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Psychological Disorders
The same behavior may be deemed
normal under some circumstances but
abnormal in others.
What is Normal vs. What is
Abnormal
ƒ Abnormal behavior is based on a combination of : 1)
Unusualness – experienced by only a few; 2) Social
deviance – All societies establish standards or social
norms that define socially acceptable behaviors.
Deviation from these norms is often used as a criterion for
labeling behavior as abnormal; 3) Emotional distress – i.e.,
anxiety or depression are considered abnormal when
inappropriate, excessive, or prolonged relative to the
person’s situation; 4) Maladaptive behavior – Behavior is
maladaptive when it causes personal distress, is selfdefeating, or is associated with significant health, social, or
occupational problems.
ƒ 5) Dangerousness – Violent or dangerous
behavior that is outside the sanctioned
context, that behavior could be viewed as
being abnormal; and 6) Faulty perceptions
or interpretations of reality – i.e.,
Hallucinations – involves distorted
perceptions of reality; Delusions – fixed but
unfounded beliefs.
Cultural Bases of Abnormal
Behavior
ƒ Psychologists are now taking into account the
cultural context when making judgments about
abnormal behavior.
ƒ Culture-bound syndromes – refers to
psychological disorders occurring in only one or a
few cultures.
ƒ MODELS OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR: Early
Beliefs – From ancient times through the Middle
Ages, people thought that those displaying
abnormal behavior were controlled by
supernatural forces or possessed by demonic
spirits.
ƒ The Medical Model – Is based on the belief that abnormal
behavior patterns represent mental illnesses that have a
biological basis and can be classified by their particular
characteristics, or symptoms.
ƒ Psychological Models – The first major psychological
model of abnormal behavior was the psychodynamic
model developed by Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that
abnormal behavior arises from __________________
conflicts during childhood that remain unresolved.
Psychological symptoms are merely the outward
expressions of inner turmoil; unconscious conflicts are at
the root of abnormal behavior patterns.
ƒ The Behavioral model is based on the belief that most
forms of abnormal behavior are __________________ in
the same ways that normal behavior is
_________________.
ƒ The Humanistic model argues that human beings possess
an intrinsic ability to make conscious choices and to strive
toward self-actualization. Therefore, abnormal behavior
develops when people encounter ____________________
on the path toward personal growth or self-actualization.
ƒ The Cognitive model believes that __________________
or distorted thinking leads to emotional problems and
maladaptive behavior.
ƒ The Sociocultural Model argues that abnormal behavior
may have more to do with social ills or failures of
_________________ than with problems within the
individual. Socioculltural theorists believe that the stress of
coping with poverty and social disadvantage can eventually
take its toll on mental health.
ƒ The Biopsychosocial Model argue that most forms of
abnormal behavior are not simply products of biology or
environment alone; rather, they result from complex
interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural
factors. An example of the biopsychosocial model is the
diathesis-stress model.
ƒ According to the diathesis-stress model, certain
people have a vulnerability or predisposition called
a diathesis, which increases their risks of
developing a particular disorder.
ƒ WHAT ARE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS?
Are a distinctive patterns of abnormal behavior
that involves a disturbances of mood, behavior,
thought processes, or perception that result in
significant personal distress or impaired
functioning.
Anxiety Disorders
ƒ Anxiety disorders refer to a class of psychological
disorders characterized by excessive or inappropriate
anxiety reactions. The major types are: phobias, panic
disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessivecompulsive disorder.
ƒ Phobias are irrational or excessive fears of particular
objects or situations. The three types are: social phobia,
specific phobia, and agoraphobia. Persons with social
phobia have an intense fear of social interactions. Persons
with specific phobia have an excessive fear of specific
situations or objects. Persons with agoraphobia have a
fear venturing into open places or going out in public.
ƒ Panic Disorders is a type of anxiety disorder involving
repeated episodes of sheer terror called panic attacks.
Panic attacks are characterized by intense physical
symptoms that includes profuse sweating, numbness or
tingling, and pounding of the heart. These symptoms may
lead people to think they are having a heart attack, or are
losing control.
ƒ Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Refer to persons that
experience persistent anxiety that is not tied to any
particular object or situation. The person seems to worry
incessantly.
ƒ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – Refer to persons that
have persistent obsessions and /or compulsions.
ƒ Obsessions are nagging, intrusive thoughts, that the
person is unable to control. Compulsions are repetitive
behaviors the person is compelled to perform again and
again.
ƒ CAUSES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS - Biological factors –
One possibility is that biochemical changes in the
________________ involving neurotransmitter imbalances
trigger a kind of internal alarm system that induces feelings
of panic in susceptible people.
ƒ Psychological Factors – Some phobias may be learned
through classical conditioning in which a previously neutral
or benign stimulus becomes paired with an aversive
stimulus.
ƒ People with high levels of anxiety sensitivity,
or fear of fear (phobophobia) itself, may
overreact to anxiety symptoms, which in turn
can lead to escalating anxiety that
culminates in a full-fledged panic attack.
ƒ Anxiety disorders reflect the interplay of
biological and psychological factors.
Dissociative and Somatoform
Disorders
ƒ Dissociative and Somatoform disorders are often grouped
together because of the classic view that they involve
psychological defenses against anxiety.
ƒ Dissociative disorders involve problems with
_______________ or changes in consciousness or selfidentity that fracture the continuity or wholeness of an
individual’s personality.
ƒ In dissociative identity disorder commonly called multiple
personality or split personality, two or more distinct
personalities exist within the same individual. The
dominant personality may be unaware of the existence of
these alternates or of events experienced by other
identities.
