Abnormal Psych chapter 1 & 2

understanding, treating, and preventing psychological dysfunction; focuses on behaviours that are atypical or unexpected. (AKA psychopathology)

Dysfunction

Distress

Deviance

Dangerousness

Behaviours, thoughts and feelings are dysfunctional when they interfere with the person's ability to function in daily life, to hold a job, or to form close relationships

How a person's behaviour affects those around them is very important

Behaviour that deviates from the social norm is another way to assess abnormality since behaviours are influenced by cultural norms and practices within our community

Behaviours like suicidal gestures are potential harm to the individual; like excessive aggression could potentially harm others

Once an individual's behaviours or feelings cross that line, we might justify that there is something "wrong" with that person or think that a psychological disorder may be present

the view that there are no universal standards or rules for labeling a behaviour abnormal; instead, behaviours can be labeled abnormal only relative to cultural norms

theories of abnormality that focus on biological causes of abnormal behaviors

theories that see mental disorders as the result of supernatural forces, such as divine intervention, curses, demonic possession, and/or personal sins; mental disorders then can be cured through religious rituals, exorcisms, confessions, and/or death

theories that view mental disorders as caused by psychological processes, such as beliefs, thinking styles, and coping styles

Ancient China: Ying/Yang

“Wandering uterus”

Exorcisms to drive away evil spirits

Skull drilling to “allow the spirits to depart”

Witchcraft, Psychic epidemics

a phenomenon in which large numbers of people engage in unusual behaviors that appear to have a psychological origin

Ex. Dance frenzies/manias

movement to treat mental patients more humanely and to view mental disorders as medical diseases

type of treatment delivered in mental hospitals in which patients were treated with respect and dignity and were encouraged to exercise self-control

disease that leads to paralysis, insanity, and eventually death; discovery of this disease helped establish a connection between biological diseases and mental disorders

• a treatment for hysterical patients based on the idea that magnetic fluids in the patients’ bodies are affected by the magnetic forces of other people and objects

• the patients’ magnetic forces are thought to be realigned by the practitioner through his or her own magnetic force

a form of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that naturally elicits a response, thereby making the neutral stimulus itself sufficient to elicit the same response

• this person studied phobias and other forms of important human behaviours and rejected psychoanalytic and biological theories of abnormal behaviours (e.g. phobias)

• they explained them entirely on the basis of the individual's history of conditioning

Behaviour followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated

The study of the impact of reinforcements and punishments on behavior

The study of the impact of reinforcements and punishments on behavior

a movement to ensure that mental patients retain their basic rights and to remove them from institutions and care for them in the community

a movement in which:

• thousands of mental patients were released from mental institutions

• was a result of the patients’ rights movement

• was aimed at stopping the dehumanization of mental patients and at restoring their basic legal rights

a movement launched in 1963 that attempted to provide coordinated mental health services to people in community-based treatment centers

living facilities that offer people with long-term mental health problems the opportunity to live in a structured, supportive environment while they are trying to reestablish employment and ties to family and friends

mental health facilities that provide more intensive psychiatric, occupational, and rehabilitative therapies for persons with mental illness during the day while clients live at home during recovery

a health care system in which:

• all necessary services for an individual patient are supposed to be coordinated by a primary care provider

• the goals are to coordinate services for an existing medical problem and to prevent future medical problems

MDs and trained in diagnostics

PhDs and specialize in treating and researching psychological problems

Therapists that specialize in helping families, couples, and children

Have a master’s in social work and help people overcome social conditions contributing to psychological problems

Have Graduate training in counseling but NO PhD

Have a nursing degree with specialization in treatment of psychological disorders

Phineas Gage

• Medulla

• Pons

• Reticular formation

• Cerebellum

the Medulla

the Pons

the Reticular Formation

the Cerebellum

• Superior colliculus

• Inferior colliculus

• Substantia nigra

the Superior/Inferior colliculus

the Substantia Nigra

• Cerebral cortex

• Subcortical structures (4 parts)

the Cerebral cortex

• Thalamus

• Hypothalamus

• Limbic system

• Hippocampus

the Thalamus

the Hypothalamus

the Limbic System

the Hippocampus

Biochemicals released from a sending neuron that transmit messages to a receiving neuron in the brain and nervous system

space between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron into which neurotransmitters are first released

molecules on the membranes of neurons to which neurotransmitters bind

a process in which a sending neuron reabsorbs some of the neurotransmitter in the synapse, decreasing the amount left in the synapse

a process in which a receiving neuron releases an enzyme into the synapse, breaking down neurotransmitters into other biochemicals

• Serotonin

• Dopamine

• Norepinephrine

• GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

a Hormone

the Pituitary gland

• neurons carried from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland through a channel-like structure

