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Abnormal Psychology
The scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, explain, predict, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
Deviance
different, extreme, unusual, perhaps even bizarre
Distress
unpleasant and upsetting to the person
Dysfunction
interfering with the person's ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way
Danger
posing a risk of harm
Multicultural Psychology
How people of different cultures, races, and genders may differ psychologically in their behaviors and thoughts
Treatment/therapy
A procedure designed to change abnormal behavior into more normal behavior
Sufferer
seeks relief from the healer
A trained, socially accepted healer
Tries to produce certain changes in the sufferer's emotional state, attitudes and behavior
how many cases of severe disturbances receive treatment of any kind
40-60%
What is the preferred mode of treatment
outpatient care
what percentage of adults in the US receives treatment for psychological disorders in the course of a year
1/6
Growing appreciation for
effective research
Research tries to determine
Which concepts best explain and predict abnormal behavior
Which treatment are most effective
What kinds of changes may be required
Biological Model
Main focus is that psychological abnormality is an illness brought about by malfunctioning parts of the organism
brain chemistry
Information is communicated throughout the brain in the form of electrical impulses that travel from one neuron to one or more others
fight or flight response
Males are more liekly to respond to an emergency situation with aggression
Females are more likely to flee, turn to others for help, or attempt to diffuse the situation
tend and befriend response
During stressful times, a mother is especially likely to show protective responses toward her offspring and affiliate with others for shared social responses
genetic inheritance
Each cell in the human body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, each with numerous genes that control the characteristics and traits a person inherits
Biological Treatments
Drug Therapy (minor and major tranquilizers), Brain Stimulation Therapy, Neurosurgery
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Used primarily for depression, particularly when drugs and other therapies have failed
Strengths of Biological Model
Enjoys considerable respect in the field
Constantly produces valuable new information
Treatments bring great relief
Weakness of Biological Model
Required more research for eliminating undesirable side effects
Psychodynamic Model
Based on belief that a person's behavior (whether normal or abnormal) is determined largely by underlying dynamic (interacting) psychological forces of which she/he is not consciously aware
Father of the Psychodynamic Theory
Sigmund Freud
Id
guided by the pleasure principle
Instinctual needs, drives, and impulses
Sexual; fueled by libido (sexual energy)
Ego
guided by the reality principle
Seeks gratification, but guides us to know
When we can and cannot express our wishes
Defense mechanisms protect us from anxiety
Superego
guided by the morality principle
Conscious; unconsciously adopted from our parents
Healthy Personality
an effective working relationship exists among three forces
Repression
person avoids anxiety by simply not allowing painful or dangerous thoughts to become conscious
Denial
person simply refuses to acknowledge the existence of an external source of anxiety
Projection
person attributes own unacceptable impulses, motives, or desires to other individuals
Rationalization
person creates a socially acceptable reason for an action that actually reflects unacceptable motives
Displacement
person displaced hostility away from a dangerous object and onto a safer substitute
Intellectualization
person represses emotional reactions in favor of overly logical response to a problem
Regression
person retreats from an upsetting conflict to an early developmental stage at which no one is expected to behave maturely or responsibly
How Freud Explained Normal and Abnormal Functioning
Proposed that at each stage of development, new events and pressures require adjustment in the id, ego, superego
If successful: personal growth
If unsuccessful: fixation at an early developmental stage, leading to psychological abnormality
Psychodynamic Therapies
All seek to uncover past trauma and inner conflicts
Therapist acts as a "subtle guide"
Free association
Therapist Interpretations of three phenomena
Resistance
Transference
Dream Interpretation (manifest into latent content)
Catharsis (a reliving)
Working through
Long term vs. Short Term
short term has a single problem/dynamic focus
Strengths of the Psychodynamic Model
First to recognize importance of psychological theories and treatment
Saw abnormal functioning as rooted in the same processes as normal functioning
First to apply theory and techniques systematically to treatment- monumental impact on the field
Weaknesses of Psychodynamic Model
Unsupported ideas; difficult to research
Non-observable
Inaccessible to human subject (unconscious)
Behavioral Model
believe that our actions are determined largely by our experiences in life
Concentrates wholly on behaviors and environmental factors
Explanations and treatments based on principles of learning
