PSYC 116 y

abnormal psychology
an introduction

levelling-off of
expectations

my turn
dos! pretty please ;)
your performance in this class
* be present all the time CHARr!

* recap

* submit requirements
* be open-minded
* be non (less) judgemental
* memorize facts and understand them
*
*

secure your own text book:

Abnormal Psychology an Integrative Approach 7th ed.
by Barlow & Durand

donts

oh please :(

* dillydally
* dont be absent, there will be a quiz every meeting
* lose the moment in class
* tagging/calling someone boang
* interns syndrome
syllabus

In the last four days have you had some nausea? Some chills? Muscle fatigue? A sore throat? These are the first
symptoms of the Ebola virus and you will soon have severe hemorrhaging and begin to bleed out of your organs.
You will be dead within 7-16 days.

In reality you do not have the Ebola virus (if you do there are bigger issues in your soon to be over
life than reading this).

Just because you exhibit the symptoms of a disease, does NOT

mean that you have the disease.
In this chapter we will be examining all different types of psychological disorders.
You will have the tendency to apply the symptoms of these disorders to yourself and
loved ones. Don't. Just because a person displays some symptoms of a disorder does
not mean they have the disorder. Otherwise we would all have died of Ebola years
ago.

abnormal psychology
This picture in NO WAY represents someone
with a psychological disorder. I want us to
remember that sometimes we joke about
these issues, but they are, at there core,
serious problems that are treatable.

lets have an exercise!

anxious couple
Sharon and Tom live in New York. Sharon feels ner vous when she
goes to parties until she has one or t wo drinks. At the party she
chats with others even though she feels shy.
Tom makes excuses to avoid going out with co-workers after
work. As far as anyone knows, he doesnt have any friends and
doesnt seem to want any. He does his job but has lost several
opportunities for advancement because he doesnt socialize.
Who has a diagnosable problem?

Anxious New York Pair: Answer

Tom is the one at risk for a severe mental health problem. The lack of a social net work is serious
(meets criteria 1, 2, and 3).

Sharon does not have a significant dysfunction. Although her distress is real to her (meets criteria
1), she still manages to go to parties (fails criteria 2 for diagnosable problem). Taking a drink to fee
better is culturally condoned (fails criteria 3). It may not be a good long term solution, however.

2.

criteria for abnormal behavior usually requires all three of the following:
1. a problem or dysfunction in cognitive, emotional or behavioral functioning.
typically, severe distress or severe impairment in basic areas of functioning (work, family,
social areas).
3. a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

drinking in college

Harry and John are sophomores at a university in Texas. On football weekends Harry parties until he is
drunk. He prides himself on never drinking before noon and remembering what he did when drunk. He
thinks that drinking makes him more sociable and one of the guys.
John drinks every weekend, for any excusebecause hes happy, hes sad, he got a good grade, he got a
bad one. He also thinks drinking makes him more sociable and one of the guys but he has lost more than
a few friends because he puts alcohol first. His former girlfriend thinks he is a very unhappy person.
Who has a diagnosable problem?

Drinking in college: Answer

John is definitely in trouble. His drinking has more of the characteristics of an addiction, or dependence to use
the proper term (meets criteria 1 and 2). His problem may be disguised in his current culture (college life)
depending on local norms for alcohol consumption (unclear criteria 3). And some individuals have a problem in
college and it ameliorates after graduation.
Harrys behavior is culturally typical (fails criteria 3) but could have potential to develop into psychological
dysfunction, especially depending on family role models. He is not distressed and seems to be avoiding at least the
most egregious problems of drunkenness (fails criteria 1 and 2).

2.

criteria for abnormal behavior usually requires all three of the following:
1.
a problem or dysfunction in cognitive, emotional or behavioral functioning.
typically, severe distress or severe impairment in basic areas of functioning (work, family, social areas).
3.
a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

interfering fears
Mary and Shanika both live and work in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Mary has developed a fear of
elevators. To avoid them she climbs 5 flights to get to her apartment and 4 for her job. She is very
embarrassed about her fear and has gone to great lengths to conceal it. She frequently feigns illness,
forgetfulness or in other ways avoids others so she doesnt leave work or her apartment at the same
time.
Since Shanika was a child she has been afraid of clowns. If one is present at an office or family party she
is quiet and stays near the back of the room until the clown leaves. There is a balloon store on the same
floor as her work place and she walks past it in a hurry to avoid any potential clowns on the way to
work. If one is on the elevator with her she avoids looking in the clowns direction.
Who has a diagnosable problem?

