Psych 155b: Human Adjustment
& Maladjustment
Dr. Kimberley Clow
SSC 6421
kclow2@uwo.ca
http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/155b/
Read Your Course Outline!
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Can’t have antirequisites
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Textbook
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Psych 150, 251E, 253E, 257E, 350F/G
Sue, Sue, & Sue (2003). Understanding
Abnormal Behaviour. 7th Edition
TA – Jennie Ward
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Contact Jennie to go over exams
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jward9@uwo.ca
Evaluation
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3 exams
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Test1 and Test2
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Final Exam
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40%; Cumulative
4 Grading options
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30% each; Non-Cumulative
Test1 30%; Test2 30%; Final 40%
No Test1; Test2 30%; Final 70%
Test1 30%; no Test2; Final 70%
No Test1; no Test2; Final 100%
Your grade is calculated in all 4 ways and I take
the option that works BEST for you
Lecture Overheads
http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/155b/
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Lecture overheads are available on the class
website BEFORE class
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Print them out and bring them to class
Spend class time TAKING NOTES on the details I
talk about that aren’t in the overheads
The overheads are not a replacement for coming to
class
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Just using the overheads is not sufficient preparation for
exams
They are tools to help you take BETTER notes; not a
replacement for note taking
Lecture Schedule
Date
January 5
January 12
January 19
January 26
February 2
February 9
February 16
February 23
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
April 5
Exam Period
Topic
Introduction
Theoretical Approaches
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Test 1
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
Reading Week
Dissociative Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Test 2
Eating Disorders
Mental Disorders & Aging
Law & Ethics
Final Exam
Chapter
1
2
5
11
13
8
N/A
6
6
16
15
18
Abnormal Psychology
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The scientific study of abnormal
behaviour, with the objective to
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Describe
Explain
Predict
Control
So what are abnormal behaviours?
The Movies…
Myths of Abnormal Behaviour
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The following are common myths about
those suffering from mental illness:
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Easily recognized as deviant
Disorder due to inheritance
Incurable
Weak willed
Never contribute to society
Always dangerous
What is Abnormal Behaviour?
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Abnormal behaviour departs from
some norm and harms the affected
individual or others
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Conceptual Definitions
Practical Definitions
Surgeon General & DSM-IV Definitions
Conceptual Definitions
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Statistical Deviation
Deviations from Ideal
Mental Health
Multicultural
Perspectives
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Cultural Universality
Cultural Relativism
Practical Definitions
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The 4 ‘D’s
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Discomfort
Deviance
Dysfunction
Danger
Surgeon General & DSM-IV
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“A clinically significant behavioural or
psychological syndrome or pattern that
occurs in an individual and that is
associated with present distress (e.g., a
painful symptom) or disability (i.e.,
impairment in one or more important areas
of functioning) or with a significantly
increased risk of suffering death, pain,
disability, or an important loss of freedom”
History
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Ancient Beliefs
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Naturalistic Explanations
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Demonology
Exorcism
Trephining
Hippocrates
Four Humours
Return to the Supernatural
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Mass Madness
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Tarantism
Witchcraft
Reforms
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Humanism
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People are sick; not possessed
Need to be treated with dignity
Reform Movements
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Moral Treatment
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Shift from prison to hospital
Biological View
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Organic explanation for abnormal behaviour
Drug revolution
ip
ol
ar
M
di
O
a
so
bs
jo
rd
r
es
d
er
si
ep
ve
re
-c
ss
om
io
n
pu
ls
P
iv
an
e.
..
ic
di
so
S
rd
oc
A
er
lc
ia
oh
lp
ol
ho
de
bi
a
pe
nd
en
ce
B
Frequency of Mental Disorders
14
12
10
8
% 6
4
2
0
women
men
Psychology Student Syndrome
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Many psych students find that the various
disorders apply to them
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Abnormal behaviour is not qualitatively
different from “normal” behaviour
Many of us will exhibit similar symptoms
Behaviours are only problematic when they
harm or interfere with your daily functioning
Diagnosing friends and romantic partners may
lead to conflict
Mental Health Professions
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Who studies abnormal behaviour?
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Clinical Psychologist
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Psychiatrist
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M.D. and internship
School Psychologist
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Ph.D. and internship
M.A. or Ph.D.
Social Worker
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M.S.W.
Who Do People Go See?
70
60
50
40
% 30
20
10
0
r
r
t
n
e
st
s
e
e
s
a
i
i
i
r
h
r
g
rk
t
t
c
u
i
o
i
o
O
l
N
ia
s
s
o
w
y
h
y
h
l
h
c
c
a
y
p
ph
i
y
r
c
s
Ps
e
o
ily
P
S
th
m
O
Fa
an
i
c
Diversity & Multiculturalism
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Social Conditioning
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Cultural Values
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Interpret complaints with culture in mind
Sociopolitical Influences
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e.g., gender stereotypes
Different experiences affect what is
abnormal
Bias in diagnosis
Diagnosing Abnormal Behaviour
Multiaxial approach
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I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Clinical disorders
Personality disorders
General medical conditions
Psychosocial & environmental
problems
Level of current functioning
An Example of Classification
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Mark
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Axis I: Clinical Disorder
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Axis II: Personality Disorder
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Cirrhosis
Axis IV: Psychosocial & Environmental Problems
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Paranoid
Axis III: General Medical Condition
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Alcohol Abuse
Problems with primary support group (divorce)
Occupational problems
Axis V: Level of Current Functioning
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54 (moderate difficulty in social & occupation functioning)
Interrater Reliability
Issues of Classification
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Helps
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To making treatment
decisions
To communicate among
clinicians
Research
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advancing knowledge of
disorders
diagnosis as a first step
to understanding
mechanisms and
developing treatments
Hinders
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By stigmatizing patients
Because different
labels can mean
different things to
different people
By biasing how we see
the patient
By focusing on one
point in the patient’s
development
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Patient may outgrow
the label
Assessment
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Observation
Self-Report Inventories
Biological Measures
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Psychophysiological Measures
Neuroimaging Techniques
Projective Tests
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Rorschach Ink Blots
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Rorschach Ink Blots
Scoring
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Look at the following factors
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Location
Determinants
Popularity of response
Content
Form
Generate hypotheses based on patterns of
responses, recurrent themes, and
interrelationships among scoring categories
Thematic Apperception Test - TAT
Interpretation
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Murray’s concepts
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Need
Press
Thema
Basic Assumptions
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Person is identifying with the protagonist
in the story
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They are projecting their personality onto the
protagonist