Overview of Abnormal Psychology and Research Methods

Abnormal Psychology

Study of maladaptive behavior, causes, and treatment.

Coping

Strategies to manage stress effectively

Good Coping

Positive strategies like support systems and hobbies.

Negative Coping

Harmful strategies like substance use and aggression.

Vulnerability

Increased likelihood of developing mental disorders, susceptibility to stressors, or biological predispositions.

Self-awareness in Disorders

Recognizing a disorder promotes proactive treatment.

Criminal Justice System Impact

Mandated help often leads to resistance to recovery.

Case Studies

In-depth investigation of individual or small groups.

Survey Research

Questionnaires to gather data from large populations. good: reaches a lot of people in a short time, easy, cheap, bad: people lie, misrepresent, response bias, 10% response rate

Response Bias

Tendency of participants to misrepresent answers.

Correlation Research

Explores relationships between variables, not causation.

Correlation Coefficient

Range from -1 to 1 indicating strength of relationship. anything around 0= no correlation

Positive Correlation

Both variables increase together.

Negative Correlation

One variable increases while the other decreases.

Experimental Research

Involves control and experimental groups to establish causation. control group, experimental group, allows us to say A caused B,

Independent Variable

Factor manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

Measured outcome affected by independent variable.

Descriptive Statistics

Summarizes data through measures like mean and median.

Inferential Statistics

Tests hypotheses and determines group differences.

Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior

Different perspectives on the causes of abnormality.

Mystical Perspective

historical view, abnormal behavior attributed to supernatural forces (the devil, witches, etc)

Trephination

Ancient practice of drilling skulls for treatment.

Organic Perspective

historical view, focus on biological defects causing abnormal behavior.

Psychological Perspective

historical view, behavioral issues stem from cognitive and emotional inadequacies.

homer (Greek)

Disturbances seen as divine punishment.

Hippocrates

Proposed brain's role in explaining behavior, wrote about depression, psychosis, fears

Socrates

Promoted self-exploration through inquiry.

Plato

Believed in conflict between emotion and reason.

Aristotle

Analyzed human emotion through reasoning.

Galen

Identified body humors affecting health.

Phrenology (Gall)

Study of skull bumps indicating personality traits.

Biological Perspective

Focuses on genetics and bodily processes. genetic, structural (brain), and chemical (receptors, hormones)

Psychodynamic Theory

Founded by Freud; explores unconscious mind.

Id

Primitive part of personality seeking pleasure. totally unconscious

Ego

Conscious part balancing desires and reality.

Superego

Moral compass guiding ethical behavior. (two parts - conscious [moral compass] and ego ideal [motivate you to do good things])

Libido

Psychic energy driving sexual and aggressive urges.

Erikson's Stages

psychodynamic, Eight psychosocial development stages throughout life. (trust vs mistrust, etc)

Denial

Refusal to accept anxiety-provoking information.

Repression

Pushing anxiety-related thoughts into the unconscious.

Displacement

Redirecting impulses to safer targets.

Sublimation

Channeling impulses into socially acceptable actions.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable and measurable behaviors.

Classical Conditioning

(Pavlov, Watson) Learning through association of stimuli. behavioral perspective

Operant Conditioning

(Skinner) Learning through consequences of behavior. behavioral perspective

Social Learning Theory

(Bandura) Learning through observation and imitation. behavioral perspective

Cognitive Perspective

Tries to account for behavior by studying the ways people attend to, interpret, and use available information

Rational Emotive Therapy

Albert Ellis's model: A-B-C framework for emotions. Activating event, Belief, Consequence, cognitive perspective

Unconditional Positive Regard

Acceptance without conditions from others. humanistic perspective

Community Perspective

mental illness is not seen as a problem that exists only within the person. Instead, it is seen as at least partly due to a failure of the person’s social support system.

Interaction Approach

Two theories explaining behavior through interaction.

DSM 5

Manual for diagnosing and classifying mental disorders.

Advantage of DSM 5

Defines abnormal behavior based on research, gives people in the field a way to communicate, research is constantly being done, easier to do research, easier to treat patients, important info on prevalence of disorders

Disadvantage of DSM 5

Risk of misdiagnosis by inexperienced users. not every single symptom applies, assigns a label to people, overlap between diagnosis

Atheoretical- DSM 5

Does not assign a specific theoretical perspective.

Interview

Assessment method where a clinician asks questions to evaluate a patient's mental state and gather information about their history.

Assessment Interview

Gathers demographic and presenting problem information.

Humanistic perspective

every person tries to strive toward “self actualization” (Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow)

Wechsler Scales

IQ tests tailored to different age groups.

Self Report Measures

Personality tests based on individual responses.

Beck Depression Inventory

Self-report tool assessing depression severity.

MMPI

(Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) self report Comprehensive personality assessment tool.

