...Classifying Abnormality Paper Alycia Moss PSY/410 September 7, 2011 Laurie Rhia Classifying Abnormality Paper Many efforts have been made to try to classify abnormal behavior, by utilizing some type of diagnostic categorizing system. These efforts have progressed from methods that vaguely lists disorders, to more thorough, modern methods, like DSM- IV- TR, this method lists numerous amounts of different mental disorders. Psychopathology is the study of mental illness, abnormal/maladaptive behavior. Psychopathology is a term commonly used in psychiatry whereas pathology relates to disease progressions. The standard classification system for psychopathology is the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM-1). The DSM is a manual, published by the American Psychiatric Association, listing the official diagnostic classifications of mental disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS-1) is the official manual listing psychiatric and psychological disorders. This manual was published by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952, takes its coding scheme from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is a diagnostic manual for all medical diseases. The DSM was commonly used by physicians/medical professionals, insurance companies and many courts systems. Courts used the DSM to define and diagnose mental disorders, and the diagnostics code that was attached to the case would regulate insurance reimbursements...
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...Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology focuses on abnormal behavior, its definition, classifications, explanations, and treatment (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Although its history is merely 100 years old, its story is richly textured. During its evolution, decisions regarding areas of focus evolved into six core concepts that enabled a more accurate definition of the field. To fully understand the scope and significance of contemporary abnormal psychology one must consider psychopathology and its origins, its distinct evolution, and the theoretical models of abnormality, which, in their diversity, attempt to treat those suffering from various disorders. Origins of Abnormal Psychology The relatively young science of abnormal psychology has existed for approximately one hundred years although many forms of mental illness have been recorded throughout history. Stories from biblical times describe suffering similar to contemporary illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia (Bark, 1988; Kahn, 1975, as cited by Hansell & Damour, 2008). One of the earliest known explanations for mental illness in primitive cultures was animism, predicated on belief in the power of the spirit world (Hansell & Damour, 2008). According to this view, mental affliction was associated with possession by an evil or hateful spirit. Archeologists have documented evidence of a treatment called trephination as early as 3000 BCE. This medical procedure consisted...
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...Abnormal Psychology Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. It seeks to comprehend people by understanding mental functions and social behavior. It also explores neurobiological and physiological processes that can drive cognitive functions and behaviors. It is this drive to understand mental processes that pushes psychologists to want to learn about what is normal and abnormal behavior. People have tried for thousands of years to understand and define abnormal behavior. In the past 100 years it has undergone “tremendous change, progress, and controversy”(Hansell, J & Damour, L., 2009, p.3). Throughout the modifications certain principles have remained which are known as the core concepts. These core concepts are what define abnormal behavior. There is no clear precise definition for abnormal, which gives rise to challenges in classifying abnormal and normal behavior. Abnormal psychology is a scientific discipline, in which a person acquires information on a person’s behavior and then measures the behavior to hypothesize a cause and treatment. There is a core concept that says that there are multiple causes to abnormal behavior, understanding this can lead to learning about and treating abnormal behavior. These multiple causes can be comprehended by learning about the psychosocial, biological, and sociocultural theoretical models related to the development of abnormal behavior. Abnormal The study of abnormal behavior began early in time when people tried to explain...
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...According to Saul McLeod, abnormal behavior is defined as a person’s trait, thinking, or behavior is classified as abnormal if its rare a trait or statistically unusual, (McLeod, Saul (2014) “Abnormal Psychology”). Recently, I was walking in downtown Atlanta and there was a woman who popped out of this walkway, which startled us. Unfortunately, she caused us extreme discomfort since she was screaming at a person (which we didn’t see) and started to come near us but crossed the street eventually to grab something off the ground to come back to where she was at but we were further down the street. The element that can be used to describe the woman is danger which is behavior that can become dangerous to others or oneself by a lack of functioning that is caused by hostility or carelessness that can jeopardize their well being and others as well. Moreover, her behavior would be considered abnormal to me in culture since it disregards the rights of others and can be very disruptive to others. Overall, a limitation could be that it’s functional or adaptive for the individual in their everyday life. Another example of abnormal behavior that has been in the news is Bruce Jenner transitioning to Caitlyn Jenner. Basically, Bruce Jenner didn’t feel that he was meant to be a man anymore and used to try on women’s clothing throughout his life. Once divorced from his wife, he decided to pursue with his deepest desire: to become a woman. Soon, he altered his face and body to appear like a...
