PSY 3171 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Somatic Symptom Disorder, Lady Gaga, Evidence-Based Practice
26 Sep 2016
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Book defines a psychological disorder as a psychological dysfunction within an individual 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 behavioural functioning: difficult to draw the line on between normal and abnormal so often a continuum is used. Reason why just having dysfunction is not enough to be classified as a psychological disorder. Disorder must be associated with distress: on its own does not become a disorder. Often includes idea of an impairment: extreme expressions of otherwise normal emotions, behaviours, cognitive processes. Response must be atypical or culturally unexpected: greater deviance from expectation, the greater the abnormality, deviance in general is not enough to be disorder. Lady gaga dressing with blood on her dress. Artist not going outside for years: violation of cultural norms includes evaluating cultural differences. African tribe sometimes hear voices, that would be labeled crazy in a western society.
