What is Abnormal Psychology?

• Abnormal psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with psychopathology and abnormal behavior.

• The term covers a broad range of disorders, from depression to obsession-compulsion to sexual deviation.

Approaches to Abnormal Psychology

The Psychoanalytic Approach

• The psychoanalytic perspective = theories of Sigmund Freud.

• Many abnormal behaviors stem from unconscious thoughts, desires and memories.

• Therapists who take this approach believe that by analyzing memories, behaviors, thoughts and even dreams, people can uncover and deal with some of the feelings that have been leading to maladaptive behaviors and distress.

The Behavioural Approach

• The behavioral approach to abnormal psychology focuses on observable behaviors.

• In behavioral therapy, the focus is on reinforcing positive behaviors and not reinforcing not so normal behaviors.

• drug addiction, sex addiction, attention seeking behaviour

• When dealing with abnormal behavior, a behavioral therapist might utilize strategies such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning to help eliminate unwanted behaviors and teach new behaviors.

The Medical Approach

• The medical approach to abnormal psychology focuses on the biological causes of mental illness.

• This perspective emphasizes understanding the underlying cause of disorders, which might include genetic inheritance, related physical illnesses, infections and chemical imbalances.

• Treatment includes psychotherapy and medication

The Cognitive Approach

• The cognitive approach to abnormal psychology focuses on how internal thoughts, perceptions and reasoning contribute to psychological disorders

• Cognitive treatments typically focus on helping the individual change his or her thoughts or reactions.

• Cognitive therapy might also be used in conjunction with behavioral methods in a technique known as cognitive behavioral therapy.

Categories of Mental Illness

Anxiety Disorders: arising from prolonged stress. Examples: Phobias, OCD

Mood Disorders: long lasting mood problems. Examples: Depression, Bipolar affective disorder

Schizophrenic Disorders: distortion of reality, social withdrawal, disturbances of thought and emotions

Personality Disorders

Substance-Related Disorders: harmful use of substances, such as drugs

Psychopath vs. Sociopath

Common character traits:

• A disregard for laws and social mores

• A disregard for the rights of others

• A failure to feel remorse or guilt

• A tendency to display violent behavior

Psychopaths

• Psychopaths are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others,

• They often have disarming or even charming personalities.

• Psychopaths are very manipulative and can easily gain people’s trust.

• They learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to actually feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people.

• Psychopaths are often well educated and hold steady jobs

• Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature.

• When committing crimes, psychopaths carefully plan out every detail in advance and often have contingency plans in place.

• Psychopathic criminals are cool, calm, and meticulous

• Their crimes, whether violent or non-violent, will be highly organized and generally offer few clues for authorities to pursue.

The Cause of Psychopathy

• It is believed that psychopathy is the largely the result of “nature” (genetics)

• Psychopathy is related to a physiological defect that results in the underdevelopment of the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and emotions.

• Psychopathy is the most dangerous of all antisocial  personality disorders because of the way psychopaths dissociate emotionally from their actions, regardless of how terrible those actions may be.

• Psychopathic killers view their innocent victims as inhuman objects to be tormented and violated for their amusement.

Sociopaths

• Sociopathy is more likely the result of “nurture” (environment).

• Sociopathy is more likely the product of childhood trauma and physical/emotional abuse.

• Because sociopathy appears to be learned rather than innate, sociopaths are capable of empathy in certain limited circumstances but not in others, and with a few individuals but not others

• Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated.

• They are volatile and prone to emotional outbursts, including fits of rage.

• They are likely to be uneducated, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place for very long.

• It is difficult but not impossible for sociopaths to form attachments with others.

• Many sociopaths are able to form an attachment to a particular individual or group, although they have no regard for society in general or its rules

• In the eyes of others, sociopaths will appear to be very disturbed.

• Any crimes committed by a sociopath, including murder, will tend to be haphazard, disorganized and spontaneous rather than planned.