Mary has the more serious, diagnosable problem. Her fear is interfering with her work and
social life, shes unhappy about it, and it is not culturally expected (meets all 3 criteria).
Shanika is coping with her fear and so far isnt letting it stop her from doing anything she
needs to do (fails to meet any of the criteria for a diagnosable disorder). The good news is that
fears, even more serious ones, are generally quite straightfor ward to treat.
Remember that the criteria for abnormal behavior usually requires all three of the following:
1.
a problem or dysfunction in cognitive, emotional or behavioral functioning.
2.
typically, severe distress or severe impairment in basic areas of functioning (work,
family, social areas).
3.
a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

odd people
Tasha and Leah live in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a small town. Tasha is an artist
who sells her works nationally and has filled her front yard with her sculptures,
many portraying nude figures. Shes also let her grass grow uncut and calls her
yard her Garden of Eden and has art events there with the local artist
community. The neighbors are upset and want her behavior to change.
Leah can often be found near the downtown square with her flowered shopping
bag, talking to people who arent there. She lives on charity. Most of the persons
who work around the square keep an eye out for her because they knew her
mother.
Who has a diagnosable problem?

Leah has a serious problem. She seems to be having hallucinations and those can be signs of
some major mental health problems (fails criteria 1 in terms of cognitive functioning). She
also doesnt seem to be able to find or perhaps hold onto productive work (fails criteria 2)
and talking to people who arent there is not a typical or culturally expected response (fails
criteria 3).
Tasha may be unconventional (meets criteria 3) but she seems content in her social and
work life and is not in distress (fails criteria 1 and 2). There is danger in letting society
declare persons who are simply unconventional to be mentally ill thus all 3 criteria are
necessary.
criteria for abnormal behavior usually requires all three of the following:
1.
a problem or dysfunction in cognitive, emotional or behavioral functioning.
2.
typically, severe distress or severe impairment in basic areas of functioning (work,
family, social areas).
3.
a response that is not typical or culturally expected.

appearance challenges
Sam and Paulo are students in a small liberal arts college in California. Sam is an officer in his
fraternity. He is very driven. His fraternity has won every interfraternity event for the past
3 semesters, mostly due to his efforts. Despite this success he is very insecure about his
appearance. Hes known to spend up to 2 hours in front of his mirror trying to make his nose
less horrible by rearranging his hair or changing his clothing. He falls into depression over how
hideous he feels and is saving money for surgery. His fraternity brothers and sorority little
sisters are mystified by his behavior, seeing nothing wrong with his nose or his overall looks.
Paulo is glad to finally be pursuing his dream of becoming a dancer. He used to train with his
mother at her studio. He is very weight conscious, keeping records of all his meals and checking
that they are nutritionally balanced. He works out for at least 2 hours every day. He knows
that his body is the major tool of his chosen profession. Often he is too anxious before a
performance to eat dinner.
Who has a diagnosable problem?

Sam is a candidate for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. His concern over his nose is
interfering with this daily life, he is very distressed about it and yet it does not
match other peoples perceptions of his appearance.
Paolos behavior matches the work he has chosen to undertake, that of a dancer. He
is engaging in behaviors that will help him succeed without taking them to
extremes.
Remember that the criteria for abnormal behavior usually requires all three of the
following:
1.
a problem or dysfunction in cognitive, emotional or behavioral functioning.
2.
typically, severe distress or severe impairment in basic areas of functioning
(work, family, social areas).
3.
a response that is not typical or culturally expected.
That's all! How did you do?

what then is psychological disorder?

