Psychopathology

• statistical infrequency - how often we come across behaviour - usual=normal , unusual=abnormal
• deviation from social norms is how we expect people to behave socially by making a collective judgement of a society about what is right
• failure to function adequately is when someone can’t cope with the demands of everyday like food , job , hygiene
• Rosenbaum and Seligman (1989) said that relationships suffer as people can’t conform to standard interpersonal rules
• deviation from ideal mental health is a focus on being normal and not deviating from being psychologically healthy
• Maria Jahoda (1958) suggested we need to meet these things:

  • no distress
  • cope with stress
  • realistic view of the world
  • self esteem
  • love
  • eork
  • leisure
• cultural relativism is the idea that cultural norms and values are culture specific so we should tolerate cultures as they are
• schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) is a mental health condition marked by a consistent pattern of intense discomfort with relationships and social interactions
• phobias:

  • you have it
  • physical and mental strain
  • always present even when there is no danger
  • interferes with ability to function
• fears:

  • you experience it
  • fear is a reaction
  • once the danger has passed the fear becomes less intense
• DSM 5 standa for diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorder
• DSM 5 is used by clinicians and psychiatrists to diagnose illness
• specific phobia - phobia of an object or situation
• social anxiety ( social phobia ) is a phobia of social situations
• behavioural characteristics are the way people act
• emotional characteristics are the way people feel
• cognitive characteristics are the way people think
• behavioural responses to phobias:

  • panic attacks
  • crying
  • screaming
  • avoidance
• emotional responses to phobias:

  • persistent fear
  • high anxiety
  • fear
• cognitive responses to phobias:

  • conscious awareness of heightened anxiety
  • paying selective attention
  • irrational beliefs
• Watson and Rayner studied phobias in 1920 with their experiment “little albert“
• something we have no fear of - neutral stimulus
• something that triggers fear - unconditioned stimulus
• Method of Watson and Rayners research on phobias:

  • before conditioning - rat (ns) - no fear
  • during conditioning - rat (ns) and loud bang (ucs) = fear
  • after conditioning - rat (ns) now has a conditioned reflex= fear
• classical conditioning:

  • how phobias are learned in the first place
  • associate an involuntary response and stimulus
• operate conditioning:

  • associate a voluntary behaviour and consequence
  • how learned fears are maintained
• Mowrer on operant conditioning -

  • rewards increase a behaviour
  • punishment decreases a behaviour
  • avoidance maintains the fear
• 2 ways to treat phobias:

  • flooding
  • systematic desensitisation
• systematic desensitisation is a behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through classical conditioning - if a person can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus they will be cured
• 3 processes in systematic desensitisation:

  • anxiety heirarchy
  • relaxation
  • exposure
• reciprocal inhibition is when its impossible to feel fear and calm
• flooding - facing your fear at maximum intensity for a long period of time