OVERVIEW TO UNDERSTANDING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR Chapter 1 Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

DO YOU THINK ANY of these behaviors are abnormal? Finding a “lucky” seat in an exam Unable to eat, sleep, or study for days after ending 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 six-pack of beer a day in order to be “sociable” Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

How do we define a psychological disorder? Abnormal behavior that involves disturbance of psychological function or behavior. Psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment that is not typical or culturally appropriate Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Criteria for a Psychological Disorder Clinical significance Distress Behavior cannot be a socially expectable response Psychological or biological disturbance Behavior cannot be defined in terms of social rebellion or deviance Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

What Causes Abnormal Behavior? Incorporate biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Abnormal Behavior is created by a variety of factors Biological Factors (genetics, biochemistry, and brain structures) Psychological Factors (Personality traits, coping ability, and perception) Sociocultural Factors (Experiences throughout life, family dynamics, and your environment) Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

When these factors come together in the perfect combination, psychological disorders emerge Biological Factors Psychological Factors Sociocultural Factors Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Table 1.1- Causes of Abnormal Behavior Stigma: Label that causes certain people to be regarded as: Different, defective, and set apart from mainstream members of society. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Biopsychosocial Perspective Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors is seen as influencing the development of the individual Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Abnormal Psychology Throughout History Prominent themes in explaining psychological disorders - Spiritual, scientific, and humanitarian. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Scientific Approach Hippocrates (ca. 460–377 b.c.) Claudius Galen (a.d. 130–200) Benjamin Rush (1745–1813) Hippocrates - Founder of modern medicine. Believed that there were four important bodily fluids that influenced physical and mental health, leading to four personality dispositions. Claudius Galen developed a system of medical knowledge based on anatomical studies. Benjamin Rush - Founder of American psychiatry. Rekindled interest in the scientific approach to psychological disorders. Occupational therapy Treatment - Bloodletting and purging, tranquilizer, fright inducement. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The Scientific Approach Scientists made very few significant advances in the understanding of abnormality until the eighteenth century. Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), the founder of American psychiatry, rekindled interest in the scientific approach to psychological disorders. The scientific approach to psychological disorders also gained momentum as psychiatrists and psychologists proposed behavior models that included explanations and medically-based treatments for abnormality. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Scientific Approach Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) Positive psychology Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis. Theory and system of practice that relied on the concepts of the unconscious mind, inhibited sexual impulses, and early development. Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning that became the basis for the behaviorist movement. B. F. Skinner formulated a systematic approach to operant conditioning. Specifying the types and nature of reinforcement as a way to modify behavior. Positive psychology: Emphasizes the potential for growth and change throughout life. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Spiritual Approach This approach regarded psychological disorders as the product of possession by evil or demonic spirits. Treatments included: Trephining Exorcism Treatments recommended by church Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Humanitarian Approach The humanitarian approach developed throughout history, in part as a reaction against the spiritual approach and its associated punishment of people with psychological disorders This approach regarded psychological disorders as the result of cruelty, stress, or poor living conditions Moral treatment Mental hygiene movement Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Center Construction Act Moral treatment - Notion that people could develop self-control over their behaviors if they had a quiet and restful environment. Mental hygiene movement - Humanitarian goals that Dix advocated had a lasting influence on the mental health system. Her work was carried forward into the twentieth century by advocates. Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Center Construction Act initiated a series of changes that would affect mental health services for decades to come. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Research Methods in Abnormal Psychology Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The essence of the scientific method is objectivity, the process of testing ideas about the nature of psychological phenomena without bias before accepting these ideas as adequate explanations. This process can be conducted with a variety of descriptive and experimental research designs Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Scientific Method Objectivity Ideal approach Testing ideas about the nature of psychological phenomena without bias before accepting these ideas as adequate explanations. Ideal approach involves a set of steps in which the psychologist: Proposes a hypothesis. Conducts a study. Collects and analyzes the data. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Experimental Design Independent variable Dependent variable Quasi-experimental Placebo condition Double-blind Independent variable: Level is adjusted or controlled by the experimenter. Dependent variable: Value is the outcome of the experimenter’s manipulation of the independent variable. Quasi-experimental - Studies that investigate differences among groups not determined by random assignment. Placebo condition: Participants receive a treatment similar to the experimental treatment. Lacking the key feature of the treatment of interest. Double-blind: Neither the person giving the treatment nor the person receiving the treatment knows: Whether the participant is in the experimental or control group. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Correlational Design Correlation statistic Positive correlations Negative correlations Involve tests of relationships between variables that researchers cannot experimentally manipulate. Correlation statistic in terms of a number between -1 and +1. Positive numbers represent positive correlations. Scores on one variable increase, scores on the second variable increase. Negative correlations - Scores on one variable increase, scores on the second variable decrease. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Types of Research Studies Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Table 1.3 - Research Methods in Abnormal Psychology Survey Incidence: Frequency of new cases within a given time period. Prevalence: Number of people who have ever had a disorder at a given time or over a specified period. Case study Qualitative research: Provides research with methods of analyzing complex relationships that do not easily lend themselves to conventional statistical methods. Behavioral genetics Concordance rate: Agreement ratios between people diagnosed as having a particular disorder and their relatives. Gene mapping: Attempt by biological researchers to identify the structure of a gene and the characteristics it controls. Molecular genetics: Study of how genes translate hereditary information. Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

For more information on material covered in this chapter, visit our Web site: http://www.mhhe.com/whitbourne7eupdate Copyright (c) 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.