Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal Psychology
The scientific study of abnormal behavior
in order to describe, predict, explain, and
change abnormal patterns of functioning.



Goal of course:
Learn theories of abnormal behavior.
Learn scientific based knowledge about
abnormal behavior.
Decrease judgment of others.

What is Psychologically Abnormal?
The Four Ds
Deviance
Distress
Dysfunction
Danger
Four Ds in More Detail I.
Deviance
Deviance from or violation of a societys ideas
about proper function.
Norms- a societys explicit and implicit rules for
proper conduct.
Culture- a societys shared rules that govern the
behavior of its members, common history, values,
beliefs, habits, skills, technology, and arts.
Includes a valuational aspect which varies
from culture to culture.
Four Ds in More Detail II.
Distress
Pain or discomfort
Dysfunctional or Maladaptive Behavior
It interferes with daily functioning.
Danger
Behavior that becomes dangerous to self or
others.

Note: Abnormal behavior is to some degree
arbitrary and culturally determined
Medical Model vs. Bio-psychosocial Model
DSM DEFINITION: MENTAL DISORDER
[A mental disorder] is conceptualized as a clinically significant
behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an
individual and that is associated with present distress (a painful
symptom) or disability (impairment in one or more areas of
functioning) or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death,
pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. In addition, this
syndrome or pattern must not be merely an expectable and culturally
sanctioned response to a particular event, for example, the death of a
loved one. Whatever its original cause, it must currently be
considered a manifestation of a behavioral, psychological, or
biological dysfunction in the individual. Neither deviant behavior (e.g.
political, religious, or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between
the individual and society are mental disorders unless the deviance or
conflict is a symptom of a dysfunction in the individual as described
above.
Syndrome- a group of clinical observations or symptoms that tend to
co-occur.
Other Definitions
Psychological Disorder a harmful dysfunction in which
behavior is judged to be atypical, disturbing,
maladaptive, and unjustifiable.

Abnormal Behavior- we define behavior as abnormal, a
manifestation of mental disorder, if it is both persistent
and in serious degree contrary to the continued well-
being of the individual and/or that of the human
community of which the individual is a member.
(Carson, Butcher, & Mineka)
Classification of Abnormal Behavior
A useful classification system must be
reliable and valid.

Three models of classification
1. Categorical
2. Dimensional
3. Prototypal

Three Models of Classiciation
Categorical Approach
Human behavior can be divided into two categories (health or
unhealthy).
The unhealthy category consists of discrete, nonoverlapping,
classes or types.
Dimensional Approach
Bx= product of different dimensions (eg. anxiousness, extroversion)
People differ in profile or configuration of these dimensional traits.
Normal or abnormal is determined by looking at any particular
dimension and making a determination usually based on a
normative percentage.
Prototypal Approach
Assumes the existence of conceptual entities (prototypes) depicting
idealized combinations of characteristics, ones that more or less
regularly occur together.
DSM Classification of Mental Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM)
Introduced in 1952
Moving from a subjective to operational
definition.
Diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms
Signs- objective observations of a patients physical
or mental disorder by a diagnostician.
Symptoms- patients subjective description of a
physical or mental disorder.
The Five Axes of DSM-IV-TR
Axis I - Particular clinical syndromes
Axis II - Personality disorders
Axis III - General medical conditions
Axis IV - Psychosocial/environmental
problems
Axis V - Global assessment of functioning

The DSM is organized into major etiological
groupings (see next slide)
DSM Main Categories
Axis I & Axis II Disorders
Disorders secondary to gross destruction or
malfunctioning of brain tissue
Substance-use disorders
Disorders of psychological or sociological
origin having no known brain pathology
Disorders usually arising during childhood or
adolescence
Mental Disorders Qualifying Terms
Comorbidity-existence of two or more disorders
Acute- describes a disorder of sudden onset, usually
with intense symptoms
Chronic- describes a long-standing or frequently
recurring disorder, often of progressing seriousness
Mild/Moderate/Severe- describes a disorder of a low
order of severity, intermediate order of severity, and a
high degree of seriousness.
Episodic Disorder- describes a disorder that tends to
abate and to recur
Recurrent- describes a disorder pattern that tends to
come and go.
Labeling: Positive and Negative
Communication
Social Label
May limit Inquiry Once Applied
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Have Pejorative and Stigmatizing Implications
Second-Class Citizens
Devastate Self-Esteem and Morale

