copyright © 2012 by pearson education, inc. all rights reserved

Abnormal Psychology: Historical and Modern Perspectives

Chapter 1


Chapter Outline

Normal vs. Abnormal BehaviorThe History of Abnormal Behavior and

Its TreatmentCurrent Views of Abnormal Behavior

and Treatment


Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior

Being different

Individuals possessing abilities that distinguish them from the general public

Deviant behaviorBehaviors straying from societal “norms” or standards


Real People, Real Disorders… Ted Kaczynski

Gifted mathematician (entered Harvard at 16)

Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

Left civilization for a life of isolation

Modern technology causes stress & unnatural demands

His plan for revenge

Have you ever wished you could live a day without technology? Why or why not? Is this abnormal?

Does being a “loner” and “socially awkward” constitute abnormal

behavior?


Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior

Behaving dangerouslyResult from intense emotional states or may signal

the presence of a psychological disorder, but alone is not necessary or sufficient

Behaving dysfunctionallyPatterns of behavior that interfere with normal daily routines, such as one’s social, occupational, and emotional functioning, causing significant distress


Definition of Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal Behavior

EmotionalDistress

Interferes with daily

functioning

Inconsistent with societal

norms

Inconsistent with cultural

norms

Inconsistent with

developmental norms


Factors to Consider When Addressing Abnormal Behavior

Personal characteristics, such as sex, race, or ethnicity

Age (chronological age vs. developmental maturity)

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Education levelBiological

changes (particularly hormonal changes associated with puberty)


Developmental trajectory is when symptoms vary by

age.

Downward drift is impairment as a result of psychological disorder.

Prevalence of Psychological Disorders in Children by Age and Sex

What factors do you think contribute to the increase or decrease of psychological disorders based on gender?

The rate of psychological disorders decreases as boys

enter teen years, but increases as girls enter adolescence.

Figure 1.1

Adapted from Costello, E.J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A., "Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence." Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 837-844. Figure 1.Copyright © 2003 by the American Medical Association. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.


History and Abnormal Behavior

Ancient Theories-Ancient cultures, such as ancient Egypt, believed in spirits who controlled much of the environment, including aspects of a person’s behavior.

-Treatment

-Trephination a method used to create a hole in the skull to release the evil spirits



Classical Greek and Roman Views -Hippocrates (460–377 BC), father of medicine

-The first to identify the following psychological symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, melancholia, hysteria, and mania most often associated with schizophrenia, somatoform disorders, and mood disorders

-Environmental factors, physical factors, and four humours (blood, phlegm,

yellow bile, and black bile)



Middle Ages through the Renaissance-Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

-Abnormal behavior = work of the devil

-Witchcraft evolved as a popular theory to explain abnormal behavior with100,000 women slain in Europe as a result of these accusations

-Mass hysteria

-Enlightenment by Johann Weyer and Dr. Paracelsus


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2167108/Beliebers-suffer-real-fever-How-fans-Justin-Bieber-brains-hard-wired-obsessed-him.html

Witchcraft, Demons, and Alien Abductions, Oh My…

Let’s examine the evidence

1. Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? Or that other life forms exist?

Fact: Over hundreds of years, many people have reported cases of spiritual visitation

Evidence: -No objective scientific data

-Lack of physical proof


History and Abnormal BehaviorNineteenth Century – moral treatment

characterized by:-The removal of patients from “warehouse” asylums

into specialized facilities devoted to the care and treatment of the mentally ill

-Advocacy for a more humane method of treatment

-The use of respect, kindness, religion, and vocation

-Key founders: Philippe Pinel, William Tuke, Benjamin Rush, Dorothea Dix, and Emil Kraepelin


Quick Recap

1. During _____, people believed abnormal behavior stemmed from an imbalance of humours, which consisted of blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm.

(a) ancient times

(b) the Middle Ages

(c) The classical period (Greek and Romans)

(d) the Renaissance


Quick Recap

2. During the ______, the emphasis was on viewing people with mental illness as worthy of receiving respect and kindness, and incorporating moral treatment as the method of care.

