UConn PSYC 2300 Exam 1

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