Psychology 2310A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Spa, Humorism, Impulsivity
26 Sep 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Common Misconceptions and History
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
9:03 AM
Common Misconceptions
• Psychological disorders are always bizarre
• The difference between normality and abnormality is radical
• Former psychiatric patients are dangerous
o Ex. Greyhound bus decapitation (CBC documentary)
• Mental disorders are something to be ashamed of
• Exaggerated fear of one's own susceptibility
Historical Views of Abnormal Psychology
Supernatural Beliefs - Spiritual
• Bad spirits possessing and entering the human body
• Treatment:
o Exorcism
o Prayer
o Rituals
• Treatment approach may be cruel or benign/compassionate
• Consistent with certain religious views
Biological/Medical - Somatogenesis
• Your body is experiencing a problem with its functioning
• Anatomy, physiology
• Separates mind from body
• Treatment:
o Doctors
o Medication
o Bodily intervention
• Hippocrates(400BCE)
o Four Humours:
i. Blood - sanguine (calm, unruffled)
ii. Phlegm - phlegmatic
iii. Yellow bile - choleric temperament
iv. Black bile - melancholic temperament
▪ Treatment to balance humours done through blood-letting, purging, laxatives, etc.
• These treatments continued until mid-1800s
o Believed an imbalance of humours influenced your personality
• Hysteria
o "wandering uterus"
▪ Causes stress
• Early classification system:
o Mania
▪ Impulsivity
▪ energy
Document Summary
Common misconceptions: psychological disorders are always bizarre, the difference between normality and abnormality is radical. Greyhound bus decapitation (cbc documentary: mental disorders are something to be ashamed of, exaggerated fear of one"s own susceptibility. Supernatural beliefs - spiritual: bad spirits possessing and entering the human body, treatment, exorcism, prayer, rituals, treatment approach may be cruel or benign/compassionate, consistent with certain religious views. Biological/medical - somatogenesis: your body is experiencing a problem with its functioning, anatomy, physiology, treatment: Separates mind from body: doctors, medication, bodily intervention, hippocrates(400bce, four humours: Black bile - melancholic temperament: treatment to balance humours done through blood-letting, purging, laxatives, etc, these treatments continued until mid-1800s, believed an imbalance of humours influenced your personality, hysteria. "wandering uterus: causes stress, early classification system, mania. Impulsivity: energy, driven in ways that can cause harm, physically, financially, emotionally, melancholia sadness, phrenitis. Inflammation of the brain: paracelsus (1500s, spiritus vitae lunacy.