ƒ Dissociative Amnesia – People with dissociative amnesia
experience a loss of memory for information about
themselves or their life experiences. The absence of any
physical cause for their amnesia suggests that the disorder
is psychological in nature.
ƒ CAUSES OF DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS: Dissociative
amnesia may represent an attempt to disconnect or
dissociate one’s conscious state from awareness of
traumatic experiences or other sources of psychological
pain or conflict.
ƒ Somatoform Disorders – Refer to persons that have
physical ailments or complaints that cannot be explained
medically.
ƒ Conversion Disorder – Refers to persons that
suffer a loss of physical function, such as loss of
movement in a limb (hysterical paralysis), loss of
vision (hysterical blindness), or loss of feeling in a
hand or arm (anesthesia). Yet there is no physical
cause that can account for these symptoms.
ƒ Hypochondriasis – Refers to persons preoccupied
with the idea that there is something terribly wrong
with their health. They attribute their physical
complaints or symptoms to a serious underlying
disease.
Causes of Somatoform Disorders
ƒ According to Freud, the hysterical symptom (loss
of movement in a limb) is the outward sign of an
unconscious dynamic struggle between opposing
motives. The ego seeks to protect the self from
the flood of anxiety that would occur if these
unacceptable impulses were to become fully
conscious.
ƒ Secondary gain is the reward value of having a
psychological or physical symptom, such as
release from ordinary responsibilities.
Mood Disorders
ƒ Mood Disorders involves persons that have a persistent or
severe disturbances of mood; not just an occasional up
and down swing.
ƒ Major Depressive Disorder – Is the most common type of
depressive disorder, characterized by periods of downcast
mood, feelings of worthlessness, and loss of interest in
pleasurable activities. When left untreated, it can last
months, even a year or more.
ƒ Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of major
depression that involves a recurring pattern of winter
depressions followed by elevations of mood in the spring
and summer.
ƒ Dysthymic disorder (dysthymia) is a relatively mild
but chronic form of depression.
ƒ Bipolar Disorder – Are characterized by alternating
moods that shift between euphoric feelings and
depression. The two major types of bipolar
disorders are: bipolar disorder and cyclothymic.
Persons with bipolar disorder experience mood
swings between periods of manic episodes and
periods of depression.
ƒ Cyclothymic disorder is characterized by a pattern
of milder mood swings than those seen in bipolar
disorder.
Causes of Mood Disorders
ƒ Psychological Factors – The classic
psychodynamic theory espoused by Freud held
that depression involves anger turned inward
against the self.
ƒ Cognitive theorists focus on how our thoughts and
interpretations of events contribute to emotional
disorders such as depression. Another
psychological model of depression, the learned
helplessness model, suggests that people become
depressed when they come to believe that they
are helpless to control the reinforcements in their
lives.
ƒ Attributional style is the way in which a person
explains the outcome of events in his or her life.
ƒ Depressive attributional style is the characteristic
way of explaining negative events in terms of
internal, stable, and global causes.
ƒ Biological factors play important roles in
depression, including irregularities in
neurotransmitter functioning, abnormalities in
neural pathways, and genetics. Serotonin is a key
brain chemical in regulating moods.
Why people commit suicide?
ƒ Irregularities in serotonin functioning can result in
a disinhibition effect- the removal of inhibitions that
might otherwise constrain impulsive behavior,
including impulses to commit suicide.
ƒ SCHIZOPHRENIA – Is a severe and chronic
psychological disorder characterized by
disturbances in thinking, perception, emotions,
and behavior.
ƒ Psychotic disorder is characterized by a break with
reality. Thought disorder is the breakdown in the
logical structure of thought and speech, revealed
in the form of a loosening of associations.
Types of Schizophrenia
ƒ Disorganized Type is characterized by
confused behavior and disorganized
delusions, among other features.
ƒ Catatonic type is characterized by bizarre
movements, postures, or grimaces.
ƒ Paranoid type is characterized by the
appearance of delusional thinking
accompanied by frequent auditory
hallucinations.
Causes of Schizophrenia
ƒ Genetic Factors play an important role in determining the
risk of developing schizophrenia.
ƒ Biochemical Imbalances in the nerve pathway in the brain
that utilize the neurotransmitter dopamine appears to
contribute to the development of schizophrenia.
ƒ PERSONALITY DISORDERS are a cluster of
psychological disorders characterized by excessively rigid
patterns of behavior. These behavioral patterns become
self-defeating because they make it difficult for people to
adjust to external demands and interfere with their
relationships with others.
ƒ Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by a
grandiose sense of self.
ƒ Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by extreme
suspiciousness or mistrust of others.
ƒ Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by social
aloofness and limited range of emotional expression.
ƒ Borderline personality disorder is characterized by unstable
emotions and self-image.
ƒ Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by callous
attitudes toward others and by antisocial and irresponsible
behavior.
Suicide Prevention
ƒ 1) Recognize the seriousness of the situation – Don’t fall
for the myth of thinking that people who talk about suicide
are not truly serious; 2) Take implied threats seriously –
Some suicidal people don’t come right out and say they are
planning to kill themselves; 3) Express understanding –
Engage the person in conversation to allow his or her
feelings to be expressed; 4) Focus on alternatives – Tell
the person that other ways of dealing with his or her
problems may be found; 5) Assess the immediate danger –
Ask the person whether he or she has made a specific plan
to commit suicide; 6) Enlist the person’s agreement to seek
help – Insist that the person accompany you to a health
professional or nearby hospital emergency room; and
ƒ 7) Accompany the person to seek help –
Above all, don’t leave the person alone.
ƒ THE END
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