Download Abnormal Psychology: Lecture 1 – Introduction to Models of

Abnormal Psychology:
Lecture 1 – Introduction to Models of Abnormality:
What is Abnormal Psychology?  Scientific study of ‘abnormal behaviour’ + psychological disorders.
What is Abnormal Psychology?  Empirical Method to Study  Description (what differentiates normal
and abnormal) + Causation (possible reasons for disorders) + Treatment.
What is Abnormal Psychology?  The group of behaviours that contribute to mental disorders.
What is Abnormal?  Deviant  Unusual/unexpected  Only small section of population express the
behaviour + relative social judgement is important when determining.
What is Abnormal?  Distressing  To self or others (but normal distress)  Often an integral part of
definition of mental disorder but can have psychological disorder which doesn’t involve e.g. bipolar.
What is Abnormal?  Dysfunctional  Interferes with life goals  Distraction to achievement important
activities but not entirely necessary e.g. people with psychopathic tendencies.
What is Abnormal?  Psychological abnormality exists on a continuum with normality  No two
independent qualitative categories but rather overlapping until two extremities.
What is Abnormal?  Definition reflects cultural values and social norms.
Models of Mental Illness  Supernatural  Causes = spirits + treatment = exorcism.
Models of Mental Illness  Biological  Causes = internal physical problem + treatments = bleeding.
Models of Mental Illness  Biological  Dysfunction expression in behaviour + emotion + thought
processes which are abnormal.
Models of Mental Illness  Psychological  Causes = beliefs/motivations + treatment = psychotherapy.
Models of Mental Illness  Sociocultural  Causes = poverty + treatment = fix social ills.
Models of Mental Illness  The proposed causation of psychological disorders has direct relationship to
model used to determine it as well as subsequent treatment.
Biological Model  Oldest and currently most dominant model  Assumes psychological disorder can
be; diagnosed similarly to physical illness + explained in terms of biological disease process + best treated
with medication/surgery.
Biological Model  Historically mental illness = madness with gross distortions in perceptions of reality 
Unable to relate ‘normally’ to the environment.
Biological Model  Criticism/Limitations  Need to avoid extreme reductionism  Certain complex
psychological phenomena may be impossible to explain at the molecular level.
Biological Model  Criticism/Limitations  Need to avoid over-extrapolation from animal research.
Biological Model  Criticism/Limitations  Medical model may not be applicable to conceptualising and
diagnosing mental illness
Lecture 2: Psychological Models:
Psychoanalytic Model  Most dominant model during first half 20th century  Freud’s ideas of the id,
ego and superego revolutionised way understood mental health + personality.
Psychoanalytic Model  Superego understands can’t operate entirely on pleasure principle.
Psychoanalytic Model  Maladjustment  Unresolved conflict leads to anxiety + defence mechanisms.
Psychoanalytic Model  Critiques  Lack empirical evidence + falsifiability.
Humanistic Model  Fully functioning + self-actualised persons  Living in the here and now +
independent and aware of their own feelings.
Humanistic Model  Maladjustment  Results from environment imposing conditions of worth + own
experience/emotions/needs are blocked.
Humanistic Model  Treatment = empathy + critique = difficult to research.
Humanistic Model  But showing empathy is often not sufficient to overcome severe mental disorders.
Behavioural Model  Classical Condition = Pavlov + Operant Condition = Skinner  Learn to associate
variables with each other.
Behavioural Model Maladjustment results from learning history.
Behavioural Model  Used to a large extent in anxiety disorders + phobias through gradual exposure.
Behavioural Model  Operationalise mental disorders in terms of behaviours observed + measured.
Cognitive-Behavioural Model  Currently dominant model  what we think influences what we feel/do.
Cognitive-Behavioural Model  Interpretations of events are causes of reactions not actual events.
Cognitive-Behavioural Model  Maladaptive behaviour results from latent core negative beliefs +
interpretation of experiences + cognitive bases (overgeneralisation + selective attention).
Cognitive-Behavioural Model  Feeling bad makes negative thoughts/emotions more easily accessible so
downward spiral  core beliefs just understandings of world held within long-term memory.
Classification and Causation  Why classify/diagnose?  Improve communication between researches +
health professionals + help reduce social stigma.
Classification and Causation  Sometimes classifying mental health disorder can be a relief.
Classification Systems  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)  Published by
American Psychiatric Association currently in 5th edition.
Development of DSM  1 + 2 strongly influenced by psychoanalytic theory  Problems with reliability
and validity (depression e.g. based on unproven theories about etiology).
Development of DSM  DSM III and Beyond  Reflects the medical/biological model and no theoretical
assumptions about causation.
Development of DSM  DSM III and Beyond  If causation is not known then description of symptoms (no
assumptions about unconscious processes + clear, explicit criteria and decision rules).
Development of DSM  DSM 5  Encourages assessment of severity not only presence of symptoms.
Lecture 3: Anxiety and Related Disorders:
What is Anxiety?  Activated in response to perceived threat  Three interrelated systems; physical +
cognitive + behavioural.
What is Anxiety?  Anxiety mentally ill patients experience same as everyday person but much more
frequently and unjustified.
What is Anxiety?  Has a survival bases as present within most organisms.