Abnormal

Psychology
 • The scientific study of abnormal behavior undertaken to
describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns
of functioning.
What is Reference: Comer, Ronald J. Abnormal Psychology. 9th
Edition. Worth Publishers, NY,USA. 2015
Abnormal
Psychology? • Concerned with understanding the nature, causes, and
treatment of mental disorder
Reference: Butcher & et.al. Abnormal Psychology. 16th
Edition. Pearson Education South Asia. 2015

What do mean
by Abnormality?
• No single indicator is
sufficient in and of itself
to define or determine
abnormality
• However, based on
research, when an
individual has
difficulties in the
identified areas that are
needed to look into, the
more likely the person is
to have some form of
mental disorder
• Suffering
- An element of abnormality but it is neither a sufficient
condition nor even a necessary condition.
- It means experiencing or causing psychological pain.
• Maladaptiveness
- A behavior which interferes with our well-being and with
our ability to enjoy our work and our relationships.
• Statistical Deviancy
- A behavior that goes beyond normal
• Violation of the Standards of Society
- Societal norms are always considered in this element and
undesirability of a particular behavior is the core basis to
create judgments. Thus, depending on the magnitude of
the violations.

What do mean
by Abnormality?
• No single indicator is
sufficient in and of itself
to define or determine
abnormality
• However, based on
research, when an
individual has
difficulties in the
identified areas that are
needed to look into, the
more likely the person is
to have some form of
mental disorder
• Social Discomfort
- Causing extreme social discomforts to the people around
the person manifesting the behavior.
• Irrationality and Unpredictability
- Manifested behaviors which are illogical in terms of their
affective side and cognitive side where actions or
responses are obviously of no sense or irrational from the
given situation.
• Dangerousness
- Manifested behaviors are harm alarming both to self and
to other people.
Reference: Butcher & et.al. Abnormal Psychology. 16th
Edition. Pearson Education South Asia. 2015
What do mean
by Abnormality?
• No single indicator is
sufficient in and of itself
to define or determine
abnormality
• However, based on
research, when an
individual has
difficulties in the
identified areas that are
needed to look into, the
more likely the person is
to have some form of
mental disorder
4 D’s to describe Abnormal Behavior
Reference: Comer, Ronald J. Abnormal Psychology. 9th
Edition. Worth Publishers, NY,USA. 2015
1. Deviance
- thoughts, and emotions are those that differ markedly
from a society’s ideas about proper functioning.
2. Distress
- behavior, ideas, or emotions usually have to cause distress
before they can be labeled abnormal.
3. Dysfunction
- tends to be dysfunctional; that is, it interferes with daily
functioning (Bergner & Bunford, 2014). It so upsets,
distracts, or confuses people that they cannot care for
themselves properly, participate in ordinary social
interactions, or work productively.
4. Danger
- behavior that becomes dangerous to oneself or others.
How do psychologists define Abnormal Behavior?
Deviance
• Thinking - Related criterion for abnormality is the violation of social norms, the cultural
rules that tell us the how we should and shouldn’t behave in various situations,
• Emotions especially in relation to others
• Behavior - According to Norm Violation Criterion, when people behave in ways that are
unusual enough or disturbing enough to violate social norms, they may be
described as abnormal. However, norm violations are better characterized as
eccentric or illegal than as abnormal.
Distress
- Abnormality can also be described in terms of personal suffering .
- Experiencing distress is a criterion that people often use in deciding that their
psychological problems are severe enough to require treatment. Though
personal suffering or distress is not an adequate criterion for abnormality.
Dysfunction
- Impaired functioning, which means having difficult in fulfilling appropriate and
expected roles.
- Sadness is normally experienced by everyone but extreme sadness and
seemingly lasting that interferes with the ability to hold a job or routine
activities in life is likely to be considered abnormal.
What causes Psychological Disorders
Biopsychosocial Approach
• Viewing disorders as resulting from a combination of biological, psychological a, and
sociocultural approach factors.