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...PSY/410 - ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Week 1: Individual Assignment Instructor: Melda Jones May 2011 The earliest account and confirmation of mental illness were the spiritual approach, which originated from the belief that the supernatural or spirits and gods of an unknown realm has an effect on what happens within their earthly domain. This generated a very distinctive way of explaining mental disorders that stem from the physicians of ancient Greece and Rome, yet there were individuals who took a less animistic approach and viewed the behaviors and actions from a biological and scientific aspect (Hansell, 2008). According to the New World Encyclopedia, abnormal psychology is defined as; “a field devoted to the study of causes of mental dysfunctions” (NWE, 2010). Remarkably, this definition as well as many others is indefinite and very vague giving that this field is about 100 years old. The description of what signifies as being abnormal has fluctuated over time as well as cultures. In addition, individuals in society vary in what they may regard as being normal or abnormal behavior. However, throughout the history of this field, decisions on how to define, classify, and explain what abnormal or normal is has been a very difficult task to do. The reason for such difficulty is because of the awareness that defining abnormality creates certain concrete glitches like individuals being...
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...in unconventional ways are easily targeted, this could be dangerous for those who are just following their culture norms and may be persecuted and stigmatized as their labeled mentally ill. When identifying abnormal from normal one must first understand abnormal behaviors and the context in which abnormal behavior falls under three crucial contexts. According to (Hansel, J, & Damour, L, (2008).) One must first understand the circumstances that are correlated within any behavior, which is essential to whether or not the behavior is normal or abnormal. While the field of abnormal psychology is a hundred years old , throughout its history decisions about how to define and classify as well as explain and treat these behaviors that fall under certain discrepancies, as it makes diagnosing easier to understand in an individual who posses abnormal behaviors. Continuum between normal and abnormal is vital to look at especially cultural and historical relativism as well as the advantages and limitations at hand; one must first on the principle of multiple casualties as well as focusing on the connection of the body and mind. (Hansel, J, & Damour, L, (2008).) However while diagnosing a client one must be really careful due to the challenges of diagnosing someone with abnormal behaviors. What makes diagnosing so challenging is that it can be a bit complicated as well as diversely challenging mental disorders that usually involve both precipitating and predisposing causes. While it...
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...Team C Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Laura Carranza Armanda Meadows Quoc Nguyen Andrea Sanchez Julann Wygal PSY/300 May 8, 2012 Mary Madrigal PhD Abnormal Psychology and Therapy The purpose of this paper is to discuss abnormal psychology and therapy. First this paper will define what abnormal psychology is. Then this paper will compare and contrast normal and abnormal psychology. Then the paper will examine at least two mental disorders from the perspective of psychology. Next the paper will examine two mental illnesses from the perspective of psychology. Finally the paper will discuss the similarities and difference among two different therapies in the schools of thought in psychology for treating mental disorders. Normal and Abnormal Psychology Normal vs. Abnormal Psychology The study of "normal" psychology is simply the study of someone who is in good health both mentally and physically. Said person adheres to and is responsive to social norms, and engages in activities that are socially acceptable and do not stray from the norm. Normal psychology is the study of the mind and the study of behavior. When unusual patterns of behavior, thought and emotion are studied, it falls under the branch of psychology called Abnormal psychology. The control and understanding of behavior that is considered to be deviant or aberrant either statistically or morally, has been the subject of much research and debate. Psychologists who focus on abnormal psychology identify the...
