psychopathology

• Deviation from social norms


  Behaviour that's different from accepted standards of behaviour in society
• Deviation from social norms

  • Individual with a phobia may show bizarre behaviour whilst trying to escape a phobic object
  • Individuals with anti-social personality disorder may act in aggressive & impulsive way, may make others round them feel threatened
• What is considered acceptable changes over time
• What is considered acceptable changes over time

  • Homosexuality used to be viewed as abnormal (even illegal) in our society by is now widely accepted
• What is considered acceptable changes across culture
• What is considered acceptable changes across culture

  • Hearing voices accepted in some non-western cultures but in others would lead to being labelled as abnormal
• Failure to function adequately

  Individual seen as abnormal if they're unable to deal with the demand of everyday life
• Failure to function adequately

  • If an individual is depressed & cannot maintain basic standards of hygiene or nutrition or hold down a job or maintain r-ships
• Criteria which could show an individual is failing to function adequately

  • Personal distress
  • Maladaptive behaviour
  • Observer discomfort
  • Violation of moral standards
  • Unpredictability
• Not all psychological disorders cause personal distress or mean an individual cannot cope with everyday life
• Not all psychological disorders cause personal distress or mean an individual cannot cope with everyday life

  • Many diagnosed psychopaths don't experience distress as a result of their behaviour & are able to lead normal lives, holding down a job etc.
• Many behaviours which are maladaptive & dysfunctional are not a sign of mental illness
• Many behaviours which are maladaptive & dysfunctional are not a sign of mental illness

  • Smoking or taking drugs would be classed as maladaptive but many who do this are not mentally ill
• Statistical infrequency

  Behaviour viewed as abnormal if it is numerically/statistically rare
• Statistical infrequency

  • Intellectual disability disorder, diagnosed when individual has IQ below 70, this is statistically rare, only includes 2% of population
• Definition of statistical infrequency fails to account for behaviour that's statistically rare, but also desirable
• Definition of statistical infrequency fails to account for behaviour that's statistically rare, but also desirable


  • Having high IQ, such as above 130 would be seen as abnormal but wouldn't necessarily mean that they had a psychological disorder
• Some disorders not statistically rare so wouldn't be included in the definition of statistical infrequency
• Some disorders not statistically rare so wouldn't be included in the definition of statistical infrequency

  • In 2014- approx. 20% of individuals in UK suffered with depression or anxiety, not statistically rare but would require treatment & diagnosis
• Deviation from ideal mental health

  Abnormality judged by absence of signs of mental health
• Jahoda's 6 criteria for ideal mental health


  • Having an inaccurate perception of reality (e.g. exaggerating threats)
  • Having problem with self-actualisation (not reaching your potential)
  • An inability to cope with stress
  • Having negative attitude towards the self
  • Lack of autonomy/independence
  • Poor environmental mastery (unable to meet demands of your situation)
• Criteria for deviation from ideal mental health too demanding when judging mental health
• Many of the criteria for deviation from ideal mental health reflect western cultural norms of psychological 'normality, particularly being independent or autonomous
• OCD

  Recognised in DSM as a disorder characterised by either obsessions and/or compulsions
• Cognitive characteristics of OCD

  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Catastrophic thinking
  • Hypervigilance/ Selective thinking
• Behavioural characteristics of OCD

  • Compulsions
  • Avoidance
• Emotional characteristics of OCD

  • Anxiety & distress
  • Accompanying depression
  • Guilt & disgust
• Genetic explanations of OCD

  Suggests an individual may inherit a vulnerability to OCD through genes which are passed down through DNA from one generation to the next
• Genetic explanations of OCD

  • SERT gene
  • 5HT1-D Beta
• Concordance rates & heritability estimates for OCD are never 100%
• Twins & heritability studies methodologically problematic
• Genetic factors alone may not be sufficient to account for OCD
• Neural explanations of OCD

  Suggests abnormalities in frontal area of brain may cause OCD
• Neural explanations of OCD

  • Orbital prefrontal cortex (OFC) sends a worry to thalamus through caudate nucleus
  • Caudate nucleus if damaged/dysfunctional then the worry is not blocked & is sent to thalamus
  • Thalamus confirms the worry & sends signals back to OFC (worry circuit), creating anxiety, obsessions & compulsions
• 40% of individuals with OCD don't respond to SSRIs as a treatment
• Evidence also suggests individuals with OCD are likely to have higher levels of dopamine
• Increased dopamine levels interact with low serotonin levels to reinforce obsessive thoughts & compulsions
• Biological treatments of OCD

  • SSRIs
  • SNRIs
• SSRIs only effective in treating OCD in 60% of individuals
• Drugs only treat symptoms of OCD & not the cause