PSYC 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Abnormal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Etiology
18 Jun 2018
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Abnormal psychology
Branch of psychology that addresses the description, causes, and the treatment of
psychological disorders
oDeviant
oDistress
oDysfunction
Defining Abnormal…
What is abnormal?
oBehaviors may be considered abnormal if…
They are socially unacceptable or violate social norms (statistically or
culturaly deviant)
There is altered perception
Whats not abnormal?
Unusual or statistically deviant behavior is NOT nesacarilly psychologically abnormal
oEX: exception
Culture and Normality
Def of normal is culturally defined
oEx: many native americans report hearing the spirits of ppl
Psychopathology
Study of abnormal behavior patterns that lead to impairments in social and/or
occupational functioning
Etiology: refers to the cause
Classification of disorders
DSM-IV: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
oDescribes diagnostic features of disorders, but doesn’t attempt to explain their
origins
oSpecific criteria are used to diagnose disorders based on the nature and
prevalence of symptoms
oAbnormal behavior patterns that share clinical features are grouped together
oAllows clinicians and researchers to standardize, diagnoses, and facilitates
clinical communication
Former DSM Axes
Axis 1: Primary clinical symptoms
Axis 2: Reflects personality and developmental disorders
Axis 3: General medical conditions
Axis 4: Rating of intensity of environmental stressors
Axis 5: Global assessment of functioning
Forensic psychology
Competency: A defendant’s state of mind at the time of judicial hearing
Insanity: presumed state of mind at the time the crime was committed. Insanity is a
legal term, not a psychological one
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
DSM 5 Major changes (2013)
Expanded and edited criteria for diagnosis
Shift from categorial to dimensional classification
Incorporates sociocultural research findings into the understanding and classification of
disorders
Emphasis on cross-cutting symptom domains (research domain criteria; RDOC) at NIMH
Psychological labeling
Cons:
oStigma: may impact the likelihood that someone will seek treatment when they
are struggling
oCan lead to greater personal distress, shame, guilt, etc.
Pros:
oProvides a sense of identity and community
oMakes a person feel understood
The Diathesis-Stress Model:
Vulnerabilty is used to describe a biological (genetic) predisposition towards the
development of a disorder
A predisposition can lead to a disorder only when a person is subjected to a significant
life stressor
oIf level of stress is kept below threshold, the disorder may never develop despite
genetic predisposition
oPpl also have protective factors that prevent the development of a disorder
Perspective revisited
Viewpont Causes of psychological disorders
Biopsychological Inherited or acquired brain disorders
involving imbalance in neurotransmitters or
damage to brain structures
Psychoanalytic Unconscious conflicts over impulses such as
sex and aggression, originating in childhood
Behavioral Reinforcement of innapropriate behaviors
and punishment of or extinction of
appropriate behaviors
Cognitive
Humanistic
System approach
Mood disorders
Major depressive disorder: characterized by one or more major depressive episodes
o2 or more weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest + 4 more additional
symptoms
Persistent depressive disprder ( Dysthymia): mood disorder characterized by similar but
less severe symptoms as depression, and with more chronic presentation
Bipolar disorder: mood disorder characterized by periods of depression and significantly
elevated mood (mania)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Branch of psychology that addresses the description, causes, and the treatment of psychological disorders: deviant, distress, dysfunction. What is abnormal: behaviors may be considered abnormal if . They are socially unacceptable or violate social norms (statistically or culturaly deviant) Unusual or statistically deviant behavior is not nesacarilly psychologically abnormal: ex: exception. Def of normal is culturally defined: ex: many native americans report hearing the spirits of ppl. Study of abnormal behavior patterns that lead to impairments in social and/or occupational functioning. Axis 2: reflects personality and developmental disorders. Axis 4: rating of intensity of environmental stressors. Competency: a defendant"s state of mind at the time of judicial hearing. Insanity: presumed state of mind at the time the crime was committed. Insanity is a legal term, not a psychological one. Incorporates sociocultural research findings into the understanding and classification of disorders. Emphasis on cross-cutting symptom domains (research domain criteria; rdoc) at nimh.
