Abnormal Psychology Abnormal Psyc Two Ways to define
Abnormal Psychology
Abnormal Psyc. • Two Ways to define abnormal behavior: ØStatistical – how frequently or infrequently does a behavior occur ØSocial – does the behavior deviate from accepted social norm
What is insanity? Is there a difference between a legal definition of insanity and a psychological one?
ØLegal definition of insanity is not knowing the difference between right and wrong ØPsychological definition of insanity is a mental disorder that is prolonged or recurring and that seriously interferes with an individual’s ability to live a satisfying personal life and function in society
Diagnosis • 1962, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) created a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders • It was known as DSM-I • Newest version is the DSM-V • It is a complete listing of symptoms, labels, prognoses and sample cases
Emil Kraeplin (1909) • First person to make a systematic list of mental problems based on the analysis of symptoms
• Are there possible problems or dangers of classifying/labeling a person with a disorder?
Dangers of Labeling 1. Expect people not to change and ignore changes if they do occur 2. Rejection of responsibility on the part of the “afflicted” 3. Stigma of having a mental disorder 4. Attach label to person instead of illness
Rosenhan’s Experiment (1970’s) • Psychiatrist, several psychologists, graduate students, homemaker, painter, etc. – Twelve hospitals – No history of mental illness – Went to hospitals and said they heard voices – Voices said, “thud”, “empty” and “hollow” – Once admitted they acted normal
Rosenhan’s Experiment (1970’s) – Tried to determine how long it would take for staff to notice the normalcy – It took 7 - 52 days (average of 19 days) – Other patients detected that the investigators were not really “sick” before staff
2 Parts to a Diagnosis • Medical – Some disorders are caused by medically identifiable problems • Check-ups, EEG, MRI • Psychological – 2 major sources • Interviews • Personality tests
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