PSYB32H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Thomas Sydenham, Germ Theory Of Disease, Dementia Praecox
Document Summary
Chapter 1: introduction: definitional and historical considerations, and canada"s. Psychopathology: the field concerned with the nature and development of abnormal behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Abnormal behavior: includes such characteristics as statistical infrequency, violation of norms, personal distress, disability or dysfunction and unexpectedness. One aspect of abnormal behavior is that it is infrequent in the general population. Normal curve: or bell-shaped curve, places the majority of people in the middle as far as any particular characteristic is concerned; very few people fall in either extreme. An assertion that a person is normal implies that he or she does not deviate much from the average in a particular trait or behavior pattern. Statistical infrequency is used explicitly in diagnosing mental retardation. Another characteristic to consider is whether the behavior violates social norms or threatens or makes anxious those observing it. Another characteristic is personal suffering, that is, behavior is abnormal if it creates great distress and torment in the person experiencing it.