a psychological dysfunction within an individual associated

with distress or impairment in functioning and as a
response that is not typically or culturally expected

abnormal behavior
behavior that departs from some norm and that
harms the affected individual or others

let us remember the 3 Ds in distinguishing abnormality

deviance

discomfort
dysfunction

deviance
related to how often or how rarely the condition occurs
bizarre behavior is abnormal deviation from an accepted standard of
behavior
e.g severe disorientation, hallucinations, delusions
disorientation: confusion with regard to identity, place, or time
hallucinations: false impressions (pleasant/unpleasant) the
involve the senses
delusions: false beliefs steadfastly held by an individual despite
contradictory objective evidence (delusion of grandeur, delusion
of persecution)

discomfort
discomforts may be physical or psychological; physical reaction stems from
a strong psychological components: asthma, hypertension, ulcers,
physical symptoms: fatigue, nausea, heart palpitation
can be manifested in extreme or prolonged emotional reactions of which
depression & anxiety are the most prevalent and common

dysfunction
often manifested in role performance
assess: compare the an individuals performance with the requirements
of a role
emotional problems sometimes interfere with the
performance of these roles
compare individuals performance with his or her potential
(it is difficult to accurately assess potentials)
maladaptiveness: if the behavior interferes with the ability to function in life or
in society

cultural considerations in abnormality

all behaviours originate from a cultural context

culture is a shared learned behavior which is transmitted from
one generation to another for purposes of individual and
societal growth, adjustment, and adaptation

therefore,

abnormal behavior describes behavioural,

psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are
unexpected in their cultural context and associated
with present distress and impairment in functioning

the scientific study of psychological disorders is known as PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

3 major categories that make up the study &

discussion of psychological disorders

clinical description
causation (etiology)
treatment & outcome
at this point, important terminologies will be discussed

clinical description
represents the unique combination of
behaviours, thoughts, and feelings that make
up a specific disorder
clinical refers to (1) types of problems or
disorders that you will find in a clinic or
hospital (2) activities connected with
assessment and treatment
presenting problem: descriptions of specific
problem why a person came to the clinic

important function of clinical description

specify what makes the disorder different from
normal behavior
relevance of statistical data:
prevalence: how many in the given population have
the disorder?
(statistics on how many new cases occur during
a given period represent the incidence of the
disorder)
sex ratio: % of male & female having the disorder
age of onset: when the start of disorder occur

prognosis
anticipated course of a disorder:
the prognosis is good individual
will probably recover
the prognosis is guarded probable
outcome doesn't look good

etiology
the study of origin (why the
disorder begin) what causes it:
biological, psychological, and social
dimensions

most disorders follow a pattern, or course:

chronic course: tend to last long time,
sometimes a lifetime (eg schizophrenia)
episodic course: recovering for a few
months only to suffer a recurrence of the
disorder in a later time
time-limited course: disorder will improve
without treatment in relatively short
period

onset of disorders
acute onset
they begin suddenly
insidious onset
develop gradually over an
extended period of time

the mental health professions

clinical psychology
concerned with the study, assessment,
treatment, and prevention of abnormal
behavior in disturbed individuals (clinical
psychologists must hold a Ph.D degree from a
university of a Psy.D degree)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs

Perform academic research
Longer program than a PsyD
Often harder programs to get into
More accepted than a PsyD
Though research-focused, PhD programs emphasize research training
with applied or practice training
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Programs
Perform in the field in clinical settings
Shorter programs than the PhD
Often easier to get into
Students get clinical experience earlier in this doctoral program than
in a PhD program
Graduates should research schools carefully for accreditation and
legitimacy
Programs awarding the PsyD place strong emphasis on preparing
graduates for professional practice as practitioner-scholars

school psychology
the field of study concerned with the process
of cognitive and emotional development of
students in educational settings
it focuses on the processes of learning,
remembering, and thinking and on human
development as it applies to the educational
process.
they may hold either masters or doctoral
degree

psychiatric social work

trained in school of social work,
usually in a graduate program leading
to a masters degree or DSW
work in family counselling services or
community agencies, where they
specialise in intake (assessment and
screening of clients), take psychiatric
histories and deal with other agencies)

counselling psychology
more or less the same with the clinical
psychology is counselling psychology is
more concerned with the study of life
problems in relatively normal people
psychiatry
hold an MD degree: include the 4 years
in medical degree required plus 3 or 4
years of training in psychiatry

marriage and family therapists & mental

health counsellors
typically spend 1-2 years in MA degree
and are employed to provide clinical
services by hospitals or clinics, usually
under the super vision of a doctorallevel clinician

in short,
mental health professional is a
consumer of science
enhancing the practice
evaluator of science
determining the effectiveness of the practice
creator of science
conducting research that leads to new procedures
useful in practice

assignment:
read ahead: the historical
conception of abnormal behavior
prepare for a quiz
abnormality inter view