PSYCH257 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Personal Distress, Defence Mechanisms, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH257
• Professor: David Moscovitch

Document Summary

Refers to the breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioural functioning: e. g. severe fear when going on a date when there is nothing to be afraid of. This means that your emotions are not functioning properly. It is difficult to draw the line between normal and disorder. These problems exist on a continuum or as a dimension rather than categories that are present or absent. This is one reason why having a dysfunction is not enough to meet the criteria for a psychological disorder. The disorder or behaviour must be associated with distress adds an important component and seems clear: the criterion is satisfied if the individual was extremely upset. However, this by itself does not condone abnormal behaviour, it all depends on the situation itself. The human condition is that suffering and distress are very much part of life. The criterion that the response by atypical or not culturally expected is important but insufficient to determine abnormalities.