The Extent of Abnormal Behavior
Epidemiology- study of the distribution of diseases,
disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given
population.
Prevalence- the proportion of active cases of a
disorder that can be identified in a population at a
given point in, or during a given period, of time.
Incidence- occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder
in a given population.
Lifetime Prevalence- the proportion of living persons
in a population who have ever had a disorder up to
the time of the epidemiological assessment.
The Extent of Abnormal Behavior
Any mood disorder
(male) Lifetime % = 14.7; 12-month % = 8.5
(female) Lifetime % = 23.9; 12-month % = 14.1
(total) Lifetime % = 19.3; 12-month % = 11.3
Any anxiety disorder
Lifetime % = 19.2; 12-month % = 11.8
Lifetime % = 30.5; 12-month % = 22.6
Lifetime % = 24.9; 12-month % = 17.2
Any substance abuse d/o
Lifetime % = 35.4; 12-month % = 16.1
Lifetime % = 17.9; 12-month % = 6.6
Lifetime % = 26.6; 12-month % = 11.3
Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior
Demonology, Gods, and Magic
Cause- possession of evil spirits
Tx- exorcism
Early Greek and Roman Thought
Hippocrates (460-370 B.C)
Cause
Mental Disorders have natural causes
Brain Central Organ of Intellectual Activity
Heredity
Four Bodily Humors (blood, black bile, yellow bile, and
phlegm)
Tx
Tranquil lifestyle, abstinence from excesses, bleeding,
exercise
Pleasant surroundings, massage, hydrotherapy,
education,
Bleeding, purging, mechanical restraints

Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior II
Early Greek and Roman Thought (cont)
Galen (130-200 A.D.)
Anatomy of Nervous System
Causes
Physical and Mental Categories
Head injuries, alcoholic excess, shock, fear, menstruation
Disappointment of love
Tx
Contrariis contrarius (opposite by opposite)
Middle Ages (500-1500)
Return to Demonology & Superstition and away
from Physical Causes
Mass Madness (lycanthropy and tarantism)
Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior III
Middle Ages (1500-1700s)
Establishment of Asylums and Shrines
Means of removing mentally ill from society
Horrid condition of filth and deprivation including:
darkness, starvation, restraints, cold baths, tortures.
Beginning of the Modern Era
Biological Link between Brain and Mental Disorder
General Paresis & Syphilis
Classification System (Kraeplin) & Medical Model
Historical Views of Abnormal Behavior IV
Establishing the Psychological Basis
Mesmerism
Nancy School
Psychoanalysis (Freud)
Hypnosis and Catharsis
Unconscious and Free Association
Establishing An Experimental Research
Laboratories
Behavioral Perspective
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning

Research in Abnormal Psychology
Observation of behavior
Forming hypotheses about behavior
Sampling
Generalization
Research in Abnormal Psychology
Control group
Criterion group
Correlation versus Causation
Potential relationships between two variables:
Variable A causes variable B
Variable A and variable B are both caused by
variable C
Variables A and B are both involved in a
complex pattern of variables influencing A
and B in similar ways
Research in Abnormal Psychology
Independent Variable
The manipulated factor
Dependent Variable
Changes as the manipulated factor is changed
Research in Abnormal Psychology
Animal research
Analogue studies
Clinical case studies
Research in Abnormal Psychology
Retrospective strategies
Looking backward in order to reconstruct the
clients developmental history


Prospective strategies
Focus on individuals who have a higher-than-
average likelihood of becoming
psychologically disordered before abnormal
behavior shows up