Course: Abnormal psychology
Year: 2
Semester:1
Week: one(1) and two(2)
Topic: Examples and Definitions of Abnormal
Behaviour and causes of abnormal behaviour
There is no single definition of normality or abnormality.
However, when trying to figure out if someone has a
psychological disorder we look at three(3) things: Psychological
Dysfunction(s), personal distress and atypical response.
Psychological dysfunction include: breakdown in cognition,
emotions or behavioural functioning.
Personal distress: Difficulty performing appropriate and
expected roles.
Atypical response: not culturally expected response such as self
destructive responses.
A proper definition of Abnormal behaviour is a psychological
dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in
functioning that is not typically or culturally expected.
, THE FIELD OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
This is the scientific study of psychological disorders.
Causation treatment and outcome
Etiology is what contributed to the development of
psychopathology.
Treatment Development includes pharmacology, psychosocial
and/or combined treatment.
A paradigm is a set of shared assumptions that includes both the
substance of a theory and beliefs about how scientists should
collect data and test the theory.
A stroop paradigm is the interference that happens in the level of
the mind, this can slow down over thinkers.
There are three (3) dominant historical traditions relating to
abnormal behaviour:
1. Biological: abnormal behavior range from imbalanced
brain chemistry, brain injuries and genetic predispositions.
2. Psychological: contributions range from troubled emotions
to distorted thinking
3. Social and Cultural: contributions range from conflict in
family relationships to sexual and racial bias
Biological Conceptions
Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology
Year: 2
Semester:1
Week: one(1) and two(2)
Topic: Examples and Definitions of Abnormal
Behaviour and causes of abnormal behaviour
There is no single definition of normality or abnormality.
However, when trying to figure out if someone has a
psychological disorder we look at three(3) things: Psychological
Dysfunction(s), personal distress and atypical response.
Psychological dysfunction include: breakdown in cognition,
emotions or behavioural functioning.
Personal distress: Difficulty performing appropriate and
expected roles.
Atypical response: not culturally expected response such as self
destructive responses.
A proper definition of Abnormal behaviour is a psychological
dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in
functioning that is not typically or culturally expected.
, THE FIELD OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
This is the scientific study of psychological disorders.
Causation treatment and outcome
Etiology is what contributed to the development of
psychopathology.
Treatment Development includes pharmacology, psychosocial
and/or combined treatment.
A paradigm is a set of shared assumptions that includes both the
substance of a theory and beliefs about how scientists should
collect data and test the theory.
A stroop paradigm is the interference that happens in the level of
the mind, this can slow down over thinkers.
There are three (3) dominant historical traditions relating to
abnormal behaviour:
1. Biological: abnormal behavior range from imbalanced
brain chemistry, brain injuries and genetic predispositions.
2. Psychological: contributions range from troubled emotions
to distorted thinking
3. Social and Cultural: contributions range from conflict in
family relationships to sexual and racial bias
Biological Conceptions
Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology
