PSY 331 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17: Thomas Szasz, World Health Organization
Psychological Disorders
Objectives:
1. Define psychological disorder
2. Distinguish between the concepts of normality and abnormality.
I. Introduction
A. Why do we have an interest in unusual behavior?
• Most people at some moment exhibit the same behaviors as disturbed people do much of
the time. For example, we all experience depression, anxiety, withdrawal, etc. just
less intensely and more briefly.
• At some point in life we are all likely to encounter someone with a form of psychological
disturbance.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2004) 450 million people suffer
from psychological disorders.
B. Basic questions that need to be considered regarding psychological conditions include:
1. How should we define psychological disorders?
2. How should we understand disorders—as illnesses needed treatment or natural responses
to a troubling environment?
3. How should we classify psychological disorders? And can this be done in a way that will
not stigmatize people with labels?
II. Defining and Identifying Psychological Disorders
A. There is no single “right” way to define abnormality, however three approaches are used to
attempt to define abnormality.
1. Deviation
2. Adjustment
3. Psychological Health
B. One approach to defining abnormal behavior is by comparing behaviors to what people
normally would do or respond. Abnormality would be anything that deviates or differs
from what most people would do. This is called the deviation approach. There are flaws
with this approach as not everyone will act in a manner that is right or best making
labeling abnormal behavior difficult.
C. Another method of identifying abnormal behavior is by examining how well a person adjusts
to his/her environment. For example, according to the adjustment approach, people who
are so unhappy that they refuse to eat or are unable to hold a job would be considered
abnormal. Other abnormal behaviors would include the inability to make friends, follow
rules of society, or take care of themselves. Flaws of this method are that some people
with psychological disorders appear normal.
D. Some psychologists define normal and abnormal behavior in terms of psychological health.
They feel that a normal or healthy person is one who is making progress toward being the
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Document Summary
Abnormality would be anything that deviates or differs from what most people would do. For example, according to the adjustment approach, people who are so unhappy that they refuse to eat or are unable to hold a job would be considered abnormal. Other abnormal behaviors would include the inability to make friends, follow rules of society, or take care of themselves. Flaws of this method are that some people with psychological disorders appear normal: some psychologists define normal and abnormal behavior in terms of psychological health. They feel that a normal or healthy person is one who is making progress toward being the best they can be (self-actualization). Thomas szasz argues that most people that we call mentally ill are not ill at all but simply have problems in living, or serious conflicts with the world around them. Rather than helping these people deal with their problems, we label them as sick and shut them up in hospitals.
