psychopathology Flashcards
(27 cards)
what are the 4 definitions of abnormality?
- statistical infrequency
- deviation from social norms
- failure to function adequately
- deviation form ideal mental health
what is statistical infrequency?
- numerically unusual behaviour or characteristic
- IQ bellow 70 is part of the diagnosis for intellectual disability disorder (IDD)
- if IQ is outside of the standard deviation it is considered abnormal
evaluation of statistical infrequency
real world application
- useful in diagnosis (IDD)
unusual characteristics can be positive
- some unusual characteristics would not be considered abnormal (high IQ)
problems with diagnosis
- some people with low IQ function adequately and don’t benefit from being labelled due to social stigma
definition of deviation from social norms
- social judgements about what is acceptable
- norms are culture specific because what is normal in one culture may not be in another (homosexuality)
- antisocial personality disorder, impulsive aggressive irresponsible behaviour is not socially acceptable in many cultures
evaluation of deviation of social norms
real world application
- used to diagnose disorders such as antisocial and schizotypal personality disorder
cultural and situational relativism
- different standards make it hard to make social judgements
what is failure to function adequately
- inability too cope with demands of everyday life
- part of the diagnosis of IDD
what signs did Rosenhan and Seligman identify which suggest someone is failing to function adequately?
- non-conformity to social rules
-personal distress - severe distress
- danger to self or others
evaluation of failure to function adequately
represents a threshold for help
- provides a way to identify when someone needs professional help
discrimination and social control
-may lead to people living non standard lifestyles being judged as abnormal
failure to function can be normal
- most of us experience this failure at some point such as during bereavement but still may require help
what is deviation from ideal mental health?
- creating a picture of what psychological health should look like and identify those who deviate from this
what does ideal mental health look like?
- lack of symptoms
- rationality
- self-actualisation
- coping with stress
- realistic world view
evaluation of deviation from ideal mental health
comprehensive definition
- includes most of the reasons that anyone might seek help
may be culture bound
- some ideas such as self actualisation are specific to western cultures independence varies within western cultures
extremely high standards
- few people ever meet the criteria but it is useful as a goal for mental health
what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
- activity levels, lethargy or agitation
- disruption to sleep/eating, either increased or decreased
- aggression, self harm and irritability
what are the emotional characteristics of depression?
- lowered mood
- anger towards self and others, leading to to behavioural change
- lowered self esteem
- self loathing
what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
- poor concentration, difficulty making decisions
- attending to and dwelling on the negative, glass half empty instead of half full mindset
- absolutist thinking, black and white
becks theory - what is faulty information processing?
- attending to the negative aspects of the situation
becks theory - what is a negative self-schema?
- negative information about ourselves is accessed whenever we encounter a self-relevant situation
becks theory - what is the negative triad?
- negative views of the world, self and the future
evaluation of becks theory
research support
- research shows cognitive vulnerability precedes depression (clark and beck)
real world application
- identify cognitive vulnerability to screen those at risk of depression, then target vulnerabilities in CBT
a partial explanation
- explains patterns of cognition, but cannot easily explain extremes of anger or hallucinations and delusions
what are the 3 concepts of Ellis’s ABC model?
-Activating event
-Beliefs
-Consequences
what is activating event?
- a negative life event that triggers an irrational response (failing a test)
what is beliefs?
- beliefs lead us to overreact to the actvating event (we must succeed)
what is consequences?
- depression results when we overreact to negative life events
evaluation of Ellis’s ABC model
real world application
- irrational thoughts can be identified and challenged by a therapist
reactive and endogenous depression
- only explains reactive depression, does not explain cases that do not follow an activating event (endogenous depression)
ethical issues
- ABC model places responsibility on the depressed person (victim blaming), but the therapy derived from the model does create resilience
how is depression treated when using becks cognitive therapy to influence CBT?
- aims to identify negative thoughts and challenge them