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...abnormal psycology Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Jessica University of Phoenix PSY/410 Facilitator: Maria Neely; MA; M.ed. 19 December 2011 Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology * There is a fine line when comparing normal and abnormal behavior. What appears to be abnormal is considered normal by others. Abnormal behaviors are defined as psychopathology, which relates to abnormal behavior that can be defined, classified, explains, and treated (Hansell & Damour, 2008). This paper will examine the origins of abnormal psychology, include challenges to defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior, provide a brief overview of how abnormal psychology has evolved into a scientific discipline, and the last part will analyze the psychosocial, biological/medical, and socio-cultural theoretical models related to the development of abnormal psychology. When assessing a person with a mental health problems looking at factors such as feelings, thoughts, and behaviors can play a very important role. The origins of abnormal behavior started...
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...and women. Buddy's untraditional approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making vulgar comments about Dave's girlfriend Linda and forcing Dave into confronting every slight, past or present, head-on. But Buddy finally goes too far and Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or stand up for himself. Behavior, thoughts, and emotions that break norms of psychological functioning are known as abnormal (Comer, 2011). Looking at Dave you wouldn’t see his behavior as abnormal. He’s always been the type of guy to let people walk all over him. The incident that scarred him for life goes back to fifth grade when he was asked to play a game of truth or dare. Just when he was about to get the kiss of his dreams, the bully of the neighborhood came and pulled his pants down in front of everyone. He lacked self confidence and felt...
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...portrays beauty as women and men who weigh ninety-five pounds. Due to this current obsession to be skinny in today’s society, many young girls and boys will develop an eating disorder, or turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to escape from the daily pressures to be beautiful in today’s society. This paper will analyze the biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components of eating, substance abuse, sex/gender/sexual, and personality disorders. The DSM-IV-TR includes two axis I categories of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa—restricting and binge-eating/purging types—and bulimia nervosa—purging and non-purging types. Biological factors involved with eating disorders include genetic basis, hormonal excesses and deficiencies and abnormal neural activity. People who suffer from anorexia and bulimia usually have low serotonin levels as well as structural brain abnormalities. High expectations set by parents is a key factor in the emotional aspect of this disorder. Many strive toward high expectations and suffer the effects of not reaching them (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Parents may not realize their behavior towards weight loss has an effect on their children. The reality television show, Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC is an example of how mothers influence their daughters to conform to the current trends of society. A person suffering from an eating disorder will cognitively focus on eating or starvation...
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...of Abnormal Psychology Ann Bacon Psy/410 Abnormal Psychology October 24, 2011 Kristi Lane University of Phoenix Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology What is abnormal psychology? Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with behaviors that are not considered normal as well as psychological phenomena such as dreams and altered mental states, which have not been explained. The goal of this branch of psychology is to understand abnormal behavior as well as to determine how and if the behavior needs to be addressed and to develop a treatment plan that will help individuals. This branch of psychology also recognizes that there are many influences such as environmental influences on psychological development. The goal of many mental health professionals is not to force an individual to achieve normality but to help individuals who struggle with mental and emotional disorders to achieve fulfilling and active lives. However, to completely understand what abnormal psychology is we need to understand the origins of abnormal psychology as well as the challenges of defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior. It is also important to understand how abnormal psychology evolved into a scientific discipline as well as the different viewpoints or models of abnormal psychology. The following paragraphs will hopefully help us to completely understand the branch of abnormal psychology. Origins of Abnormal Psychology The field of abnormal psychology...
