Psychology and Mental Health L1-7

• Abnormal psychology


  The scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
• Abnormal psychology


  Subfield of Psychology that addresses the causes and progression of psychological disorders
• Abnormal psychology


  Also known as psychopathology
• The Four Ds


  • Deviance
  • Distress
  • Dysfunction
  • Danger
• Deviance


  Behaviour, thoughts and emotions differing from society norms
• Deviance from legal norms = criminal behaviour
• Deviance from society norms = abnormal
• What's viewed as abnormal will inevitably differ across cultures
• Society norms evolve over time
• Specific circumstances are also influential in determining what is an 'appropriate' response
• Distress


  An unusual experience (thoughts, emotions, behaviour) is not sufficient to be considered abnormal, it also has to cause distress (anguish or suffering)
• Distress should be out of proportion to the situation
• Distress is not always visible
• Distress is neither necessary nor sufficient for diagnosis of a disorder
• Dysfunction


  Also referred to as impairment in daily life, encompassing a broad range of roles and responsibilities e.g. work, school, care taking etc.
• Impairment should be atypical for the context, and the degree of impairment matters
• Danger


  Behavior outside of normal range posing risk to self or others or property
• Risk of danger may be intentional or accidental
• Research indicates that danger is the exception rather than the rule for mentally ill people
• Context


  Determines assertions to be made about abnormality, including across cultures and changes over time
• Defining abnormality is a contentious issue, with some believing mental illness to be a myth
• It is difficult to consistently apply any given definition of abnormality
• Psychological disorders are often identified using the four Ds: Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction & Danger
• The Wealth of Nations was written

  1776
• Rational (in classical economic theory)


  Economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Consumers act rationally by


  Maximising their utility
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by


  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• Supernatural forces were thought to cause psychological disturbances in ancient views of psychopathology
• Psychological disturbances were viewed as a result of possession (by spirits or demons) in ancient views
• Ancient treatments included trephination and exorcism
• Ancient Chinese viewed psychological disorders as imbalances in body and spirit, with Qi as the life force
• Some evidence exists for acupuncture treating depression
• Hippocrates believed abnormal behaviors had natural causes, due to an imbalance in the four humors
• During the Middle Ages, supernatural forces were thought to cause mental illness, leading to treatments like exorcism, torture and starvation
• Rene Descartes proposed dualism, with physical illness due to abnormalities within the body and mental illness due to abnormalities within the mind