Psychology 2310A/B Lecture Notes - Abnormal Psychology, Personal Distress, Personality Disorder
27 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
How we define abnormality is fuzzy, not clear cut. A sub area of psychology, looking at the study of human behaviour; abnormal means something that deviates from the norm, different from how others act. Many people would be outside the range of normal but would not be considered abnormal such as exceptional athletes. Abnormal relates to a more negative than positive way. Biological/medical view of things, not all types fit neatly in to this view such as gambling. In favour because it combats stigma, if someone has a mental illness its more understandable for their lifestyle, they cannot be blamed for what they do. Dsm diagnostical manual for diagnosing psychological disorders. Breakdown of functioning: accounts for biological, psychological, social factors. Not used anymore by professionals, used to mean mental illness. Used to be technical, not used anymore. Neurotic anxious, used more for personality disorders. Used to be terms used, now seen as derogatory.
