Abnormal

Psychology
Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders 5e

Richard P. Halgin
Susan Krauss Whitbourne
University of Massachusetts at Amherst

slides by Travis Langley

Henderson State University
Chapter 1

Understanding Abnormality:
A Look at History
and Research Methods
DO YOU THINK ANY OF THESE
BEHAVIORS ARE ABNORMAL?
 Having a “lucky” seat in an exam?
 Being unable to eat, sleep, or study for days after
the breakup of a relationship?
 Breaking into a cold sweat at the thought of being
trapped in an elevator?
 Refusing to eat solid food for days to stay thin?
 Thorough hand-washing after riding a bus?
 Believing government agents monitor your phone
calls?
 Drinking a 6-pack daily to be “sociable”?
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR:
 Distress
 Impairment
 Risk to self or
other people
 Socially and
culturally
unacceptable
behavior
What Causes
Abnormality?
Causes of Abnormality
Biological genetic inheritance
medical conditions
brain damage
exposure to environmental stimuli

Psychological traumatic life experiences

learned associations
distorted perceptions
faulty ways of thinking

Sociocultural disturbances in intimate relationships

problems in extended relationships
political or social unrest
discrimination toward one’s social group
Statistical Deviation
 Uncommon behavior/not average
 Height example
 Bell Curve example

 Genius would be abnorma;

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Social Norm violation
 Breaking cultural norms
 Expectations of right and wrong ways to
do things
 Norms are deeply ingrained
 How to dress, behavior in social setting
etc.
 (New cultural group)

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Maladaptive Behavior
 Can’t adapt to demands of life
 Disrupts social group functioning
 Abuses, violent, argumentative, drugs

 Charles Manson

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Personal Distress
 Always in distress (more inward)
 Depression, anxiety

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Medical disorder
 Physical disease

 Alzheimers
 PTS

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Causes of Abnormality
Three dimensions of the causes of abnormality:
 biological
 psychological
 sociocultural

Social scientists use the term

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL to characterize the
interactions among these three dimensions.
Biological Causes
Possible biological causes
 Genetics
 Disturbances in physical functioning
 Medical conditions (e.g., thyroid problem)
 Brain damage
 Ingestion of substances
 Environmental stimuli (e.g., toxins)
Psychological Causes
Possible psychological causes
 Troubling life experiences
 Interpersonal – between people
(e.g., arguments)
 Intrapsychic – within thoughts and feelings
(e.g., irrational interpretations)
Sociocultural Causes
Sociocultural circles of influence
 Immediate circle – people with whom we
interact most locally.
 Extended circle of relationships such as
family back home or friends from high
school.
 People in our environment with whom we
interact minimally.
Biopsychosocial
Perspective
Diathesis-Stress Model:
The proposal that people are born
with a predisposition (or "diathesis”)
that places them at risk for developing
a psychological disorder if exposed to
certain extremely stressful life
experiences.
 The Human
Experience of
Psychological
Disorders
 MYTHS OF MENTAL
ILLNESS
 Creative people are a little “crazy.”
 People with mental disorders are dangerous.
 Most older people are senile.
 Freud was only concerned with sex.
 Criminals are born “bad.”
 Asthma is caused by emotional problems.
 Suicidal individuals rarely talk about suicide.
 People with schizophrenia have multiple
personalities.
Impact on the Individual

 Stigma  Distress
Stigma:
A label that causes certain
people to be regarded as
different, defective, and set
apart from mainstream
members of society.
Impact on the Family

 Affected by loved ones’ distress.

 Also share a sense of stigma.
Impact on the Community
and Society
 Homelessness
 Health attention
 Communities divided