Week 9: Abnormalities, Causes and Treatment Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is Abnormal Behaviour?
Abnormal behaviour lies along a continuum and are not clear cut
What Questions Can We Ask To Determine Abnormal Behaviour?
- Is the behaviour normal in that person’s culture?
- Does their behaviour cause personal distress?
- Is their behaviour maladaptive?
- Are they legally responsible for their actions?
- Is the person a danger to themselves or others?
What was the earliest perspective on the causes of abnormal behaviour?
earliest explanation for abnormal behaviours was that the person in question was possessed by the devil, demons, spirit
What are the current perspectives on abnormal behaviour (treatment and causes) ?
- Biological
- Cognitive
- Psychodynamic
- Learning
- Humanistic
What is the biological perspective on abnormal behaviour?
Cause: psychological disorders are a symptom of an underlying physical disorder caused by a structural or biomedical abnormality in the brain, genetic inheritance or infection
Treatment: Treat like a physical disorder (drugs, surgery etc.)
What is the psychodynamic perspective on abnormal behaviours?
Cause: Stem from early childhood experiences
Treatment: psychotherapy i.e. bringing material to consciousness and help the patient work through unconscious conflict
What is the learning perspective on abnormal behaviours?
Cause: abnormal behaviour is learned
Treatment: use classical and operant conditional to extinguish unwanted behaviour and increase adaptive behaviours
What is the cognitive perspective on abnormal behavior?
Cause: fault thinking or distorted perceptions
Treatment: Cognitive behavioural therapy and Emotive therapy can help change negative/irrational thinking
What is the humanistic perspective on abnormal behaviour?
Cause: results from blocking of the normal tendency towards self actualization
Treatment: Increased self acceptance and self understanding (Gestalt therapy, client centred therapy)
What is the DSM and DSM-5?
The Diagnostic Statistical Manual first published in 1952 by the APA
DSM-5: published in 2013, describes about 300 specific psychological disorders and list of diagnostic criteria for these disorders
What is Neurosis?
Neurosis is an obsolete term for a disorder causing any sort of personal distress and some impairment in functioning “umbrella term” but not causing one to lose contact with reality or violate important social norms
What is Psychosis?
Psychosis is a present term used to describe a severe psychological disorder in which one loses contact with reality , experiences delusions or hallucinations and has an impaired ability to function everyday
