psychopatology Flashcards
(52 cards)
what are the definitions of abnormality
deviating from the average social norm , failure to function or deviation from ideal mental health
what are the limitations of the definition of abnormality
> cultural relativism- judgments about labelling human behaviour can only be made within a given time or culture
Time- 1973 homosexuality was defined as abnormal
failure to function - GAF
deviation from social norms does not indicate psychological abnormality e.g. eccentric
context
cannot classify everyone- Rosenham 1973
deviation from rule can be used as excuse/ abuse- Cohen
what are social norms
set of rules based on a moral standards that can be explicit (law) or implicit (unspoken codes)
cohen 1988
claims that Japans drive for industrial success and need to establish strong work ethic; insanity is used as a deterrent and create compliance
what is GAF
global assessment functioning scale- measures psychological, occupational and social functioning on hypothetical continuum of mental health.
positives of GAF
> humane as it is left to person or others close to address problem
negatives of GAF-
> comer ‘not whole picture’
exception to rules e.g. people shoplift to survive
direction of causality- Howell- women’s experience of society in GB predisposes women to depression
neglects RL social issues that might make a failure to function completely understandable
Rosenhan
8 normal people tried to be admitted to 12 psy hospitals saying they heard voices, 7 diagnosed with schizophrenia, all 8 admitted- then claimed they lied (seen as symptom)
>Rosenham told psy hospitals ‘pseudopatients’ would try to get admitted, none tried but 41 genuine patients were diagnosed by staff.
>staff could not distinguish between ill and not ill
what are Marie Jahoda’s 6 criteria
1) positive self-attitude
2) self actualisation
3) resistance to stress
4) personal autonomy
5) accurate perception of reality
6) adaption to environment
limitations of jahoda
> difficult to self actualize
reflects western culture
stress can be positive
demanding
what is the biological approach
medical or somatic model
> explains problems through genetic factors looking for external treatment
> brain damage, infection, biochemistry, genes
biological model- brain damage
physical structure and functioning
accidents, alcohol + drugs e.g. korsakoff’s syndrome
Biological model- infection
Brown linked flu in early pregnancy to schizophrenia
biological model- biochemistry
neurotransmitters out of balance
>schizophrenia too much dopamine
> depression too low serotonin / high cortisol
Mann showed this with PET scans
biological model- genes
genetic disposition
>1 st degree relative with schizophrenia has 10% chance of passing on to child
Gottesman and Heston
treatments of biological model
> drugs- physical cure
psychosurgery- eg frontal lobotomy (not cure but relieves symptoms) ,irreversible, used if suicidal
ECT- 225V shock can lead to memory loss, can come back
positives of biological model
no blame reduces stigma scientific basis Gottesman Heston
weaknesses to biological model
relinquish responsibiltity
ethics- addiction to drugs
reductionist
Gottesman
meta-analysis of TWINS- schizophrenia
>48% chance of developing if identical twin had
>17% if non-identical twin had
Heston
Nature vs nurture
47 adopted children whos mothers had schizophrenia
CG- 50 whos mum didn’t
5/47 developed it and another 4 borderline, compared to 0 in CG
psychodynamic model
> abnormal behaviour down to underlying psy problems from past experiences
non scientific
key features = id, ego and superego
development into 5 stages = oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital
problems develop when ego cannot deal with id and superego, so problem is supressed and defence mechanisms are set up repression, sublimation, projection
What is the treatment in psychoanalysis
Dream analysis
Hypnosis
Word pairs
Little Hans
5 years old boy fear of horses after seeing horse drawn cart fall over would not leave house
Father wrote to Freud who offered analysis based on letters. Fried said said that when he was 3 his mum told him not to play with his willy or it would chop it off. Hand also has a sexual desire for his mother and feared his father as a rival so projected this dear horses who resembled his father.
Evaluate Little Hans
> non scientific > tenuous link which strains credibility > subjective, only relatable to Hans > Freud never met Little Hans > father wrote to fried so believed his theories