Historical Context of Abnormal Psychology and Definitions of Abnormal Behavior Chapter 1

Some Terms & Definitions Psychopathology Prevalence - # people with the disorder at a given time Incidence - # new cases in a given time period (# people who develop the disorder) Prognosis – the expected course and outcome of the disorder Etiology – causes of the disorder, how & why it developed

The Past: Abnormal Behavior and the Supernatural Tradition Deviant behavior as a battle of “Good” vs. “Evil” Deviant behavior was believed to be caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, sorcery Mass hysteria and the church Treatments included exorcism, snake pits, beatings, and crude surgeries Movement of the moon and stars as a cause of deviant behavior Paracelsus and lunacy Both “Outer Force” views were popular during the Middle Ages Few believed that abnormality was an illness on par with physical disease

trephination

The Past: The Biological Tradition Comes of Age Hippocrates & Galen- 4 humors (blood, black bile,yellow bile, phlegm), melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric, hysteric personalities General paresis (Syphilis) and the biological link with madness Associated with several unusual psychological and behavioral symptoms Pasteur discovered the cause – A bacterial microorganism Led to penicillin as a successful treatment Bolstered the view that mental illness = physical illness and should be treated as such John Grey, MD., Psychiatrist, American Journal of Insanity. “All mental illness due to physical causes”. Hippocrates – Brain was basis for mental illness, brain pathology, brain trauma, heredity Galen – humoral theory (bodily fluids out of balance), led to practice of bleeding John Grey in U.S. – view that mental illness ALWAYS result of physical illness; treat humanely as if physically ill; so until discovered cause thought to be incurable, just hospitalize for lengthy time Moral therapy – treat as normally as possible, focus on heir individual dignity; asylum reform mid 19th century Dorothea Dix – mental hygiene movement; improve standards of care, include homeless, immigrants, etc.

The Past: Consequences of the Biological Tradition Mental Illness = Physical Illness The 1930s: Biological treatments were standard practice Insulin shock therapy, ECT, and brain surgery (i.e., lobotomy) By the 1950s several medications were established Examples include neuroleptics (i.e., reserpine) and major tranquilizers

Psychological Traditions Moral Therapy & Mental Hygiene Movement (1700s – Late 1800s) Pinel, Tuke, Rush, and Dorothea Dix Psychoanalytic Theory (late 1800s – 1950s) Mesmer, Charcot, Freud, psychodynamic theory, psychoanalysis Humanistic Theory (post-WWII) Rogers, Maslow, self-actualization Behavioral Model (1920s – 1970s) Watson, Pavlov, Skinner, behavior therapy Cognitive-behavioral Model (1960s – present) Bandura, Beck, cognitive-behavioral therapy Freud – extended work started with Josef Breuer, studied cases in mid to late 1800s, used hypnosis and “talk therapy”, later developed his psychoanalytic model; structure of the mind (id, ego, superego), defense mechanisms, stages of psychosexual development Later psychodynamic developments – ego psychology by Anna Freud and others, object relations theory by Melanie Klein, Otto Kernbeg; free association and dream analysis techniques Later developments by Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, kern Horney, Erich Fromm, Erik Erikson Carl Rogers- person-centered therapy, unconditional positive regard Maslow – self-actualization, hierarchy of needs Pavlov – classical conditioning; taste aversions John Watson – operant conditioning, conditioning of fears Mary Cover Jones – systematic desensitization B.F. Skinner – operant conditioning, reinforcement, learning history, shaping Albert Bandura, Aaron Beck – emphasis on cognitive aspects, social learning model