Abnormal Psychology TR 12 30 1 45pm 1 8 13 What is Abnormality Learning Objectives What is abnormal psychology and abnormality What is the continuum model of abnormality What are the characteristics of mental disorders How does culture play a role in the characterization of mental disorders Abnormal psychology is the study of psychopathology mental disorders Beware of Psychology Student Syndrome 1 in 4 students have been diagnosed with a mental disorder Be cautious of what you say in class because you could offend someone Also don t self diagnose yourself from what you hear in class What does it mean to be abnormal Watched video ocd girl on YouTube hosted theYNC com on bottom right of the screen Class discussion of what we noticed what was abnormal very real thing very annoying and frustrating thing can t help it wants to get rid of it effecting relationships and herself her feet must be more dirty than the germs that she is afraid to touch lack of insight if she wants to die why won t she get germs on her hands to die so painful that she wants to die but she really doesn t want to die just wants to get rid of it at any cost Rosenham Study 1973 Seminole study Scientist who took 8 of his research assistants and went into mental institutions late 60s and early 70s presented with symtoms of hearing voices of empty hollow and thud all were hospitalized and diagnosed with schitzophrenia otherwise normal besides that symptom Had to work their way out of the institution by acting normal and they don t have a problem anymore Took a long time to realize they were actually normal Their abnormal behavior was note taking Staff thought the note taking was an abnormal behavior and part of their mental health disorder Staff said they were in remission If we can t tell the difference between sane and insane in mental health institutions there is a problem It is all about perception Patients in the hospital could tell that the research assistants were normal but staff could not Defining abnormality Continuum Model no clear definition not black and white Traits lie on a continuum from normal to abnormal Picture in the text book chapter 1 What is abnormal behavior Cultural relativism unusualness distress mental illness maladaptive Cultural Relativism no universal standards or rules for labeling abnormality Only relative to cultural normalities Determined by culture Different definitions of abnormality across cultures US families have separate rooms baby room child room parents room other cultures families all sleep in one room sometimes one bed Problems with perspective This way of defining abnormal doesn t relate to the population as a whole so cannot work as a set way of defining Even within one society people have different beliefs and views Abnormal doesn t align with mental illness so some things could be abnormal but not mental Hitler defined non Arian races as abnormal but that was only one society e shouldn t have to kill off all other ethnicities due to one society Some behaviors may appear abnormal to outside cultures Behaviors that violate social norms are considered abnormal how we greet people bowing vs handshake vs hug How do we distinct abnormal from eccentric Someone doing something odd versus abnormal Culture can also change the way we think about mental health issues such as some cultures not agreeing with using medications Unusualness Like cultural relativism this criteria assumes rare behaviors are abnormal Lady Gaga and Nikki Minaj dressing weird dieting or being vegan left handedness Being an artist trying to appeal to a certain crowd instead of being abnormal Normal curve bell curve represents many human characteristics and or behaviors IQ What is the cutoff for being rare unusual 2 1 Upper end or lower end No clear definition Albert Einstein Michael Phelps Some unusual behaviors are positive Distress Behaviors are abnormal only if the individual experiences distress and wishes to get rid of the behavior Problems Some people who aren t distressed have even more severe disorders anti social disorders and they don t feel guilty or upset Some people lack insight and don t realize their severity of their problem Some situations make it normal to feel distress like recent trauma Mental Illness Behaviors are abnormal that result from mental illness or disease Assumption is that there is a clear identifiable physical process that differs from health Like diabetes is an illness we know what causes it Problems There is no clear underlying biological cause Not always is there one thing that leads to disease many factors No test available to pinpoint to just one illness depression bipolar disorder A lot of symptoms overlap Maladaptive This criterion is that which represents the consensus of mental health professionals The four D s Dysfunctions distress deviance dangerousness Interplay of these 4 D s Dysfunction Does the symptom interfere with the person s ability to function Are they able to work or maintain relationships Is there disruption in daily functions and routines Distress Distress to the person themselves or the people around them Is the person comfortable with the symptom Deviant such as lying stealing hearing voices and cheating Dangerousness Behaviors and feelings that are potentially harmful to the person or other people around them Could be highly aggressive behaviors and suicidal thoughts Problems Lack of insight People not experiencing all symptoms Subjective to placement How do you know when someone is in danger Continuum is fuzzy not clear Highly unusual behaviors 1 10 13 RECAP OF 1 8 13 Perspecitives of abnormality cultural relativism unusualness distress mental illness maladaptive 4 D s Cultural relativism different definitions of abnormality across different cultures behaviors can only be abnormal relative to cultural norms Unusualness assumes rare behaviors are abnormal Some rare behaviors can be positive though so can be confusing Distress assuming that we describe label behaviors as abnormal if they experience distress and want to get rid of the behavior Some mental illnesses don t associate with mental distress though Mental illness Behaviors are only abnormal if they result from mental illness or disease Everything is biologically defined Maladaptive Intergrates all 4 Definitions consensus of mental health professionals 4 D s Dsyfunction causes impairment Distress distress to person people around them Deviance not normative Dangerousness harmful Abnormality
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