Abnormal Behavior

What is normal?• Is the behavior considered strange within the person’s culture? Does the

behavior cause personal distress? Does the behavior lead to impaired functioning? Is the person a danger to self or others? Is the person legally responsible for his/her acts?

3 Approaches to Defining Abnormal Behavior• Deviance Approach = any behavior that is different from what is average– defn has limitations because the majority is not always right

• Adjustment Approach = if a person is unable to get along physically, emotionally, or socially, he is abnormal– ie. failing to adjust to society

• Psychological Health Approach = mental illness is like a physical illness: treatable & curable– one who does not strive toward ideal functioning is abnormal

Causes of Mental Illness • Outdated = related to the devil or witches• hereditary theory = run in families

– ex. Manic depression affects .2-.8% of general population, but if parent has it, kids 40% likely to get it

• Biochemical theory = induced by outside chemicals (drugs) or from within (diet)• Social influences = poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition, alcoholism, lack of child care• Learned personality disorders theory = inferiority feelings, low self-esteem & self-worth

usually resulting from relations with parents & experiences of failureClassification• DSM-III-R = Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders• Set up by APA in 1952• Standard system for describing & classifying mental/psych disorders2 Types of Mental Disorders • Neurosis (no longer use this word) = disorder causing personal distress & some impairment

in functioning but don’t lose contact with reality or violate social norms• Psychosis = severe mental disorder; person is unable to deal with reality & withdraws into

private world

Neurosis • Neurosis characterized by...unrealistic view of self,

anxiety/feeling of being in danger, panic attacks, difficulty forming stable & satisfying relationships

• Symptoms = anxious, muscle tension, indigestion, problems sleeping, headaches

• Causes = unconscious desires & conflicts which have no solutions, and nervous system disorder

Neurosis: Anxiety• Generalized anxiety disorder = people experience excessive

or unrealistic worry & anxiety about several areas in their lives

Neurosis: Anxiety/Phobias • Defn: When severe anxiety is focused on a particular object or situation• ie. intense, persistent, irrational fear of something• agorophobia = fear of open spaces (most likely phobia to drive a person to get

professional help)• social phobia = fear social situations (feel they will embarrass themselves)• simple phobia = catchall category for any phobia other than agora. & social

phobia• Phobic individuals develop elaborate plans to avoid situations that produce

anxiety– could interfere with everyday life & functioning

• Theories on what causes phobias: – 1) may result from frightening experiences– 2) form of projection--person fears feeling within himself--unconsciously

projects feelings outside self

Neurosis: Anxiety/Obsessions • Acute anxiety can trigger obsessions = thinking the same thought

over & over – many obsessions center on aggression, sex, or religion– ex. “I will kill my dog.”

Neurosis: Anxiety/Compulsions• Acute anxiety may also trigger compulsions = persistent,

irrational urge to perform an act or ritual repeatedly– ex. Washing hands

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder = combines the two disorders• Problem when thoughts & actions interfere with everyday life• Theory on what causes this disorder: thoughts & actions reduce

anxiety because they divert the person’s attention from what really causes the anxiety

Neurosis: Somatoform Disorders • Physical symptoms with no apparent physical causes• 2 types:– hypochondriasis– conversion disorder

• Hypochondriasis = preoccupied with health & convinced they have some serious disorder despite reassurance from doctors of the contrary

• Conversion disorder = convert anxiety into loss of physiological function– loss of hearing, speech– loss of movement--paralysis– this “frees” the person from anxiety by focusing on physical problem

Neurosis: Dissociation• Person disassociates himself from anxiety-producing situation by

loss of memory or producing a new identity• Psychogenic amnesia = memory loss• Psychogenic fugue= memory loss, wanders away, assumes new ID• multiple personalities /split personality = 2 or more distinct

identities• Causes of multiple personality disorder– 90% women– 95% had physical &/or sexual abuse (usually more sadistic &

bizarre than most abuse cases; ex. burned with irons, locked in trunks)

• How to account for the 5% who were not abused?– alternate personalities come forth to express forbidden sexual

or aggressive impulses that would be unacceptable to the original personality

Neurosis: Major Depression • Type of mood disorder• feelings of sadness, guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, & (sometimes)

suicidal intentions• Seasonal affective disorder = depression changes with seasons– ex. winter depression triggered by light deficiency

• bipolar disorder = extreme highs (mania), extreme lows (depression)• Theories:– Freud = reflect guilt & need for self-punishment– Beck & Seligman = blaming self for normal problems; learned

helplessness (ex. “ I never win.”)– genetic inheritance– brain chemical imbalance (ex. low serotonin or norepinephrine)– Stress (ex. Physical illness, work)

Psychosis • Distorted perceptions & behavior reach such a high level that the

person withdraws from normal lifePsychosis: Schizophrenia• Characterized by confused & disordered thoughts & perceptions;

excitability, hostility toward people close to them• Delusions = false beliefs maintained in the face of contrary evidence

– persecution = conspiracy; paranoia– grandeur = belief that they are special, like God

• Inappropriate or flat affect = facial expressions, tone of voice, & gestures don’t reflect emotions expected under the circumstances– ex. Laugh when see fatal car accident

• Hallucinations = sensations in absence of appropriate stimuli– ex. Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there

• 4 Major Groups– simple schizophrenia = gradually lose interest in life, becoming

more apathetic, listless, noncommunicative• ex. Drifters, prostitutes, homeless

– Catatonic schizophrenia = extreme withdrawal to the point where the person is unresponsive; becomes rigid in posture with periodic violent outbursts

– Paranoid schizophrenia = delusions of grandeur or persecution

– Disorganized (previously called Hebephrenic) schiz. = most dangerous; bizarre behavior & speech, obscene behavior, inappropriate emotions• ex. Masturbate in public, swallow any kind of

object• Causes: – genetic predisposition– excessive dopamine activity in brain (affects emotions)

Psychosis: Affective Disorders (Manic-Depressive) • Person experiences severe mood swings between elation &

extreme sadness• manic type = extreme confusion, disorientation, elation,

incoherence• Depressive type = extreme feelings of failure, despair, &

worthlessness– may descend into a stupor--not eating, speaking, or moving

Psychosis: Autism• Childhood psychosis characterized by lack of communication,

irregular speech, ritual-like behavior, & bizarre attachments to physical objects

Causes of Psychosis • Heredity: predisposition or tendency to become psychotic; unsure how it is passed on• Biochemical: chemical imbalances in brain; unsure if they are the cause or the result of the

illness• Double Bind theory = parents send mixed messages to child, child is caught in a double-

bind, resulting in their perceptions as adults that the world is a confusing, disconnected place, developing disordered behavior & thought

Personality Disorders• Unable to…

– establish close relationships– assume social responsibilities– adapt to social environment

Personality Disorders: Antisocial (Sociopath/ Psychopath) Disorder• irresponsible, immature, shallow, selfish

– goal = thrill-seeking– no morality, conscience, no remorse for actions

Personality Disorders: Passive Aggressive• Resist demands to perform adequately through forgetfulness, procrastination, stubbornness, &

intentional inefficiency• Causes of personality disorders:

– imitating anti-social parents– lack of or inconsistent discipline– controlled by “id”--loss of “superego” (Freud)