BIOC32H3 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

• School: UTSC
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOC32H3
• Professor: Stephen Reid

Document Summary

Psychopathology: the field concerned with the nature and development of abnormal behaviour, thoughts, and feelings. Abnormal behaviour: includes such characteristics as statistical infrequency, violation of norms, personal distress, disability or dysfunction, and unexpectedness. Abnormal behaviour is infrequent in the general population. An assertion that a person is normal implies that he or she does not deviate much from the average in a particular trait or behaviour pattern. The statistical component gives us little guidance in determining which infrequent behaviours psychopathologists should study: ex. J. brett barkley s alternating episodes of depression and mania occur in only about. Another characteristic to consider is whether the behaviour violates social norms or threatens or makes anxious those observing it: ex. Anti-social behaviour of psychopath, ocd behaviour, psychotic person s hallucinations: ex. J. brett barkely s verbal and physical attacks on his wife illustrate this criterion. Cultural diversity can affect how people view social norms; norm in one culture may be abnormal in another.