Psychopathology Flashcards
behaviourist explanation
‘2 process model’ - learnt through classical conditioning & maintained through operant conditioning
classical conditioning
ucs=ucr, ns+ucs=ucr,cs=cr
operant conditioning
avoidance behaviour acts as negative reinforcement as you leave situation that includes your phobia, therefore you take away unpleasant feeling of fear and encourage the phobia to continue therefore be maintained.
ao3 two process model
:) watson and raynor - little albert as supporting research
:(seligman - biological preparedness, in past we had to survive and avoid things like snakes and through evolution this has stuck with us. fear is innate.
:( ignores cognitive factors - phobias arise due to irrational thinking eg thinking spider will kill you
:( does not explain certain phobias - boutin argues we are genetically programmed to learn an association with life threatening fears. ancient fears. ignores this biological factor
cognitive explanation of depression ABC model Ellis ao1
- depression developed due to irrational beliefs
- a - activating event
- b - irrational or rational belief about event
- c - consequence, irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotions such as depression
- musturbatory thinking - believing assumption must be true in order for you to be happy
- these assumptions lead the individual to feel disappointed and therefore depressed
ao3 of abc model
:) real world application as we can use cbt to treat this
:( overlook biological factors, blame is put on patients thinking, recovery lies in changing irrational thinking
:) hammen and kratz - found depressed ppt made more errors in logic compared to non depressed ppt. supports negative thinking
statistical infrequency
mathematical method for defining abnormality. abnormality should be based on infrequency. if a behaviour is uncommon or rare it should be considered abnormal.
deviation from social norms
behaviour is considered abnormal if it doesn’t fit in with the unwritten rules of society.
failure to function adequately
when an individual is unable to cope with everyday life. if their behaviour causes distress or concerns a loved one its considered abnormal
jahoda’s deviation from ideal mental health
ideal mental health
- self attitude, high self esteem
- personal growth, reaching potential
- integration, adapting to surroundings
- autonomy, self sufficient
- accurate perception of reality
- mastery of environment (building a life, education work relationships etc.)
definitions of abnormality
- statistical infrequency
- deviating from social norms
- failure to function adequately
- jahodas deviation from ideal mental health
ao3 statistical infrequency
:( not all infrequent behaviours are undesirable. people with high iq is infrequent but its not associated with mental health. having depression and anxiety is common but we dont want to suggest its normal behaviour and not treat it.
:)sometimes its only appropriate to use statistical definition. intellectual disability is defined in terms of normal distribution using the concept of standard deviation allowing a clear cut off point. makes diagnosis more objective.
ao3 deviation from social norms
:( what we consider to be abnormal changes overtime. eg homosexuality. ‘non conformists’ labelled as abnormal and isolated from society. discriminates against a persons right to be different.
:) ability to distinguish between desirable and undesirable behaviours. takes into account the effect that behaviour has on others. harmful behaviour to others considered as abnormal. real world application
ao3 failure to function adequately.
:( based on cultural ideas ab how an individual should live. different cultures have different expectations of life. not culturally relative. may explain why non white lower class patients are diagnosed with mental health more.
:) recognises the subjective experience of each individual patient. view mental disorders from the pov of the person experiencing it. relatively easy to judge because we can list behaviours and thus judge abnormality objectively. we can gain a better insight into mental health.
ao3 jahoda deviation from ideal mental health
:( most people would be classified as abnormal. criteria shows an idealistic and optimistic view of mental health which critics argue is unrealistic. also difficult to measure.
:) different view compared to other definitions. focuses on positives rather than negative. had impact on humanistic approach. people can see more positive perspective of mental health.
