PSY240H5 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: The Burning Times, Phineas Gage, Mental Disorder
Document Summary
Criteria for abnormal vs. normal: maladaptiveness (does this behavior interfere with person"s everyday life) Dysfunction, distress and deviance: unusualness (not a behavior that is common in society). The unusualness of any behavior depends on the culture of the person: cultural relativism (culture does not account for this behavior)- no universal standards for what is normal vs. abnormal. Gender roles within a culture are also important to consider: discomfort for person with behavior. But some people with abnormal behavior feel no discomfort. For example: psychopath: mental illness (biological characteristics that can explain the behavior. Problem: no straight forward medical tests that detect psychological problems (many hormones, neurotransmitters involved) Abnormality as harmful dysfunction: behavior must be both harmful and dysfunctional. Historical perspectives: biological, supernatural and psychological theories. Ancient stone age theories: supernatural view. Balance between positive force (yin) and negative (yang). Ancient egypt, greece and rome: focus on supernatural and biological.
