ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
DEFINING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
Abnormal behavior – it is a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is
associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not
typical or culturally expected.
Psychological Dysfunction – refers to a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or
behavioral functioning. For example, if you are out on a date, it should be fun. But if
you experience severe fear all evening and just want to go home, even though there
is nothing to be afraid of, and the severe fear happens on every date, your emotions
are not functioning well.
Distress or Impairment – this criterion is satisfied if the individual is extremely
upset about the condition.
Defining Normal and Abnormal
Although it is difficult to define “normal,” it is still important to establish guidelines in
order to be able to identify and help people who are suffering. To this end, the fields
of psychology and psychiatry have developed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (known as the DSM-5), a standardized hierarchy of diagnostic
criteria to help discriminate among normal and abnormal (i.e. “pathological”)
behaviors and symptoms. The 5th edition of the American Psychiatric
Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-5) lays
out explicit and specific guidelines for identifying and categorizing symptoms and
diagnoses.
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Clinical Definitions of Abnormal: The DSM
The DSM is a central element of the debate around defining normality,
and it continues to change and evolve. Currently, in the DSM-5 (the fifth
edition), abnormal behavior is generally defined as behavior that violates a
norm in society, is maladaptive, is rare given the context of the culture and
environment, and is causing the person distress in their daily life. Specifically,
the goal of the DSM-5 is to identify abnormal behavior that is indicative of
some kind of psychological disorder. The DSM identifies the specific criteria
used when diagnosing patients; it represents the industry standard for
psychologists and psychiatrists, who often work together to diagnose and
treat psychological disorders.
As the DSM has evolved over time, there have been a number of
conflicts surrounding the categorization of abnormal versus normal mental
functioning. Much of this difficulty comes from distinguishing between an
expected stress reaction (a reaction to stressful life events that could be
considered “normal”) and individual dysfunction (symptoms or stress
reactions that are beyond what a “normal” or expected reaction might be). As
a result, the DSM explicitly distinguishes mental disorders and non-disordered
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ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
conditions. A non-disordered condition results from, or is perpetuated by,
social stressors. To this end, the DSM requires that to meet the diagnostic
criteria for a mental disorder, an individual’s symptoms “must not be merely
an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event; for
example, the death of a loved one. Whatever [the pattern of symptoms’]
original cause, it must currently be considered a manifestation of a behavioral,
psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual.”
That said, if an individual’s response to a particular situation is causing
significant impairment in more than one area of the individual’s life (such as
work, home, school environment, or relationships), it may be considered
abnormal or an indicator of a psychological disorder regardless of its etiology.
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Features of Abnormality: “The Four Ds”
Deviance – unusual, different, extreme
Distress – unpleasant & upsetting. To many clinical guidelines, one
criterion to call it abnormal is when the behavior is personally
distressing but it is not always the case.
Dysfunction – causes interference with daily routine and life.
Danger – abnormal behavior may become dangerous to oneself or
others.
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Stigma - It is important to analyze the societal consequences of diagnosis
because so many people experience mental illness at some point in their lives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a third of
people globally meet the criteria for at least one diagnosable mental disorder
at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, stigma and discrimination can add
to their suffering and disability. This has led various social movements to
work to increase societal awareness and understanding of mental illness and
challenge social exclusion.Society tends to be uncomfortable with
“abnormality”—so if someone does not conform to what is perceived as
normal, they might be given a number of negative labels, such as “sick”,
“crazy”, or “psycho.” These labels lead to discrimination, marginalization, and
isolation of—even violence against—the individual.
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Objective in Identifying Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness
o
o
o
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To
To
To
To
To
make accurate diagnoses
carry out effective treatments
offer reliable prognoses
analyze psychiatric issues as fully as possible
communicate fruitfully with other clinicians
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ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION OF MENTAL DISORDDERS
In any given year in the US, 30% of adults and 19% of children display serious
psychological disturbances and are in need of treatment. In addition most people
have difficulty coping at various times in their lives. Is this the fault of modern
society? Not entirely; historical records demonstrate that every society has witnessed
psychological abnormality and had its own form of treatment.
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History
The Supernatural Tradition
In history, deviant behavior has been considered as reflection of the battle
between good and evil. When confronted with unexplainable, irrational behavior and
by suffering and upheaval, people have perceived evil. In fact, in the Great Persian
Empire form 900 to 600 B.C., all physical and mental disorders were considered as
the work of the devil (Million, 2004).
Stress and Melancholy
An equally strong opinion, even during this period, reflected the enlightened
view that insanity was a natural phenomenon, caused by mental emotion and stress,
and that it was curable (Alexander & Selesnick, 1966, Maher & Maher, 1985a).
Mental depression and anxiety were recognized as illness (Kemp, 1990,
Schoenerman, 1997), although symptoms such as despair and lethargy were often
identified by the church with the sin of acedia, or sloth (Tuchman,1978). Common
treatments were rest, sleep, and a healthy and happy environment. Other treatments
include baths, ointments, and various potions.
Treatments for Possession
With a perceived connection between evil deeds and sin on the one hand and
psychological disorders on the other, it is logical to conclude that the sufferer is
largely responsible for the disorder, which might well be a punishment for evil deeds.
Does this sound familiar? The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
epidemic was associated with a similar belief among some people particularly in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
Possession however, is not always connected with sin but may be seen as
involuntary and the possessed individual as blameless. Furthermore exorcism at least
have the virtue being relatively painless. Interestingly, they sometimes work, as do
other forms of faith healing.
Somewhere along the way a creative “therapist” decided that hanging people
over a pit full of poisonous snakes might scare the evil spirits right out of their bodies.
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ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
The Nineteenth Century: Reform and Moral Treatment
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Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) a French psychiatrist and a pupil of Sauvages
(who developed system based on his detailed observation). He developed the
1st workable psychiatric nosography. 5 forms of insanity: melancholia with
delirium, melancholia without delirium, dementia, idiotism. Avoided
physiological fictions and metaphysical hypotheses. Purely descriptive
Emil Kraeplin a student of Wilhem Wundt, and the “father of systematic
psychiatry.” His book contains his medical classification scheme. Defined 2
major groups of mental disorders: the manic depressive psychoses and
dementia praecox. It defined the discipline of Neurology and Psychiatry.
By the end of the Nineteenth century, there was a reversal of the moral
treatment movement because of several factors.
The Early Twentieth Century: Dual Perspectives
As the moral movement was declining in the late 1800s, two opposing
perspectives emerged:
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The Somatogenic Perspective
o Abnormal functioning has physical causes
o Two factors responsible for rebirth of this perspective:
o Emil Kraepelin’s textbook argued that physical factors are responsible
for mental dysfunction.
o Several biological discoveries were made, such as the link between
untreated syphilis & general paresis
o This approach, while creating optimism, lead to few positive results
until the 1950s, when a number of effective medications were
discovered.
The Psychogenic Perspective
o Abnormal functioning has psychological causes
o Rise in popularity of this perspective was based on work with
hypnotism:
o Friedrich Mesmer and hysterical disorders
o Sigmund Freud: father of psychoanalysis
o Unconscious process at the root of abnormality
o The psychoanalytic approach had little effect on the treatment of
severely distributed patients in mental hospitals.
The Renaissance and the Rise of Asylums
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Shrines devoted to loving care of the mentally ill were established and one, at
Gheel, became a community mental health program of sorts.
This time also saw a rise of asylums – instructions whose primary purpose
was care of the mentally ill. The intention was good care, but because of
overcrowding they became virtual prisons.
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