Unit 12: Abnormal Psychology:
What is Abnormal Behavior???
 Any behavior that goes against what society deems to be
normal either due to infrequency, norm violation, or
personal suffering.
EX: In Europe, I can give a friend the thumbs up to show
approval, but in Italy, I might get attacked.
Impaired Functioning
 Impaired Functioning is when people have difficulty in
fulfilling appropriate and expected family, social, and workrelated roles
 This can be due to a psychological disorder that is either
naturally occurring (such as schizophrenia), a handicap, or
a self-inflicted disability (drug abuse).
The Biopsychology Model of Abnormality
 In the Biopsychology Model, mental disorders are caused
by a combination of interacting biological, psychological,
and sociocultural factors.
EX: Currently, the media is trying to convince us that the
biggest contributor of dysfunction in many ghettos is racist
police. If this is true, the police could be seen as a part of the
Biopsychology Model.
The Neurobiological Model of Abnormality
 In the Neurobiological Model, also called the medical
model, psychological disorders are seen as reflecting
disturbances in the anatomy and chemistry of the brain
and other biological processes
The Psychological Model of Abnormality
 In the Psychological Model, mental disorders are seen as
being caused by psychological processes
The Sociocultural Model of Abnormality
 In the Sociocultural Model, disorders are caused by
cultural factors, such as ethnicity, age, gender, or religion
The Diathesis-Stress Model of Abnormality
 In the Diathesis-Stress Model, psychological disorders are
caused a predisposition for a disorder combined with a
sufficient amount of stress to bring that order about.
EX: A person who may be predisposed to DID may never
develop the disorder if they live a low-stress lifestyle
Classifying Psychological Disorders
 In order for a psychologist to treat a patient, they must
first diagnose which disorder an individual has
 This can be extremely difficult because many disorders
have similar symptoms
DSM V
 DSM V is designed to
help psychologists
diagnose disorders
 It has 324 diagnosable
conditions, 88 health
codes, and 44
explanations of abuse of
people with disorders.
Anxiety Disorders: Phobias
 Phobias are irrational
fears that people have of
items or situations that
does not justify such a
reaction
 Specific Phobias are
anxiety disorders that
people have that are
caused by a specific
stimuli, such as heights or
animals that cause an
individual to avoid that
stimuli
Anxiety Disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 General Anxiety Disorder is when people are not afraid of
anything specific, but are instead filled with dread that
something bad is going to happen
 This can cause loss of sleep, illness, and anti-social
behavior
Anxiety Disorders: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
 In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is an anxiety
disorder that causes a person to perform repetitive rituals
that get in the way of their normal function
EX: I have to change my sheets 3 times per night in order to
keep bed bugs from eating my skin flakes and drinking my
sweat. This ruins my ability to sleep.
Somatoform Disorders:
 A Somatoform Disorder is when there are symptoms of a
physical disorder without a psychological cause.
EX: In phantom limb syndrome, a person can still feel a
removed limb even after it has been removed
Specific Somatoform Disorders:
 Conversion Disorder: A Somatoform Disorder in which a
person displays symptoms of blindness, deafness, or other
symptoms of sensory or motor failure without a physical
cause
 Hypochondriasis: When a person has an intense fear of
illness without cause
 Somatization Disorder: A disorder in which there are
physical complaints without verified physical illness
 Pain Disorder: When a person complains of severe pain
when there is no physical cause
Dissociative Disorders:
 A Dissociative Disorder is one in which a person
experiences sudden and usually temporary disruptions in
memory, consciousness or identity
EX: Some people, after suffering emotional shock, may suffer
temporary but extreme changes in their personality.
Dissociative Disorders: DID
 In DID (also called Multiple Personality Disorder), a
person exhibits more than one distinct personality without
the ability to tell when their personality changes.
 These alternative personalities can be incredibly different
from who the person really is.
Billy Milligan had 24 distinct
personalities, including the
one that was a homicidal
maniac.
Mood Disorders:
 A Mood Disorder is a condition in which a person
experiences extreme moods or mood swings, like
depression and mania
 These disorders can have a specific cause, or they can occur
at random.
Mood Disorders: Major Depressive Disorder
 Major Depressive Disorder (Depression) is when a person
feels sad and hopeless for a long period of time.
 This is the most commonly diagnosed psychological
disorder in America (Approximately ¼ of all Americans
will suffer from depression at some point)
Mood Disorders: Delusions
 Delusions are false beliefs that people who suffer from
major depression and schizophrenia experience
EX: Many religious people who suffer from depression
assume that if they pray more, they will be “cured”. (MR.
CREECH’S DISCALIMER: I am not suggesting that prayer
is delusional, but instead I am arguing that prayer alone is
not enough for many people to “beat” depression and they
may need to seek some form of therapy or medication to help
them)
Mood Disorders: Dysthymic Disorder
 A mood disorder in which a person suffers from relatively
mild depression for at least 2 years
 Like Major Depression, this can be treated by therapy and
medication
Mood Disorders: Mania
 Mania is a temporary elative and very active emotional
state
 Some people experiencing mania will stay up fro days at a
time and have seemingly limitless energy
Mood Disorders: Bipolar I
 People who suffer from bipolar I will alternate between
deep periods of depression and mania
 This can be extremely debilitating for a person trying to
maintain a normal lifestyle
Schizophrenia:
 Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling pattern of
disturbed thinking, emotion, behavior, and perception
 Schizophrenia has a wide variety of symptoms, which
makes it incredibly difficult to treat
 Hallucinations: A symptom of schizophrenia in which
people hear voices or see visions when there is no stimuli
 Positive Symptoms: Symptoms of Schizophrenia, such as
disorganized thoughts, hallucinations, and delusions
 Negative Symptoms: Symptoms of Schizophrenia, such as
absence of pleasure, lack of speech, and flat affect
Personality Disorders:
 A Personality Disorder can be classified as a long-standing,
inflexible ways of behaving that create a variety of
problems
 These problems are manifested as flaws in one’s
personality
Addiction:
 Not all psychological disorders manifest themselves
naturally
 In the case of addiction, we develop a physical need for a
drug or some other stimuli
 This most often is caused by substance abuse, but we can
become addicted to anything
Never too young to start!!!