(a) Roman period

(b) Middle Ages

(c) twentieth century

(d) nineteenth centuryCopyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Current Views of Abnormal Behavior and Treatment


The Neuron Fires, Sending An Impulse to the Next Neuron

Figure 1.2

Dendrite: tree-like branches that

receive messages from the neurons

Neuron: nerve cells found throughout the

body and brain that send and receive messages

Axon: tube-like structures that carry messages to the cells Synapse: space

between neurons

Soma: keeps the cell alive

Neurotransmitters: chemicals that

transmit information to and from neurons


Biological ModelsBiological scarring – years of living with a

disorder causes changes in the brainHereditary factorsBrain malfunctioning or structural

abnormalitiesViral infection theory – when a fetus is

exposed to toxins or a virus while in the prenatal stage of pregnancy, or shortly after birth


Behavioral genetics.

Psychological Models

Psychoanalysis- Founder Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

- Three regions of the mind: id, ego, and superego

- Defense mechanisms used as a way to prevent or cause abnormal behavior

- Psychosexual stages of development: oral phase, anal phase, phallic phase, latency phase, and genital phase

- Treatment options centered around: dream analysis, interpretation, free association, insight, and catharsis



Modern Psychoanalytic- Carl Jung and the development of analytic therapy

- Alfred Adler and the development of individual psychology

- Contemporary models of psychoanalysis

- Ego psychology

- Object relations theory


Psychological ModelsBehavioral- We are “Products and Producers” of our environment,

meaning we learn our behaviors, or in some cases we adopt maladaptive behaviors as a source of coping

- Vicarious conditioning is learning by observing a person’s behavior and then incorporating that into your own way of behaving

- Behavior is learned in a variety of fashions, such as social learning, operant conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment

- TreatmentCopyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

History and Abnormal Behavior: Twentieth Century

Psychoanalytic1. Sigmund Freud

2. Unconscious

3. Environmental factors

4. Parental influence

5. Infancy, particularly the first five years of life

6. Sexual urges

Behaviorism1. Ivan Pavlov and John B.

Watson

2. Pavlov’s dogs and classical conditioning

3. Little Albert

4. Little Peter

5. Behavior can be learned and unlearned


Psychological ModelsCognitive- Founder Aaron Beck (1921- )

- “Perception is our Reality,” meaning how we perceive the occurrence of an event or situation impacts how we act, think, and feel

- According to Beck, three distorted views exist for someone with depression: negative view of self, the world, and the future

- Treatment is focused on changing these distorted cognitions or thoughts through the use of behavioral experiments and traditional narrative or “talk” therapy


Common Cognitive Distortions

After reviewing these terms,

think of a time when you personally

adopted one of these negative assumptions. Where did this

faulty belief come from?

How would you stop this way of thinking in the

future?



Humanistic1. Founder Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

He believed abnormal behavior originates when one’s self image and actual self are incongruent, thus limiting a person’s ability to achieve her or his full potential

Phenomenology is the term meaning one’s worldview

2. Client-centered therapyGenuinenessEmpathic understandingUnconditional positive regard


Sociocultural Models Combine Issues Surrounding…

Gender roles

Socioeconomic status

Race and ethnicity

Interpersonal resources

Social norms

Cultural expectations

Presence or absence of social support


How each piece of the puzzle works…

Biopsychosocial Model- Since each individual case is unique, no single model

can fully explain the presence of abnormal behavior

- Systemic approach acknowledges that many different factors contribute to the illness as a “whole”

- Diathesis-stress model- Examines biological, psychological, social, and

cultural factors related to abnormal behavior


The Diathesis-Stress Model


Figure 1.3

How it all comes together…an adolescent has been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa

Biological model Cognitive model

“There is an imbalance of “Distorted thoughts about

serotonin in the brain” one’s body weight and appearance”

Sociocultural model Psychological model

“Societal and familial “Inability to cope with

influences on the view of stress”

beauty, emphasizing thin ideal”

A biopsychosocial way of thinking!


copyright © 2012 by pearson education, inc. all rights reserved

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