Introduction to Abnormal Psychology

1. C
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
IN THE HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
MAP106 – Advanced Abnormal Psychology

2. What is a Psychological Disorder?
• A dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in
functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
Psychological Dysfunction
• Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Distress or Impairment
• Extreme feelings of being upset.
• Distress alone CANNOT define abnormality
Atypical or Not culturally expected
• Infrequent occurrence
• Violation of social norms

3. Jerome Wakefield’s
Harmful Dysfunction
• Harmful is a value term based on social norms.
• Dysfunction is a scientific term referring to the
failure of a mental mechanism to perform a
natural function for which it was designed by
evolution.

4. DSM-5 Definition
• “ a clinically significant disturbance in
cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
that indicates a dysfunction in mental
functioning that is usually associated with
significant distress or disability in work,
relationships, or other areas of functioning (p.
20).

5. Psychopathology and Its Related
Professions
• Psychopathology is the study scientific study of psychological disorders.
• RELATED PROFESSIONS:
• Clinical Psychologists & Counseling Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Psychiatric Social Workers
• Psychiatric Nurses
• Marriage and Family Therapists

6. The Scientist-Practitioner Model
• Mental health professionals taking a scientific approach.
• Keeping up with the latest scientific developments.
• Evaluation of their own assessments or treatment procedures to see whether
they work.
• Professionals may conduct studies regarding disorders or their treatment.

7. Clinical Description
• Presenting Problem refers to the specific problems or set of problems
manifested by the patients.
• Clinical Description refers to the unique combination of behaviors,
thoughts, and feelings making up a specific disorder.
• Prevalence refers to the figures on how many people in a population as a
whole have the disorder.
• Incidence refers to the statistics on how many new cases occur during a
given period.

8. Clinical Description
• Course refers to the individual pattern of a disorder.
• Chronic: tend to last a long time, sometimes a lifetime.
• Episodic: likely to cover within a few months and suffer recurrence at a later time
• Time-limited: improvement in a relatively short period without treatment with little or
no risk of recurrence
• Onset: beginning of a disorder
• Acute: begins suddenly
• Insidious: gradual development over an extended period
• Prognosis refers to the anticipated course of a disorder.
• Etiology: study of origins; includes the biological, psychological and social
dimensions.

9. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Supernatural Tradition
• Deviant behavior is a battle between
good and evil.
• Exorcism became a form of intervention.
• Tortures and beatings were done to
assure that bodies won’t be inhabitable
by evil spirits.
• Paracelsus contended that the
movement of the moon and stars has a
profound effect on psychological
functioning.

10. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Biological Tradition
• Hippocrates contends that psychological disorders could be treated like any disease.
• The brain was considered to be the seat of wisdom, consciousness, intelligence, and
emotion. Thus, any disturbances in these functioning can be traced from the brain
• Galen later adopted Hippocrates’ ideas.
• Humoral Theory of Disorder:
• Sanguine (blood; cheerful & optimistic; insomnia & delirium)
• Melancholic (depressive; black bile)
• Phlegmatic (phlegm; apathy & sluggishness; calm under stress)
• Choleric (yellow bile; hot tempered)
• Treatments:
• Bloodletting
• Regulation of the environment
• Acupuncture

11. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Biological Tradition
• Syphilis was thought to be related with psychosis
• Penicillin was used for treatment
• John P. Grey championed the biological tradition in
the U.S.
• Causes of insanity were always physical. Therefore, the
mentally ill shall be treated similar to the physically ill.
• Interventions:
• Gain rest
• Proper room temperature and ventilation

12. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Psychological Tradition
• Development of moral therapy, which was
aimed at treating institutionalized patients as
normally as possible. It allowed for
interaction among patients.
• Philippe Pinel began moral therapy in France
along with his colleague Jean-Baptiste
Pussin.
• William Tuke followed the lead in England
• Benjamin Rush followed the lead in the U.S
and became the father of American
Psychiatry.
• Dorothea Dix campaigned for the mental
hygiene movement.

13. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Psychoanalysis
• Franz Anton Mesmer – “animal magnetism” should be
blocked; used hypnosis
• Sigmund Freud & Josef Breuer – unconscious and
catharsis
• Case of “Anna O.”
• Structure of the Mind
• Defense Mechanisms
• Psychosexual Stages of Development
• Interventions:
• Free Association
• Dream Analysis
• Transference

14. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Humanism
• We are capable reaching our highest potential.
• Person-centered Therapy
• Unconditional Positive Regard
• Empathy

15. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Behaviorism
• Pavlov – Classical Conditioning
• John B. Watson –founder of behaviorism;
emphasized scientific psychology.
• Watson & Rayner’s Little Albert
• Mary Cover Jones – first behaviorist to treat
phobia
• Systematic Desensitization – gradual exposure
to fear-inducing stimuli until it extinguishes
• B. F Skinner – Operant Conditioning

16. The Present: Scientific Method and An
Integrative Approach
• Increased sophistication in the use of scientific tools and methodology.
• No factors – biological, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or social – ever
occur in isolation