Operant Conditioning
Humans and animals learn to behave in certain ways as a result of receiving rewards whenever they do so
Behave in certain ways as a result of receiving rewards
classical conditioning
Learning by temporal association: when two events repeatedly occur close together in time, they become fused in a person's mind; before long, the person responds in the same way to both events
Modelling/Observational Learning
Individuals learn responses by observing and repeating observed behaviors
strengths of behavioral model
Powerful force in the field
Can be tested in the laboratory
Significant research support for behavioral therapies
weaknesses of behavioral model
No evidence that symptoms are ordinarily acquired through conditioning
therapy is too limited
Too simplistic
Cognitive Model
This model proposed that we can best understand abnormal functioning by looking at cognitive process- the center of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions
How Cognitive Model explains abnormality
Abnormal functioning can result from several kinds of cognitive problems:
Faulty assumptions and attitudes
Illogical thinking processes
Overgeneralization
Aaron T. Beck
Created the main Cognitive Model
Cognitive Therapy
The goal of therapy is to help clients recognize and restructure their thinking
Therapists also guide clients to challenge their dysfunctional thoughts, try out new interpretations, and apply new ways of thinking in their daily lives
Widely used in treating depression
Strengths of Cognitive Model
Very broad appeal
Clinically useful and effective
Focuses on a uniquely human process (thoughts)
Therapies effective in treating several disorders with research evidences
Weaknesses of Cognitive Model
Precise role of cognition in abnormality has yet to be determined
Therapies do not help everyone
Some changed may not be possible to achieve; alternatives
Humanistic Model
-Emphasis on people as friendly, cooperative, and constructive; focus on drive to self-actualize through honest recognition of strengths and weaknesses
-Reconstruct the subjective world through empathy
Father of Humanistic Model
Carl Rogers
Received Unconditional Positive Regard (Rogers)
Unconditional Self-Regard
Did not receive Unconditional Positive Regard (Rogers)
leads to "conditions of worth"
Client Centered Therapy (Rogers)
Therapist creates a supportive climate (unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, genuineness)
Little research support but positive impact on practice
Ekman's Basic Emotions (1972)
Happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, fear
Existentialist Model
Emphasis on self determination (individual uniqueness), choice (a quest for meaning in life), and individual and other responsibility
How Existentialists Explain Abnormality
Dysfunction is caused by self-deception; people hide from life's responsibilities and fail to recognize that it is up to them to give meaning to their lives
Strengths of Humanistic-Existential Model
-Taps into domains missing from other theories
-Emphasizes the individual
-Optimistic
-Emphasizes health and fulfillment of potentials
Weaknesses of Humanistic-Existential Model
-Focuses on abstract issues
-Difficult to research
-Do not work well with severely disturbed clients
-Most effective with well-educated individuals suffering adjustment difficulties
Sociocultural Model
Argue that abnormal behavior is best understood in light of the social and cultural forces that influences an individual
Two Perspectives of Sociocultural Model
Multicultural and Family-Social
Family-Social Perspective
Promopents of this model argue that theorists should concentrate on forces that operate directly on an individual, including social levels and roles and social connections and supports
Family-Social Treatment
Group therapy: people with similar problems
Family therapy: with all members of a family
Couple therapy
Community treatment (in familiar social surroundings)
Multicultural Perspective
Seek to understand how culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and similar factors affect behavior and thought, as well as how people of different cultures, races, ethnicities, and genders differ psychologically
How does Multicultural Model Explain Abnormal Functioning
-An individual's behavior is best understood when examined in that of an individual's unique cultural context
-They also have noticed that the prejudice and discrimination faced by many minority groups may contribute to certain forms of abnormal functioning
Multicultural Treatments
Greater sensitivity to cultural issues
Inclusion on cultural morals and medels in treatment, especially in therapies for children and adolescents
Strengths of Sociocultural Model
-Added greatly to the clinical understanding and -treatment of abnormality
-Increased awareness of clinical and social roles
-Clinically successful when other treatments have failed
Weaknesses of Sociocultural Model
-Research is difficult to interpret
-Correlation does not prove causation
-While the model can successfully explain abnormality within and across cultures, model unable to predict abnormality in specific individuals
Biopsychosocial model
Abnormality results from the interaction of genetic, biological, developmental, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and societal influences
Diathesis
predisposition
