PSYC 3406 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Master Of Social Work, Lanugo, Personal Distress
6 Jun 2018
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Myths and Misconceptions About Abnormal Behavior
● No single definition of psychological abnormality
● No single definition of psychological normality
● Many myths are associated with mental illness
○ Lazy, crazy, dumb
○ Weak in character
○ Dangerous to self and others
○ Mental illness is a hopeless situation
● DSM-5 destigmatize mental illness
● Addiction
● Psychopaths who commit crimes
○ Can they be rehabilitated?
Approaches to Defining Abnormal Behavior
● Does infrequency define abnormality?
○ Sexual orientation
● Does suffering define abnormality?
● Does strangeness define abnormality?
○ Result of social expectations
○ Autism
● Does the behavior itself define abnormality?
● Should normality serve as a guide?
Toward a Definition of Abnormal Behavior
● Psychological dysfunction
○ Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, behavioral functioning
● Personal distress
○ Difficulty performing appropriate and expected roles
○ Impairment is set in the context of person’s background
● Atypical or unexpected cultural response
○ Reaction is outside cultural norms
● Illnesses are cultural
○ Eating disorders culturally bound
○ Bulimia is more culture bound than anorexia
○ Restrictive eating occurs everywhere in the world, even in animals
○ Biology underlies restrictive eating, grow lanugo (fine hair) for insulation
○ Waste-away syndrome → several birds die after receiving high levels of estrogen
(puberty) interacts with serotonin and causes them to stop caring about natural
rewards (food, mating)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V)
● Widely Accepted System
Abnormal Behavior Defined
● A psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is
not typical or culturally expected
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