I Chapter One Looking at Abnormality a Extraordinary People i Clifford Bears 1 Own treatment in mental hospitals led him to start a movement to refine mental health treatment Mental hygiene movement b Defining Abnormality i The study of abnormal psychology is the study of people who suffer mental emotional and often physical pain reffered to often as psychopathology 1 Sometimes symptoms are extreme and include hallucinations and such and other times they can just be more extreme versions of things many people feel every day ii The context or situation in which seemingly abnormal behavior takes place is also important when trying to decide if it is actually abnormal iii Cultural Relativism 1 The view that there are no universal standards or rules for labeling a behavior as abnormal instead behaviors can only be abnormal relative to cultural norms 2 People who believe this believe that there are different types of abnormal for every different culture 3 Some argue against this and say that when cultural norms are allowed to dictate what is normal abnormal problems arise Ex slave trade holocaust etc 4 Gender roles also play a role in labeling things as normal abnormal 5 Both gender and culture have an influence on the expression of abnormal behaviors and how they are treated Influence the way people express symptoms their willingness to admit to certain behaviors and the type of treatment that is deemed acceptable or helpful 1 Behaviors that are deviant or unusual are considered abnormal whereas behaviors that are typical or usual are considered normal Depends in part on the cultures norms for that behavior How unusual does a behavior have to be for it to be labeled abnormal iv Unusualness Many rare behaviors are positive for both the person and society so most people would object to labeling it abnormal Many label it as eccentric v Distress 1 Suggest that behaviors should be considered abnormal only if the individual suffers distress and wishes to be rid of the behaviors According to this even if they caused society harm and none to him her then it would not be considered abnormal Some people are not always aware of their behaviors that are creating problems for themselves or others they don t know so they don t seek help vi Mental Illness mental illness 1 Should only label them abnormal if they are part of a Implies that a disease process is causing the behavior There is to date no biological test available to diagnose any of the types of abnormality Many believe this is due to the idea that most mental health problems are due to a number of complex biological and psychosocial factors rather than to single abnormal genes or diseases 2 A diagnosis is simply a label for a specific set of symptoms vii The Four D s of Abnormality 1 Dysfunction distress deviance and dangerousness Dysfunctional when they interfere with the person s ability to function in daily life to hold a job or form close relationships More dysfunctional the more abnormal they re considered Behaviors and feelings that cause distress to the person or others is likely to be considered abnormal Deviant or unusual behaviors lead to judgments of abnormality Dangerous behaviors that can harm a person in any way are considered abnormal These four D s make up mental health professionals definitions of behaviors feelings being abnormal or maladaptive c Historical Perspectives on Abnormality i Biological Theories 1 Saw abnormal behavior as similar to physical diseases caused by the breakdown of systems in the body appropriate cure was the restoration of bodily health ii Supernatural Theories 1 Saw abnormal behavior as a result of divine intervention curses demonic possession and a personal sin cured by religious rituals exorcisms confessions and atonement iii Psychological Theories 1 Saw abnormal behavior as a result of traumas cured by rest relaxation a chance of environment and sometimes herbal medicines were helpful iv Ancient Times 1 Typical treatment was exorcism driving the evil spirits from the body of the suffering person Sometimes the person would be killed 2 Drilled holes in the tops of head to let the evil spirits out of the abnormal person Trephination Those who were seeing or hearing things that weren t real or were chronically sad were subjected to this surgery 3 Ancient China body Yin and yang bad and good forces in the human If they were in balance the individual was healthy if not they were ill including insanity Believed human emotions were felt by vital air air to heart was joy etc 4 Ancient Egypt Greece and Rome Biological Theories Dominate Egyptians believed the uterus would become dislodged and wander through the woman s body interfering with her other organs The Greek s later named the disorder hysteria from the Greek word hystera meaning uterus Now referred to as psychological symptoms that probably are the result of a psychological process Strong smelling substances would be used to drive the uterus back to its place Hippocrates believed the body had four basic humors blood phlegm black bile and yellow bile problems were caused by imbalances v Medieval Views Classified abnormal behavior into four categories epilepsy mania melancholia and brain fever Mad people were often shunned or stoned 1 Big on supernatural 2 Witches and witchcraft was accepted as real but was considered a mere nuisance and overrated by superstitious people 3 Severe emotional shock physical illness or injury were most often seen as the cause for bizarre behaviors 4 Most were attributed to physical causes or trauma 5 Witchcraft Argued that people accused of witchcraft must have been mentally ill These people were suffering from delusions or hallucinations signs of psychological disorders Explained that witches were just psychologically abnormal but refuted by the Church they are two distinct different things Psychic epidemics are defined as a phenomenon in which large numbers of people engage in unusual behaviors that appear to have a psychological origin 6 Psychic Epidemics 1 11th or 12th century hospitals began to include special rooms or facilities for people exhibiting abnormal behavior 2 Housed against their will often in extremely harsh conditions 3 Patients were exhibited to the public for a fee lived in filth confinement often chained to walls or locked inside small boxes 4 First Act for Regulating Madhouses in England passed in 1774 intended to clean up the deplorable conditions of the asylums and protecting people from
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