• stimulates the pituitary to release adrenocorticotrophic hormones (ACTH) which then are carried by the bloodstream to the adrenal glands and to various other organs in the body

study of the processes by which genes affect behavior and the extent to which personality and abnormality are genetically inherited

treatment for depression that involves the induction of a brain seizure by passing electrical current through the patient’s brain while he or she is anesthetized

rare treatment for mental disorders in which a neurosurgeon attempts to destroy small areas of the brain thought to be involved in a patient’s symptoms

(in classical conditioning) the stimulus that naturally elicits a reaction, as food elicits salivation in dogs

(in classical conditioning) the response that naturally follows when a certain stimulus appears, such as a dog salivating when it smells food

(in classical conditioning) the previously neutral stimulus that, through pairing with a natural stimulus, becomes sufficient to elicit a response

(in classical conditioning) the response that first followed a natural stimulus but that now follows a conditioned stimulus

a form of learning in which behaviors lead to consequences that either reinforce or punish the organism, leading to an increased or a decreased probability of a future response

(in operant conditioning) the process of learning behaviors by imitating others, especially authority figures or people like oneself

(in operant conditioning) learning that occurs when a person observes the rewards and punishments of another’s behavior and then behaves in accordance with the same rewards and punishments

psychotherapeutic approaches that focus on identifying the reinforcements and punishments contributing to a person’s maladaptive behaviors and on changing specific behaviors

type of behavior therapy that attempts to reduce client anxiety through relaxation techniques and progressive exposure to feared stimuli

theories that focus on belief systems and ways of thinking as the causes of abnormal behavior

fundamental beliefs that encompass all types of situations

Ex. It is better to avoid problems than face them

treatment focused on changing negative patterns of thinking and solving concrete problems through brief sessions in which a therapist helps a client challenge negative thoughts, consider alternative perspectives, and take effective actions

theories developed by Freud’s followers but usually differing somewhat from Freud’s original theories; suggests that all behaviours, thoughts, and emotions, whether normal or abnormal,  are influenced to a large extent by unconscious processes

a form of treatment for psychopathology involving alleviating unconscious conflicts driving psychological symptoms by helping people gain insight into their conflicts and finding ways of resolving these conflicts

an expression of emotions connected to memories and conflicts, through hypnosis, which, according to Freud, leads to the release of energy used to keep these memories in the unconscious

a defense mechanism in which the ego pushes anxiety-provoking material back into the unconscious

• Object relations

• Self psychology

• Relational psychoanalysis

• Collective unconscious

(a psychodynamic theory) a view held by a group of modern psychodynamic theorists that one develops a self-concept and appraisals of others in a four-stage process during childhood and retains them throughout adulthood

(a psychodynamic theory) a form of psychoanalytic theory and therapy developed by Heinz Kohut in which psychopathology is viewed as being the result of disrupted or unmet developmental needs

(a psychodynamic theory) a subfield of psychoanalysis that emphasizes internalized relationships with other people based on the influences of early formative relationships with parents and other attachment figures

(a psychodynamic theory) according to Carl Jung, the wisdom accumulated by a society over hundreds of years of human existence and stored in the memories of individuals

therapies focused on uncovering and resolving unconscious conflicts that drive psychological symptoms

• Free association

• Transference

• Working through

• Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

(a psychodynamic therapy) a method of uncovering unconscious conflicts in which the client is taught to talk about whatever comes to mind, without censoring any thoughts

(a psychodynamic therapy) the client’s reaction to the therapist as if the therapist were an important person in his or her early development; the client’s feelings and beliefs about this other person are transferred onto the therapist

(a psychodynamic therapy) a method used in psychodynamic therapies in which the client repeatedly goes over and over painful memories and difficult issues as a way to understand and accept them

(a psychodynamic therapy) a more structured, short-term version of psychodynamic therapies

views that people strive to develop their innate potential for goodness and self-actualization; abnormality arises as a result of societal pressures to conform to unchosen dictates that clash with a person’s self-actualization needs and from an inability to satisfy more basic needs, such as hunger

the fulfillment of one’s potential for love, creativity, and meaning

a type of therapy in which the goal is to help the client discover his or her place in the world and to accomplish self-actualization through self-exploration; based on the assumption that the natural tendency for humans is toward growth (also called person-centered therapy)

• Client Centered therapy (CCT)

• Reflection therapy

a Carl Rogers’ form of psychotherapy, which consists of an equal relationship between therapist and client as the client searches for his or her inner self, receiving unconditional positive regard and an empathic understanding from the therapist

a method of responding in which a therapist expresses his or her attempt to understand what the client is experiencing and trying to communicate

theories that see the family as a complex system that works to maintain the status quo

psychotherapy that focuses on the family, rather than the individual, as the source of problems; family therapists challenge communication styles, disrupt pathological family dynamics, and challenge defensive conceptions in order to harmonize relationships among all members and within each member

modern psychotherapeutic techniques that combine elements of the first- and second-wave approaches—behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy, respectively—with mindfulness meditation practices derived from Zen Buddhism to help people accept, understand, and better regulate their emotions

the recognition and inclusion of cultural factors, such as client and counselor worldviews, ethnicity/race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and social justice