Biological Approach Psychological Approach Diathesis-Stress Model

• previously called as medical • a view in which mental as an Integrative
model, today known as disorder is seen as arising
from psychological
Explanation
neurobiological model
• It explains psychological processes.
disorders in terms of • The notion that
particular disturbances in the Sociocultural Approach psychological disorder arise
anatomy and chemistry of the • Emphasizes the importance when a predisposition for a
brain and in other biological of examining the disorder combines with
processes, including genetic individual's environment , sufficient amount of stress
influences. including the social and to trigger symptoms.
cultural factors that form the
context of abnormal
behavior.
Basis for assessing psychological disorders
• DSM V – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) is the product of more than
10 years of effort by hundreds of international experts in all aspects of mental health. Their
dedication and hard work have yielded an authoritative volume that defines and classifies
mental disorders in order to improve diagnoses, treatment, and research.
- Published in 2013; has 947 pages and contains a total of 541 diagnostic categories (Blashfiled et
al., 2014).
- DSM 5 is the accepted standard for defining various types of mental disorders in the United
States, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental
Disorder

• ICD-10
- The International Classification of Diseases is produced by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Mental Disorder • It is defined as a syndrome that is
according to present in an individual and that
DSM-5 involves clinically significant
disturbance in behavior, emotion
regulation, or cognitive
functioning. These disturbances
are thought t reflect dysfunction
in biological, psychological, or
developmental process that are
necessary foe mental functioning.
Advantages of • Provides us with a nomenclature (a naming
system) which gives clinicians and researchers
Classification both a common language and shorthand terms
for complex clinical conditions.
• Enables us to structure information in a more
helpful manner.
• Classification system usage is somewhat more
mundane.
Disadvantages of • Loss of information about
Classification the person diagnosed with
mental disorder
• Stigma
• Stereotyping
• Labeling
Mental Health • Psychiatrist
- Prescribes the medications and monitor the
Professionals patient for side effect

• Clinical Psychologist
- Provides the individual therapy, meeting with
the patient

• Clinical Social Worker

- Helps the patient resolve family problems, and
psychiatric nurse may check in with the
patient on a daily basis to provide support and
help the patient cope better in the hospital
environment
Research
Approaches in
Abnormal
Psychology
• Research allows us to further
understand the etiology of
disorders, its symptoms, its
prevalence, whether it tends to
be either acute or chronic, and
the problems and deficits that
often accompany it.
Sources of Information
1. Case Studies
- German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856 –
1926) and Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler
(1857 – 1939 provided us with detailed
accounts of patients whom a modern day
readers easily recognize as having disorders
such as schizophrenia and manic depression
- Alois Alzheimer (1864 – 1915) depicted a
patient with an unusual clinical picture that
subsequently became known Alzheimer's
disease
- Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939), the founder of
psychoanalysis, published multiple clinical
case
Research
Approaches in
Abnormal
Psychology
• Research allows us to further
understand the etiology of
disorders, its symptoms, its
prevalence, whether it tends to
be either acute or chronic, and
the problems and deficits that
often accompany it.
Good points and Limitation of Case Study
Method
Good points:
- An excellent way to illustrate clinical material
- Can provide some limited support for a particular theory
or provide some negative evidence that can challenge a
prevailing idea or assumption.
- Can be a valuable source of new idea and serve as a
stimulus for research, they may provide insight into
unusual clinical conditions that are too rare to be studied
in a more systematic way.
Limitations:
- Subject to bias
- Low generability
Research
Approaches in
Abnormal
Psychology
• Research allows us to further
understand the etiology of
disorders, its symptoms, its
prevalence, whether it tends to
be either acute or chronic, and
the problems and deficits that
often accompany it.
Sources of Information
2. Self-Report Data
- A method to study behavior in a more rigorous manner
- How Self-Report Data Method is administered or
conducted?
 asks the client to report on their subjective
experiences
 Completes questionnaires of various types
 Through interviews
- Limitations:
 people/clients may not be very good reports of their
own subjective states or experiences
 Thus, this can be misleading
Research Sources of Information
3. Observational Approaches
Approaches in - A method which does not require the researcher to asking
people/client directly just like self-report.
Abnormal - This can be direct or indirect observation methods
- The use of technology is highly used in this method
Psychology
• Research allows us to further
understand the etiology of
disorders, its symptoms, its
prevalence, whether it tends to
be either acute or chronic, and
the problems and deficits that
often accompany it.