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...Abnormal Psychology and Therapy April Gressett, Michelle Baker, Celia Mikhael, Nick Mccullough Psychology 300 University of Phoenix Betsy Ferronato July 11th, 2013 Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Introduction Normal vs. Abnormal Psychology In the scientific world, psychology is best described as the “scientific investigation of mental processes and behavior.” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011)The question; what is the difference between normal psychology and that of abnormal psychology? To answer this particular question, one must know the parameters of each individual thought of study. Normal psychology is the study of metal processes and behaviors within a range generally accepted behaviors. Abnormal psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviors the reach outside the parameters of the norm, and is thus considered abnormal. So who decides what is normal and abnormal? There are cultural differences in this area of thought; what may be considered as normal to an American citizen may be construed as abnormal in another country. This train of thought goes both ways, behaviors that are deemed normal in Russia, or the Middle East, may in fact be considered abnormal to a visiting foreigner. So it is with this thought, that the line between normal and abnormal may in fact be somewhat subjective. (Kowalski & Westen, 2011) Abnormal psychology is the study of behaviors found to be outside the scope of the norm, and is generally found in people that exhibit psychological...
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...Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Stella Cook April 30, 2012 Sarah Bihms MA Psychology Psychology 300 University of Phoenix College of Social Science Abnormal psychology is a field of study that is devoted to the study of mental dysfunction mental illness, psychopathology, maladjustment, and emotional disturbance. Abnormal behavior is expressed because of a psychological factor and can have features of deviance depending on the distress and the possibility of injury to their self or others. Abnormal psychology has a long history and has numerous types of dysfunction and abnormal psychology studies the causes and the possible treatments of the dysfunction of this disease. Primarily the research in the field has been done with Western perspectives and research method. Spiritually understanding of mental illness was recognized in ancient Western civilizations and in Eastern culture the scientific community has dismissed by the majority of the psychologist in modern times. The twentieth century there are two opposing perspectives on the etiology of mental disorders developed somatogenic physical origins and psychogenic psychological origins. The two have produced research and treatment methods. In abnormal...
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...Abnormal Psychology Timeline Ashley Giacosa University of Phoenix TITLE : Abnormal Psychology Timeline * Stone Age (Approximately half a million years ago. * Trephination- chipping an area of the skull away with a crude object like a stone to create a hole in order for the evil spirits to escape. * Demonology, gods, and magic * Preformed mainly by the Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, and Hebrews. * They believed a person was possessed by a evil or a good spirit. * The primary treatment of this time was an exorcism. * The Early Greek Thinkers * Hippocrates known as “the Father of Modern medicine. His ideas practiced from 460 BC to 377 BC. * He believed there was a natural causation for mental diseases. Hippocrates taught that a person’s bloodline or heredity was extremely important to their mental health. * He classified these disorders into three categories: mania, melancholia, and phrenitis better known as “brain fever”. * Hippocrates also emphasized the importance of dreams in understanding a person. * Closely following Hippocrates was Galen. * Galen founded the idea of the Doctrine of four humors. The temperaments are: Sanguine, Melancholic, Phlegmatic, and Choleric. * Next in line was Plato who constructed the idea that the mentally ill could not be held responsible for criminal acts. He also started the act that hospital care should be provided for the mentally ill. * During...
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...One of the trickiest scientific ideas to define is abnormal psychology. There are very few universally accepted theories in the science of psychology and with a field that is so open to interpretation defining what is normal is a tall order. Interpreting the meaning of research data is a matter of perspective and is often open to debate. Everyone perceives things through their own concept of the world and since no two people experience the world in the exact same way the definition of normal varies from person to person and culture to culture. In this paper we will examine the field of abnormal psychology, a few common disorders, and the varying methods of therapy from the differing psychological schools of thought. Normal vs. Abnormal Psychology “Defining what is abnormal depends on how one first defines what is normal” (Davis & Buskist, 2008, p. 237). Psychology in general terms is the study of the mind. We study mental processes and human behavior to better understand the human condition. In trying to study the mind and understand the processes of thought there is much overlap from other disciplines; to fully understand behavior we must gain an understanding of all that goes into the process. There are biological, neurological, and evolutionary components to cognition and reaction. There is also a strong philosophical aspect to appreciating the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. In modern psychology there are four main schools of thought: psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive...
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