Day 1: Approaches and Psychological Perspectives

Disorder

There has to be something disturbing, abonormal, impaired in functioning, or any combination of these to be considered a disorder. BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT IS THE LINE BETWEEN DEVIATION FROM A CULUTRAL NORM AND AN ACTUAL DISORDER.

Dunning Kruger Effect

You don’t know what you don’t know because YOU LITERALLY DON’T KNOW (illusion of confidence)

Dysfunction

Any impairment, disturbance, or deficiency in behavior or operation.

Maladaptive

Destructive to ones-self or others.

Distress

The negative stress reponse that can generate physcial and mental maladptation

Deviation from norms

Any behavior that deviates or differs significantly from what is considered or appropriate/ typical for a social group.

• the social norms are unfortunatley used to identity psychological disorders - what is the baseline

History of labeling disorders

Ancient times → rituals

Middle ages → whipping of the back to release the spirits

Hippocrates → the humors with biles, mucus, and all thats stuff

Salem Witch trials → stigmatizing became so bad that they literally accused people of being witches.

Examples:

• People thought that being homosexual and wanting to be freed from slavery was a disease.

What does diagnosing or classifying disorder depend on?

1. Cultural Norms: look at deviation from the norms

2. Stigma: rejection or discrediting of a person because of characteristics

3. Racism: Racial minorities are more likely to be seen as abnormal

4. Sexism: women are more likely to be labeled hysterical (but as insult)

5. Agism

6. Discrimination

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

The APA’s professional reference book on MENTAL HEATH DISORDERS, and this is the main guide that has over 3000 distinct disorder and how to classify them (not to treat them)

The Internatioal Classification of Diseases (ICD)

An international book with every disease possible (NOT JUST MENTAL HEALTH).

Rosenhan Experiment (‘73)- On being sane in insane places

The doctors displayed confirmation bias → they thought they were schizophrenic and so they treated them as such even though the fake patients were acting normal.

Eclectic Approach

using more than one psychological perspective to explain something

Behavioral perspective

Says that disorders are the result of maladaptive or harmful associations

• Ex. you are depressed because it is learned helplessness

Psychodynamic perspective

Disorders are the result of unconcious thoughts and experiences that are often the result of childhood

• ex: you are depressed because of unconscious thoughts

Humanistic persepctive

All disorders are impeding you ability to be fully functioal or fullfill your full potential

• Ex: You are depressed because noo one is supporting you

Cognitive perspective

They are simply juts bad thoughts

Evolutionary perspective

Disorders are behaviors and mental processes that reduce the likely hood to survive

• Ex: you have depression because it is maladaptive

Social cultural perspective

Maladaptive social and cultural relationship and dynamics

• Ex: you are depressed beacsue you have bad social relations

Biological perspective

Disroders are just biological → physiological and genetic issues

• There is just something biologically wrong about you

Biopsychosocial perspective

A systematic integration of biological, physiological, and social approaches to the study of mental health/ disorders.

The Diathesis-stress model

Disorders develop from diathesis (predisposition for disorders and are faciliated by stress (physical or mental response to internal or external stressors).