Normality and Abnormality

Outline Understanding Psychopathology Approaches to Psychopathology What is Normal? What is Psychological Disorder? Approaches to Psychopathology Supernatural Biological Psychological Scientific Method and an Integrative Approach Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Introduction What is normal? Provide examples of what is normal and what isn’t How does the notion of what is normal differ across cultures? Is there a fixed definition of normal just like there are laws of physics? So, how do we construe the definition of what is normal and what is not? Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Understanding Psychopathology Behaviors appears Unpredictable Irrational Harmful Deviate from accepted contemporary social norms Many forms of psychopathology are accompanied by what appear to be changes in the individuals personality or behavior Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Understanding Psychopathology … Abnormal describes behavioral, emotional, or cognitive dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural context and associated with personal distress or substantial impairment in functioning (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Understanding Psychopathology … Normality (physical medicine) Physiological and functional integrity of the body; sometimes equated with “health” Health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Understanding Psychopathology … Normality (psychiatry) The absence of abnormality Concept limited by defining mental health as simply the absence of psychiatric disease  Abnormality is defined in terms of the impact of behavior on the individual‘s ability to function and on his or her sense of well being (Gross, 2010) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Understanding Psychopathology … Psychological disorder consists 3 components Psychological dysfunction Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning (continuum vs. dimension) Personal distress Being extremely upset (caution – sometimes it is normal to be extremely upset) Atypical or not culturally expected behavior Social norms and their possible misuse Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology Culture and tradition Mental illness is caused by demons and witches Shock therapy (pit of snakes, ice-cold water) Exorcism (religious rituals to get rid of evil spirits) Mental illness is caused by stress Rest, sleep, a healthy and happy environment Mental illness is caused by the movements of the moon and the stars Pracelsus, lunatic Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … The biological tradition Hippocrates Mental illness caused by brain pathology, head trauma, heredity Galen Humoral theory of disorders (blood, black bile, yellow bile, phlegm) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Biological tradition … Pasteur’s germ theory of disease Mental illness can be caused by a bacterial infection (syphilis) John P. Grey Insanity is always due to physical causes and patients suffering from mental illness should be treated as physically ill Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Biological Focus on diagnosis Search for biological causes and classification Therapy Undiscovered psychopathology – reduced interest in treating patients Insulin shock therapy Electroconvulsive therapy - ECT Chemical drugs Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Psychological Plato and Aristotle Moral therapy 18th century – treating patients as normally as possible in normal environments Mental hygiene movement Effort to improve care for mentally disordered and make it more accessible Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Psychological Psychoanalytic theory Mesmerism – ancestor of hypnosis, using unconscious processes in therapy Structure of the mind (id, ego, superego) Defense mechanisms (coping styles in response to particular situations, e.g. displacement, denial) Psychosexual stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital) Therapy (free association, dream analysis, hypnosis) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Freud’s Structure of the Mind 17 November 2018 Normality and Abnormality

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Humanistic theory Self-actualizing - we need a freedom to grow in order to reach our highest potential Maslow (hierarchy of needs) Person-centered therapy (Rogers) - unconditional positive regard and empathy Behaviorist Theory Classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov) Little Albert (Watson) Systematic desensitization (Joseph Wolpe) Behavior therapy (conditioning and reward) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Integrative Approach Integration of biological, psychological, social and other approaches to diagnosis and treatment of disorder Scientific approach to mental disorders Prevalence (number of people in the population suffering from a disorder at a given time) Incidence (number of new cases appearing during a specific time period) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … Integrative Approach… Course (pattern of development, e.g. chronic course, episodic course, time-limited course) Prognosis (anticipated course of a disorder) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

Different Approaches to Psychopathology … The scientific study of psychological disorders Mental health professionals Clinical psychologists (more severe disorders) Counseling psychologists (vocational issues) Psychiatrists (emphasize biological treatments) Psychiatric social workers (focused on social and family issues) Psychiatric nurses (treatment in hospitals) Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018

References King, L.A (2008) the Science of Psychology, McGraw-Hill Lahey, B.B (2004) Psychology An Introduction 8th Edition; McGraw-Hill Gross, R. (2010) Psychology the Science of Mind and Behaviors 6th edition; Macmillan Company Normality and Abnormality 17 November 201817 November 2018