PSYC 300 Chapter 1: PSYC 300A - Chapter 1 Notes
Document Summary
Abnormal psychology is concerned with understanding the nature, causes and treatment of mental disorders. Family aggregation: whether a disorder runs in the family. What do we mean by abnormality: suffering: if people suffer or experience psychological pain, we are inclined to consider this as indicative of abnormality. Suffering is an element of abnormality of many cases, it is neither a suf cient condition nor a necessary condition for one to consider something as abnormal: maladaptiveness: often an indicator of abnormality. Maladaptive behaviour interferes with our well-being and with ability to enjoy our work and our relationships. Not all disorders involve maladaptive behaviour: statistical deviancy: considering statistically rare behaviour to be abnormal does not provide us with a solution. People with uncommon talents (e. g. perfect pitch) are not considered to be abnormal. Although something that is statistically common doesn"t make it normal (e. g. common cold). Irrationality and unpredictability: when we consider a given unorthodox behaviour abnormal.
