PSY 602 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Social Learning Theory, Demonology, Psychopathology

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 602
• Professor: Karen Milligan

Document Summary

The criteria for abnormality are primarily based on how a person is acting or what a person is saying and only rarely include a specific known marker for disorder. There is a fine line between what is considered disordered and what is normal. Thus, (cid:449)e (cid:373)ust ask (cid:862)(cid:449)he(cid:374) do (cid:449)e (cid:272)o(cid:374)sider (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iors a(cid:271)(cid:374)or(cid:373)al? (cid:863) (cid:862)ho(cid:449) (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:449)e disti(cid:374)guish e(cid:448)er(cid:455)da(cid:455) pro(cid:271)le(cid:373)s fro(cid:373) (cid:373)ore serious i(cid:374)di(cid:272)atio(cid:374)s of ps(cid:455)(cid:272)hopatholog(cid:455)? (cid:863) Psychological problems are usually viewed as atypical, odd, or abnormal which means they deviate from the average. However, being atypical in itself hardly defines psychopathology. E. g. people (cid:449)ith high iq are looked upo(cid:374) positi(cid:448)el(cid:455) e(cid:448)e(cid:374) though the(cid:455) are(cid:374)(cid:859)t (cid:858)(cid:374)or(cid:373)al. (cid:859) The deviations we are talking about are assumed to be harmful in some way to the individual. The apa defines disorder as (cid:858)a sy(cid:374)dro(cid:373)e of (cid:272)li(cid:374)i(cid:272)ally sig(cid:374)ifi(cid:272)a(cid:374)t (cid:271)eha(cid:448)ioral, (cid:272)og(cid:374)iti(cid:448)e, or emotional disturbances that reflect dysfunction in underlying mental processes, and that is asso(cid:272)iated (cid:449)ith distress or disa(cid:271)ility i(cid:374) i(cid:373)porta(cid:374)t areas of fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374)i(cid:374)g. (cid:859)