Test 1 Flashcards
What is the definition of abnormal psychology?
scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
What are the 4 Ds?
deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger
According to Szasz, how does he describe abnormality in society?
- the deviations that society calls abnormal are simply “problems in living” not signs of something wrong with a person
- eccentricity does not equal abnormality
What is treatment?
procedure designed to change abnormal behavior into more normal behavior
What are the essential features of all therapy forms?
- sufferer or patient
- trained healer
- series of therapeutic contacts between the two
How did ancient societies treat abnormal behaviors?
- trepidation
- exorcism
- work of evil spirits
What did Hippocrates find in relation to treating abnormal behaviors?
the four humors
Who was Benjamin Rush and Dorthea Dix?
- father of american psychiatry
- boston schoolteacher
- both promoted moral treatment in the U.S. during the 19th century but dissipated in the late 19th century
What is somatogenic perspective?
- abnormal functioning has physical causes
- physical factors and new biological discoveries rebirth this perspective
What is the psychogenic perspective?
- abnormal functioning has a psychological cause
- increased view b/c of Mesmer and Freud
What led to deinstitutionalization in the 1950s?
new psychotropic medications
How are people with less severe disturbances treated?
private psychotherapy = outpatient care
What law went into effect in 2014 to correct the parity issue within insurance for therapy?
the Affordable Care Act
What is nomothetic understanding in research?
general understanding of the nature, causes, and treatments of abnormal functioning, in the form of laws or principles that apply across people
What is idiographic understanding in research?
understanding that involves the treatment or assessment of an individual client
