2 requirements of “harmful dysfunction” conception of psychopathology?
- it is negative or harmful according to cultural values
- it is caused by a dysfunction (the failure of some psychological mechanism to perform a natural function for which it was designed)
Describe the “DSM” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008 citing APA 2000)
- clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom
- syndrome or pattern must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event, whatever the cause it must be considered a dysfunction in behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction
- neither deviant behavior nor conflicts that are between the individual and society are mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict is a symptom of dysfunction in an individual as described above
- dichotomies vs. dimensional models (see flashcard for details)
What are 6 types of ways to categorize thoughts, actions, or emotions as pathological with the “DSM” conception of psychopathology?
- Unusual (consider culture)
- Socially unacceptable (deviating from norms)
- Demonstrate faulty or poor reality testing
- Induce severe emotional distress
- Maladaptive, self-defeating
- Dangerous or violate the rights of others
Describe the “social constructionism” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- an assumption that there are natural categories and that all members of a given category share important characteristics (Rosenblum & Travis, 1996)
- psychopathology and mental disorders are natural entities whose true nature can be discovered and described
Describe the “essentialism” conception of psychopathology (Maddux and Winstead, 2008)
- someone observes a pattern of behaving, thinking, feeling, or desiring that deviates from some social norm or ideal or identifies a human weakness or imperfection that, as expected, is displayed with greater frequency or severity by some people than by others
- A group with influence and power decides that control, prevention, or “treatment” of this problem is desirable and profitable
- The pattern is then given a specific-soundig name, preferably of Greek or Latin origin. New scientific name is capitalized
- Eventually, the new term might be given an acronym ( OCD, ADHD, BDD)
- The new disorder then takes on an existence all its own and becomes a disease-like entity
- As news about “it” spreads, people begin thinking they have “it”
- Medical and mental health professionals begin diagnosing and treating “it,” and clinicians and clients begin demanding that health insurance policies cover the “treatment” of “it”
- The construction is a social process, not a scientific one
- The more “it” is studied, the more people believe “it” really is “something”
How can culture influence pathology?
- Culture can influence the expression and communication of symptoms, which may be different
- need to be sensitive to cultural differences as we may misdiagnose or under diagnose pathology
Nevid (1944) provided two examples of how pathology is defined differently in various cultures. Please describe anxiety.
- ataque de nervios- prominent in Latino culture from Caribbean, also other Latinos, symptoms are trembling, attacks of crying, screaming uncontrollably, verbal or physical aggression, general feature is feeling out of control, episodes happen in response to stressful life event
- sometimes amnesia, but then a return to functioning (APA, 1994)
- more prevalent in women and adolescent girls
- women with little power and disrupted social relations
Nevid (1944) provided two examples of how pathology is defined differently in various cultures. Please describe schizophrenia.
- cultural conception of the self can influence
- emotional climate of the family
- high EE more likely to relapse
- embedded in social and cultural context
- hostile environments, low warmth, caregiver negative
Describe the cultural variations in depression.
- nerves or headache among Hispanic or Mediterranean clients
- imbalance in Asian clients
- problems of the heart in Middle Eastern clients
Describe the cultural variations of alcohol related disorders.
- lower in Asians
- equal in blacks and whites
- higher in male Hispanics
- lower in female Hispanics
Describe the cultural variations of inhalant abuse
-problem for Alaskan natives
Describe the cultural variations of somaticization.
higher in Greek and Puerto Rican men
Describe the cultural variations of schizophrenia.
- African Americans more often diagnosed
- 1% across cultures
Describe the cultural variations of bipolar disorder.
- No ethnic differences found
- 1% across cultures