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Abnormal Psychology: Historical and Modern Perspectives
Chapter 1
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Chapter Outline
Normal vs. Abnormal BehaviorThe History of Abnormal Behavior and
Its TreatmentCurrent Views of Abnormal Behavior
and Treatment
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Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior
Being different
Individuals possessing abilities that distinguish them from the general public
Deviant behaviorBehaviors straying from societal “norms” or standards
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Real People, Real Disorders… Ted Kaczynski
Gifted mathematician (entered Harvard at 16)
Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
Left civilization for a life of isolation
Modern technology causes stress & unnatural demands
His plan for revenge
Have you ever wished you could live a day without technology? Why or why not? Is this abnormal?
Does being a “loner” and “socially awkward” constitute abnormal
behavior?
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Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior
Behaving dangerouslyResult from intense emotional states or may signal
the presence of a psychological disorder, but alone is not necessary or sufficient
Behaving dysfunctionallyPatterns of behavior that interfere with normal daily routines, such as one’s social, occupational, and emotional functioning, causing significant distress
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Definition of Abnormal Behavior
Abnormal Behavior
EmotionalDistress
Interferes with daily
functioning
Inconsistent with societal
norms
Inconsistent with cultural
norms
Inconsistent with
developmental norms
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Factors to Consider When Addressing Abnormal Behavior
Personal characteristics, such as sex, race, or ethnicity
Age (chronological age vs. developmental maturity)
Socioeconomic status (SES)
Education levelBiological
changes (particularly hormonal changes associated with puberty)
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Developmental trajectory is when symptoms vary by
age.
Downward drift is impairment as a result of psychological disorder.
Prevalence of Psychological Disorders in Children by Age and Sex
What factors do you think contribute to the increase or decrease of psychological disorders based on gender?
The rate of psychological disorders decreases as boys
enter teen years, but increases as girls enter adolescence.
Figure 1.1
Adapted from Costello, E.J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A., "Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence." Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 837-844. Figure 1.Copyright © 2003 by the American Medical Association. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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History and Abnormal Behavior
Ancient Theories-Ancient cultures, such as ancient Egypt, believed in spirits who controlled much of the environment, including aspects of a person’s behavior.
-Treatment
-Trephination a method used to create a hole in the skull to release the evil spirits
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History and Abnormal Behavior
Classical Greek and Roman Views -Hippocrates (460–377 BC), father of medicine
-The first to identify the following psychological symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, melancholia, hysteria, and mania most often associated with schizophrenia, somatoform disorders, and mood disorders
-Environmental factors, physical factors, and four humours (blood, phlegm,
yellow bile, and black bile)
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History and Abnormal Behavior
Middle Ages through the Renaissance-Influence of the Roman Catholic Church
-Abnormal behavior = work of the devil
-Witchcraft evolved as a popular theory to explain abnormal behavior with100,000 women slain in Europe as a result of these accusations
-Mass hysteria
-Enlightenment by Johann Weyer and Dr. Paracelsus
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Witchcraft, Demons, and Alien Abductions, Oh My…
Let’s examine the evidence
1. Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? Or that other life forms exist?
Fact: Over hundreds of years, many people have reported cases of spiritual visitation
Evidence: -No objective scientific data
-Lack of physical proof
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History and Abnormal BehaviorNineteenth Century – moral treatment
characterized by:-The removal of patients from “warehouse” asylums
into specialized facilities devoted to the care and treatment of the mentally ill
-Advocacy for a more humane method of treatment
-The use of respect, kindness, religion, and vocation
-Key founders: Philippe Pinel, William Tuke, Benjamin Rush, Dorothea Dix, and Emil Kraepelin
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Quick Recap
1. During _____, people believed abnormal behavior stemmed from an imbalance of humours, which consisted of blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm.
(a) ancient times
(b) the Middle Ages
(c) The classical period (Greek and Romans)
(d) the Renaissance
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Quick Recap
2. During the ______, the emphasis was on viewing people with mental illness as worthy of receiving respect and kindness, and incorporating moral treatment as the method of care.