Projective Measures

Assess personality through ambiguous stimuli responses.

Rorschach Test

Inkblot test revealing personality characteristics.

TAT

(Thematic Apperception Test) projective test using pictures to elicit storytelling.

House-Tree-Person Drawings

Projective test analyzing drawings of house, tree, person.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Disorder from exposure to traumatic events. lasts more than one month

PTSD Symptoms

flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance (people will avoid something that'll remind them of the trauma), negative alterations in cognition (thoughts) and mood feeling numb, detached, feeling guilty, trouble concentrating, hypervigilant, increased startle response, self destructive (abusing alcohol)

Acute Stress Disorder

Similar to PTSD, lasts 3 days to less than a month.

Prolonged Grief Disorder

Persistent grief response of a death (that happened at least 12 months ago, 6 for children and teens) that has been present most days (5-6 a week), Intense yearning/longing for the deceased person, Preoccupation with thoughts or memories of the deceased person, Since the death at least 3 symptoms present to a significant degree Identity disruption (feel like part of oneself has died, Marked sense of disbelief about the death, Avoidance of reminders that the person is dead, Intense emotional pain (anger, bitterness, sorrow),

Panic Disorder

Sudden, unexpected fear or anxiety without apparent cause. People experience what we call panic or anxiety attacks.

projection

A defense mechanism in which an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else, often to avoid confronting their own issues.

regression

a defense mechanism in which an individual reverts to an earlier stage of development in response to stress or anxiety.

reaction formation

A defense mechanism in which an individual unconsciously replaces an unwanted or anxiety-provoking impulse with its opposite. For example, expressing love for someone while actually feeling hate.

identification with the aggressor

A psychological defense mechanism where a person adopts the behaviors or attitudes of an aggressor to mitigate feelings of anxiety or fear associated with that aggressor.

rationalization

a defense mechanism in which in order to justify what happened to you, you distort reality 

Carl Jung

psychodynamic perspective. He introduced concepts such as the collective unconscious, archetypes, and introversion/extroversion.

Alfred Adler

psychodynamic perspective. had rickets when he was a kid- vitamin D deficiency, theory of feelings of inferiority, this is normal in kids but may develop into inferiority complex

Aaron Beck

cognitive perspective. is a psychiatrist known for developing cognitive therapy, which focuses on changing negative thought patterns to improve emotional well-being. He also contributed to the understanding of depression and anxiety disorders.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety when separated from a close person. seen mostly in children (needs 3 symptoms) symptoms have to persist for at least 4 weeks, impairment

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Chronic, vague, unexplained worries without real danger. For example, someone who is constantly worrying about finances, when they are financially stable. The worry has to be persistent, and last for at least six months, and don't forget the impairment criterion.

NOS

Not otherwise specified; unclear diagnosis category. when a person has symptoms that don't fit neatly into one category/diagnosis

Specific Phobia

irrational and/or excessive fear of a specific object or situation, Phobic object or situation provokes immediate anxiety response, Avoidance or endurance with intense anxiety, Fear is unreasonable and/or excessive, Duration 6 months or more. Impairment in life 

Systematic Desensitization

treatment for phobias, Gradual exposure to fears with relaxation techniques.

Flooding

treatment for phobias, Immediate exposure to feared stimuli without gradual steps.

Social Anxiety Disorder

(Formerly called Social Phobia) the person's fear is associated with embarrassment in dealings with other people. They are embarrassed to speak in front of others, eat, play sports, or anything else that is done in front of others. Duration is at least 6 months

Agoraphobia

this is an intense fear of at least two of the following situations: 1) being outside of the home alone 2) traveling in public transportation 3) being in open spaces or 4) being in stores or theaters, 5) standing in line or being in a crowd. People fear these situations because escape or help may not be available to them. This can lead to panic attacks. Duration is at least 6 months

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Intrusive thoughts causing marked distress.

Physical Symptoms of Panic

Includes trouble breathing, heart palpitations, nausea.

Duration for Separation Anxiety

Symptoms must persist for at least 4 weeks.

Duration for GAD

Worry must last for at least 6 months.

GAD Symptoms

Includes trouble sleeping, feeling keyed up, shakiness. More females than males also experience GAD. onset most likely before 30

GAD Demographics

More common in females and before age 30.

Specific Phobia Duration

Fear must last for 6 months or more.

Types of Specific Phobia

Includes animal, natural environment (heights, water, storms), blood/injury/injection, situational (airplane, elevator), other (clowns/etc..)

Social Anxiety Duration

Fear must last for at least 6 months.

Agoraphobia Situations

Includes fear of crowds, public transport, open spaces.

Obsessions in OCD

Recurrent thoughts causing distress and anxiety.

Compulsions in OCD

Repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety from obsessions.

Fear Response

Immediate anxiety response to phobic stimuli.