Abnormal Psychology

• The study of abnormal behavior, or psychopathology, has evolved over centuries, reflecting changing cultural, societal, and scientific understandings
• Psychopathology


  The scientific study of psychological dysfunction
• Psychological Disorder


  Dysfunction associated with distress and/or impairment in functioning, deviating from culturally expected norms. It encompasses cognitive, behavioral, and emotional elements
• Distress


  Normal in certain situations but becomes dysfunctional when significantly greater than expected
• Impairment


  Must be pervasive and/or significant, affecting various aspects of life
• Cultural Context


  Normalcy defined relative to behavior within the same cultural context
• Clinical Description


  1. Begins with identifying presenting problems, including symptoms like chronic worry or panic attacks

  2. Aims to distinguish clinically significant dysfunction from common human experiences and describes prevalence, incidence, onset, course, and prognosis of disorders
• Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior

  • Supernatural (good vs. evil)
  • Biological (mental illness rooted in physical/biological causes)
  • Psychological (emphasizing emotional and psychological factors)
• Psychoanalytic Theory


  • Developed by Sigmund Freud, emphasizing the unconscious mind and conflicts between id, ego, and superego
  • Defense mechanisms (e.g., displacement, denial) manage anxiety resulting from these conflicts
  • Psychosexual stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) influence personality development
• Humanistic Theory


  • Emphasizes intrinsic human goodness and self-actualization
  • Person-centered therapy by Carl Rogers emphasizes empathy and unconditional positive regard
  • Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Maslow highlights fulfilling basic needs before higher needs
• Behavioural Model


  • Derived from scientific approaches like classical conditioning (Pavlov) and operant conditioning (Skinner)
  • Classical conditioning explains acquisition of fears, while operant conditioning focuses on behavior and consequences
  • Behavior therapy aims to create new associations or reinforce desired behaviors with positive consequences
• Defining and studying psychopathology requires considering biological, psychological, and social factors
• Scientific emphasis is crucial, with advances in neuroscience and cognitive and behavioral science contributing to knowledge
• Distress alone does not define abnormal behavior; it is common in human experiences
• Impairment in social functioning due to reactions like fainting spells may be perceived differently in various contexts
• Deviation from cultural norms or social standards may be seen as abnormal
• Trance states and belief in possession might be accepted in some cultures but viewed as abnormal in others
• A combination of harmful dysfunction and lack of control helps determine abnormal behavior
• An integrative approach acknowledges diverse worldviews and perspectives on abnormal behavior
• DSM-5 defines psychological disorders as dysfunctions unexpected in their cultural context, associated with distress or impairment
• Prototypes represent typical profiles of disorders, with DSM-5 incorporating dimensional estimates of severity
• Continual fainting spells may not always be regarded as a disorder, especially if they do not impair functioning or cause distress
• Psychopathology involves the scientific study of psychological disorders
• Professionals in this field

  • Clinical psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychiatric social workers
  • Psychiatric nurses
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Mental health counselors
• The Scientist-Practitioner Model


  Mental health professionals stay updated with scientific developments, evaluate treatment procedures, and conduct research to enhance understanding and treatment of psychological disorders
• Clinical Description


  1. Specifying the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that constitute a specific disorder

  2. Providing statistical data, including prevalence, incidence, sex ratio, age of onset, and course of the disorder

  3. Understanding the course of a disorder helps in determining prognosis and guiding treatment decisions
• Developmental Psychopathology


  Studies changes in abnormal behavior across the lifespan, encompassing the study of changes from childhood through adolescence to adulthood and old age
• Aetiology refers to the study of the origins or causes of a disorder, encompassing biological, psychological, and social dimensions
• Understanding the aetiology of psychological disorders is crucial for effective treatment and intervention
• Treatment plays a significant role in understanding psychological disorders
• Successful treatments provide insights into the nature and underlying causes of disorders
• Both medication and psychosocial treatments offer valuable clues about the biological, psychological, and social aspects of disorders
• Psychopathology involves complex interactions between causes and effects
• Just because a treatment alleviates symptoms does not necessarily imply that the treatment addresses the root cause of the disorder
• Major psychological disorders have existed across time and cultures, with widely varying perceived causes and treatments
• Throughout history, humans have attempted to explain and manage problematic behavior based on prevailing theories or models of behavior
• Supernatural Model


  Attributes abnormal behavior to external agents such as divinities, demons, spirits, or celestial phenomena
• Biological Model


  Views abnormal behavior as a natural phenomenon caused by physical or mental stress
• Psychological Model


  Emphasizes psychological factors as the cause of abnormal behavior, rather than supernatural or biological influences
• Large-scale outbreaks of bizarre behavior, known as mass hysteria, have puzzled historians and mental health practitioners throughout history