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Psychology 360

INTRODUCTION!

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Some Relevant Terms

Abnormal Behavior

Psychopathology

Psychiatric Problem

Emotion Disorder

Problems in daily Living

Mental Illness

Crazy

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But how do we determine what

abnormal behavior is?

What criteria should we use

to distinguish between

normal and abnormalbehavior?

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Some Possible Definitions

Statistical infrequency

Violation of Norms

Personal DistressDistress to others

Disability or dysfunction

Unexpectedness

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Harmful Dysfunction

Jerome Wakefield

DysfunctionA trait fails to optimallyperform the specific function that it was

evolutionarily designed to perform.

Harmful A social judgment that a

dysfunction is undesirable.

Abnormality is implied when a dysfunction

is viewed as harmful by society.

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Professionals who Treat Abnormal

Behavior

Clinical Psychologists

Hold a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.

4 years of graduate school, 1-year clinical

internship, 1-year post-doctoral placement

Expertise in diagnosis, treatment, testing.

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Psychiatrists

Completed medical school

Completed a psychiatric

residency

Expertise in diagnosis,

treatment, and medical

interventions.

The only mental health

professional qualified to

prescribe (but this is changing).

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Social Workers

Have completed a M.S.W.

with additional training and

in psychiatric issues.

Expertise in treatment,

often with a strong

background in group andfamily therapy

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Marriage and Family Therapists/

Counselors/Mental Health Workers

Have a variety of

different degrees - such

as M.F.C.C., M.A., orB.A.

Exact qualifications varyacross setting.

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The Prime Directive

Psychologists must avoid

dual relationships!

A dual relationship is one in whichan individual has two separate

relationship roles. Relationshiproles include:

Therapist

Romantic partner or friend

Business Partner

Student or Instructor

Patient

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Historical Perspectives

1. Demonology and Superstition

2. The Somatogenic Perspective

3. The Dark Ages

4. The Asylum Movement

5. Moral treatment

6. The Mental Hygiene Movement

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Emil Kraepelin and the return of the

Somatogenic Perspective

Kraepelin authored a psychiatry

textbook and classification system.

His basic assumptions: All disorders are distinct

All disorders have a unique biological

cause.

Clinical diagnosis is based on careful

observation

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Rise of the Psychogenic

PerspectiveHysteria emerges as a major mental health

problem.

Anton Mesmer uses a series of bizarreinterventions, some of which are related to

hypnotism, as a cure.

Jean-Martin Charcot conducts morescientific studies of hypnotism.

What aspects of their work led to idea that

disorders are psychological in origin?

Th K h

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Thomas Kuhn

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Paradigms guide allscientific inquiry and

thought in a particular area.

A paradigm is a guiding

set of assumptions,theories, and methods.

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Fall of a Paradigm

When a paradigm fails to explain

phenomena, a period of crisis occurs.

Eventually, the paradigm falls and is

replaced by a new paradigm.

A new paradigm emerges and guides all

thinking in the area. This paradigm will

remain dominant until a new crisis occurs.