Psychology 2030A/B Midterm: Psychology 2030A - Midterm 1

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2030A/B
• Professor: David Vollick

Document Summary

Chapter 1 - abnormal psychology: historical and modern perspectives. Abnormal behaviour - by classical definition means "away from normal", but doesn"t make sense. By this standard normal becomes the statistical average which is often not the case. (ex. If the average weight of women is 140 pounds, and someone is 120 pounds then they are abnormal?) (also, stephen. Hawking is abnormally smart , but it does not impair his daily functioning. In short, being different is not the same as being psychologically abnormal. ) In the textbook the definition is; a behaviour that is inconsistent with the individual"s developmental, cultural, and societal norms, and creates emotional distress or interferes with daily functioning. Animal magnetism - franz mesmer (1734-1815) proposed the body was a magnet and that using the physician"s body as a second magnet could achieve a cure for mental illness. When its flow was impeded the cure was to use his hand and wave it over their body.