Chp 1.1

Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context

Chapter Outline

  • Understanding Psychopathology

  • What Is a Psychological Disorder?

  • The Science of Psychopathology

  • Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior
      - The Supernatural Tradition
        - Demons and Witches
        - Stress and Melancholy
        - Treatments for Possession
        - Mass Hysteria
        - Modern Mass Hysteria
        - The Moon and the Stars
      - Comments
      - The Biological Tradition
        - Hippocrates and Galen
        - The 19th Century
        - The Development of Biological Treatments
        - Consequences of the Biological Tradition
      - The Psychological Tradition
        - Moral Therapy
        - Asylum Reform and the Decline of Moral Therapy
        - Psychoanalytic Theory
        - Humanistic Theory
        - The Behavioral Model
      - The Present: The Scientific Method and an Integrative Approach

Understanding Psychopathology

  • Student Learning Outcomes
      - Characterize the nature of psychology as a discipline.
      - Explain why psychology is a science.
      - Demonstrate knowledge and understanding in selected content areas of psychology.
      - Integrate theoretical perspectives to produce comprehensive explanations.
      - Explain major perspectives of psychology (behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, sociocultural).

What Is a Psychological Disorder?

  • Definition: A psychological disorder is a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

  • Case Study: Judy, a 16-year-old, fainted at the sight of blood, a reaction leading to school disruption, diagnosed as blood–injury–injection phobia. This condition meets the psychological disorder criteria due to its severity, impairing her daily life and health.

Psychological Dysfunction

  • Definition: Refers to a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning. For instance, an overwhelming fear on a date when there is no real threat indicates malfunctioning emotions, while a fear of a genuinely dangerous situation does not.

  • Continuum of Dysfunction: Dysfunction, distress, and impairment are on a continuum rather than distinct categories.

Personal Distress

  • Distress must be present for behavior to be classified as abnormal. Severe distress, like Judy's phobia, adds to the classification, but not all distress equates to disorder, as some forms, such as post-loss grief, are normal.

Atypical or Not Culturally Expected

  • Definition: Behaviors considered atypical or deviating from the norm. However, interpretation varies across cultures, and extreme behaviors may be tolerated or celebrated in certain contexts (e.g., artists). Violating social norms without harm may not warrant disorder labeling.

  • Cultural Differences: Abnormal behavior varies—it can be acceptable in some groups while considered disordered in others, exemplified by trance states characteristic of certain rituals.

An Accepted Definition

  • Summary: A widely accepted definition emphasizes cultural context, abnormality linked with distress and impairment, highlighting that a single criterion cannot fully define psychological disorders. The DSM-IV-TR identifies unexpected behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions related to distress.

The Science of Psychopathology

  • Psychopathology defined as the scientific study of psychological disorders, involving various mental health professionals including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.

  • Clinical Description: Represents the individual's unique set of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings regarding specific disorders, informing their treatment paths.

Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior

Supernatural Tradition

  • Historically, deviant behavior was attributed to supernatural forces (demons/spiritual battles) and often required exorcisms and other rites.

  • Middle Ages: People believed bizarre behaviors stemmed from possession; treatments included exorcisms, shavings of crosses, and confining people suspected of witchcraft.

  • Stress and Melancholy: Some recognized mental illness as a response to emotional stress, offering humane treatments like rest, sleep, and social environments.
      - Example of King Charles VI: Exhibited signs of severe mental disturbance split between madness attributed to divine punishment vs. supernatural influence, later attempted to treat via stress reduction and exorcisms.

Treatments for Possession

  • Beliefs centered around individualized responsibility for perceived sins contributing to disorders led to severe treatments like confinement or torture. In contexts where possession was viewed as involuntary, exorcisms were considered a more humane approach.

Mass Hysteria

  • Large-scale behavioral outbreaks noted during medieval times illustrated mass reactions attributed to supernatural causes.

  • Modern Example: Incident in a school where pupils and teachers displayed symptoms after one child identified a smell, suggesting phenomena like emotion contagion.

The Moon and the Stars

  • The ideas introduced by Paracelsus correlated celestial movements with psychological conditions; the term 'lunatic' derives from this notion. Associations persist despite lack of scientific support for lunar influence on behavior.

Comments

Chapter Outline - Understanding Psychopathology - What Is a Psychological Disorder? - The Science of Psychopathology - Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior

  • The Supernatural Tradition

    • Historically, abnormal behavior was often linked to supernatural forces, with societal beliefs attributing deviance to demonic possession and spiritual battles. People suffering from mental disturbances would be subjected to various rites aimed at delivering them from these evils.

    • Demons and Witches

      • In the Middle Ages, widespread paranoia led to fears of witchcraft, blaming bizarre behaviors on witches or demonic forces, resulting in tragic witch hunts and executions.

    • Stress and Melancholy

      • Some theorists of the period began to recognize that certain mental health issues could emerge from emotional or psychological stress. More humane treatments, such as rest, social support, and environmental changes, were proposed.

      • Example of King Charles VI:

      • The monarch displayed erratic behavior, which was interpreted as madness, oscillating between views of divine punishment and supernatural influence. His treatment included stress reduction techniques and prayer alongside exorcisms.

    • Treatments for Possession

      • During this era, methods to treat perceived possession varied; some individuals underwent harsh treatments like confinement, while others were subjected to physical torture. Conversely, exorcisms were employed in contexts where possession was seen as involuntary.

    • Mass Hysteria

      • Historical accounts reveal instances of mass hysteria, where large groups displayed similar reported symptoms believed to stem from supernatural causes.

      • Modern Example:

        • An incident in a contemporary school where students and teachers exhibited various physical symptoms linked to a single child's perception of strange odors, supporting theories of emotional contagion among groups.

    • The Moon and the Stars

      • The historical figure Paracelsus proposed correlations between lunar phases and psychological states, explaining the term 'lunatic' as derived from these beliefs. Even today, while scientific backing is lacking, the cultural lore surrounding the moon's influence on behavior persists.

Understanding Psychopathology - Student Learning Outcomes

  • Characterize the nature of psychology as a multifaceted discipline that intersects various domains including biological, psychological, and social sciences.

  • Explain the empirical foundations that validate psychology as a science, emphasizing the systematic approaches to studying behavior through observable, measurable phenomena.

  • Demonstrate broad knowledge across diverse content areas within psychology, showcasing their interconnectedness and relevance to understanding human behavior.

  • Integrate diverse theoretical perspectives to produce comprehensive explanations that are well-rounded and account for multiple influences on psychological phenomena.

  • Elucidate major psychological perspectives including behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural theories, highlighting their historical context and application.

What Is a Psychological Disorder? - Definition: A psychological disorder is characterized as a significant psychological dysfunction within an individual, often accompanied by distress or impairment in functioning, reflecting responses that deviate from cultural norms.

  • Case Study: An example includes Judy, a 16-year-old who experiences a phobia towards blood, characterized by fainting. This phobia disrupts her daily life significantly and meets diagnostic criteria for a psychological disorder due to its severity and consequential impairment.

Psychological Dysfunction - Definition: Psychological dysfunction refers to breakdowns in emotional, cognitive, or behavioral functioning. For instance, exhibiting excessive, baseless fear during a safe situation indicates dysfunction as opposed to responding appropriately in genuinely dangerous contexts.

  • Continuum of Dysfunction: It is essential to recognize that dysfunction, distress, and impairment are part of a continuum, rather than rigid, distinct categories; this emphasizes the complexity of diagnosing psychological disorders.