PSYC 155 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Philippe Pinel, Moral Treatment, Psychoanalysis
Document Summary
Identifying abnormal behavior- basic standards: statistical infrequency- is rare, behavior does not happen often. But, people with intellectual, athletic, and musical talent are also rare: psychological dysfunction- a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning. Hard to describe dysfunction - hard to tell between uniqueness and dysfunction. Sometimes maladaptive (is not evolutionarily beneficial) behavior is a good thing. Ex) altruism- helping others, murdering an abusive partner/taking extreme measures in a specific situation: personal distress. Upset at own behavior (excessive elation, gambling or cleaning) But, sometimes distress is expected and normal. Also some abnormal behaviors in which person is not distressed. Ex) charles manson shows no remorse, mental retardation, transvestigal fetishism/cross-dressing: deviation from an ideal. Vague and subjective, who decides what is normal or what the ideal is: atypical or not culturally expected. Using this definition, social reformers/protestors that we celebrate today would be labeled as abnormal.
