n what causes abnormality? n bad genetic code n bad brain: chemical / structural n bad parenting n bad schooling/friends n bad societal institutions/structure n who gets blamed? who gets responsibility? e.g., criminal deviance. abnormal psychology

theory in psychopathology n we do not ask a question without knowing the answer -- Plato. n where does the problem come from? n role of theory- level of analysis (many truths) –medication/genetic bias- consequences for treatment (individual and societal levels). biochemical imbalance- localizes problem in the patient. –therapy- promote self-awareness and agency. problems are interpersonal, historical n difficulty of measurement (minds are complex)

abnormal psychology n how do we explain psychopathology: n biological disease--medical model n problems in learning n symptom clusters n spectrum versus discrete entities n character traits and normal distributions –personality dimensions: Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness.

normal distribution

abnormal psychology: truths n basic truths: n 1) nature and nurture n 2) internal versus external causes n 3) currently we favor descriptions over explanations n 4) political/societal motivations impact where we localize disorders

n problems of base rates, statistical nonsense and risk factors n we are bad statisticians: availability heuristic, illusory correlations, mistaken weight given to a few cases-- ‘I know someone who…’, etc. n base rates-problems of detection. sexual disorders, dissociative identity disorder, etc. abnormal psychology

Theory Conduct Study Compare results to predictions Update theory