Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context Abnormal Psychology Chapter 1
Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context
Abnormal Psychology
Chapter 1
What is Psychopathology?
A field concerned with the nature and development of abnormal behavior, thoughts, and feelings
Psychological Disorders
“A psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress and impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected”
(Proposed) Components of Abnormal Behavior Statistical infrequency
Violation of norms
Personal distress
Psychological dysfunction
Unexpectedness
Atypical/not culturally expected
Statistical Infrequency
One aspect of abnormal behavior- it is infrequent
The majority of individuals fall in the middle, with few falling at either extreme
Limitations to this approach?
Statistical Infrequency
Violation of Norms
Behavior that violates social rules- Deviance
Examples of deviance/rule violations?
Limitations to this approach?
Personal Distress
Personal suffering- the individual is tormented by their symptoms
Examples of distress in the context of a psychological disorder?
Limitations to this approach?
Psychological Dysfunction
An impairment affecting some aspect of the individual’s life
cognitive functioning, behavioral functioning, emotional functioning, work, personal relationships
Limitations to this approach? Dysfunction exists on a continuum, with few clear boundaries
Unexpectedness
An unexpected response to an environmental stressor
Is the response out of proportion to the situation?
Limitations to this approach? How do we construct what is an expected vs. an unexpected response?
Atypical and Not Culturally Expected
Deviates from the average
Behavior that is deviant and unexpected in the context of a particular culture
Limitations to this approach?
Historical Perspectives:Focus on the Supernatural Supernatural explanations- good vs. evil;
displeasure of the gods, possession by the devil
Demonology- early Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese; the devil takes control of the mind
Exorcism and drilling into the skull
Focus on the Supernatural
14th Century- belief in demons and witches; this view was endorsed by the Catholic Church
15th Century- evil was blamed for abnormal behavior- Salem witch trials
Focus on the Supernatural
Confinement, beating, and torture of those exhibiting abnormal behavior
Cold water dunking; hanging people over snake pits, etc.
Historical Perspectives:Asylums Began in the 15th/16th Century; confinement of
the mentally ill
Deplorable conditions; cruel medical treatments
London- St. Mary of Bethlehem; a tourist attraction
Historical Perspectives:The Moral Turn Philippe Pinel (1745-1826)- “struck the chains
from the insane”; freeing patients from dungeons
Differential treatment based on social class
Patients improved dramatically with humane treatment
Historical Perspectives: The Moral Turn William Tuke (1732-1822): created an
institution that was a retreat in the countryside
Moral Treatment Movement: attendants developed supportive relationships with patients
Historical Perspectives: The Moral Turn Dorothea Dix (1802-1877): a school teacher
who crusaded for institutional reform and humane care
Lead to the construction of large state hospitals- discrimination toward immigrants
The Moral paradigm was replaced by notions of brain pathology- biological perspectives
Historical Perspectives: Somatogenesis Somatogenesis- belief that there is something
wrong with the soma (physical body) which causes abnormal behavior
Hippocrates (460-377B.C.)- recognizing abnormal behavior as rooted in illness
Historical Perspectives: Somatogenesis Hippocrates: hypothesized that mental illness
resulted from an imbalance in bodily fluids- “humors”
Parallel to modern day chemical imbalances
Treatment; rest, sleep, changing the environment
Historical Perspectives: Somatogenesis Resurgence of the biological perspective in
the 19th Century
Research on syphilis: an STD which causes delusions
Renewed interest in biological perspectives- lead to brain surgery and ECT
Historical Perspective
Consequences of the biological tradition:
Emil Kraeplin (1856-1926)
Modern psychiatry; focus on diagnosis and classification; based on behavioral symptoms
Historical Perspectives:Competing Paradigms Schools of Thought: 20th Century
Psychoanalysis
Behaviorism
Humanism
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud
Emphasis on the unconscious mind
Psychoanalysis- to reach catharsis
Psychosexual stages
Psychoanalysis
Structure of the mind: largely unconscious
Id: governed by the pleasure principle
Ego: governed by the reality principle
Superego: “internalized parent”
Psychoanalysis
Defense Mechanisms: unconscious reactions to prevent us from overwhelming anxiety
Denial, displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, repression, sublimation
Behaviorism
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
B.F. Skinner & John Watson
Behaviorism
Behavior Therapy
Joseph Wolpe- systematic desensitization
Present day- anxiety reduction strategies
Humanism
Reflections on the positive, optimistic side of human nature
Self actualization: reaching our highest potential
Carl Rogers- unconditional positive regard
Toward a Holistic Perspective
Each tradition has shortcomings
No one influence occurs in isolation:
Biological, behavioral, cognitive, social, and social influences interact in complex ways
Understanding psychopathology through integrative models