(a) Roman period
(b) Middle Ages
(c) twentieth century
(d) nineteenth centuryCopyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Current Views of Abnormal Behavior and Treatment
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The Neuron Fires, Sending An Impulse to the Next Neuron
Figure 1.2
Dendrite: tree-like branches that
receive messages from the neurons
Neuron: nerve cells found throughout the
body and brain that send and receive messages
Axon: tube-like structures that carry messages to the cells Synapse: space
between neurons
Soma: keeps the cell alive
Neurotransmitters: chemicals that
transmit information to and from neurons
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Biological ModelsBiological scarring – years of living with a
disorder causes changes in the brainHereditary factorsBrain malfunctioning or structural
abnormalitiesViral infection theory – when a fetus is
exposed to toxins or a virus while in the prenatal stage of pregnancy, or shortly after birth
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Behavioral genetics.
Psychological Models
Psychoanalysis- Founder Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
- Three regions of the mind: id, ego, and superego
- Defense mechanisms used as a way to prevent or cause abnormal behavior
- Psychosexual stages of development: oral phase, anal phase, phallic phase, latency phase, and genital phase
- Treatment options centered around: dream analysis, interpretation, free association, insight, and catharsis
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Psychological Models
Modern Psychoanalytic- Carl Jung and the development of analytic therapy
- Alfred Adler and the development of individual psychology
- Contemporary models of psychoanalysis
- Ego psychology
- Object relations theory
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Psychological ModelsBehavioral- We are “Products and Producers” of our environment,
meaning we learn our behaviors, or in some cases we adopt maladaptive behaviors as a source of coping
- Vicarious conditioning is learning by observing a person’s behavior and then incorporating that into your own way of behaving
- Behavior is learned in a variety of fashions, such as social learning, operant conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment
- TreatmentCopyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
History and Abnormal Behavior: Twentieth Century
Psychoanalytic1. Sigmund Freud
2. Unconscious
3. Environmental factors
4. Parental influence
5. Infancy, particularly the first five years of life
6. Sexual urges
Behaviorism1. Ivan Pavlov and John B.
Watson
2. Pavlov’s dogs and classical conditioning
3. Little Albert
4. Little Peter
5. Behavior can be learned and unlearned
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Psychological ModelsCognitive- Founder Aaron Beck (1921- )
- “Perception is our Reality,” meaning how we perceive the occurrence of an event or situation impacts how we act, think, and feel
- According to Beck, three distorted views exist for someone with depression: negative view of self, the world, and the future
- Treatment is focused on changing these distorted cognitions or thoughts through the use of behavioral experiments and traditional narrative or “talk” therapy
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Common Cognitive Distortions
After reviewing these terms,
think of a time when you personally
adopted one of these negative assumptions. Where did this
faulty belief come from?
How would you stop this way of thinking in the
future?
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Psychological Models
Humanistic1. Founder Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
He believed abnormal behavior originates when one’s self image and actual self are incongruent, thus limiting a person’s ability to achieve her or his full potential
Phenomenology is the term meaning one’s worldview
2. Client-centered therapyGenuinenessEmpathic understandingUnconditional positive regard
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Sociocultural Models Combine Issues Surrounding…
Gender roles
Socioeconomic status
Race and ethnicity
Interpersonal resources
Social norms
Cultural expectations
Presence or absence of social support
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How each piece of the puzzle works…
Biopsychosocial Model- Since each individual case is unique, no single model
can fully explain the presence of abnormal behavior
- Systemic approach acknowledges that many different factors contribute to the illness as a “whole”
- Diathesis-stress model- Examines biological, psychological, social, and
cultural factors related to abnormal behavior
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The Diathesis-Stress Model
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Figure 1.3
How it all comes together…an adolescent has been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa
Biological model Cognitive model
“There is an imbalance of “Distorted thoughts about
serotonin in the brain” one’s body weight and appearance”
Sociocultural model Psychological model
“Societal and familial “Inability to cope with
influences on the view of stress”
beauty, emphasizing thin ideal”
A biopsychosocial way of thinking!
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