Abnormal Psychology Overview &
History - Exam 1 Questions and Answers
what is abnormal behavior? - Answer-statistically rare, deviant from social norms,
causes subjective discomfort, does not allow day-to-day functioning, causes a person to
be dangerous to self or others
describe & apply the 4 D's - Answer-- deviance: behaviors that do not often occur in a
society or most people in a society find the behavior to be "odd".
- distress: when a behavior causes anxiety or bad feelings or other negative feelings for
the person or others who come in contact with them.
- dysfunction: behaviors and feelings that interfere with an individual's ability to function
in daily life, work, or relationships.
- danger: behaviors are detrimental to the person or people around them.
ancient/historical views of abnormality & treatment - Answer-- ancient societies
regarded abnormal behavior as the work of evil spirits.
- trephination was performed as a treatment for severe abnormal behavior--either
hallucinations, in which people saw or heard things not actually present, or melancholia,
characterized by extreme sadness and immobility.
- exorcism was a treatment used to coax the evil spirits to leave or to make the person's
body an uncomfortable place in which to live.
- asylums were institutions whose primary purpose was to care for people with mental
illness.
prehistoric societies - Answer-- prehistoric societies apparently viewed abnormal
behavior as the work of evil spirits.
Greek & Roman times & Hippocrates - Answer-- when the Greek and Roman
civilizations thrived, philosophers, and physicians often offered explanations and
treatments for abnormal behaviors.
- Hippocrates often called the father of modern medicine, taught that illnesses had
natural causes; he saw abnormal behavior as a disease arising from internal physical
problems; he believed that some form of brain pathology was the culprit & that it
resulted from an imbalance of four fluids/humors (yellow bile, black bile, blood, and
phlegm)
Middle Ages - Answer-- deviant behavior, particularly psychological abnormality, was
seen as evidence of Satan's influence.
- people blamed the devil for these troubles and feared being possessed and plagues.
- abnormal behavior increased greatly during this period.
Renaissance - Answer-- during the early part of the Renaissance, a period of flourishing
cultural scientific activity from about 1400 to 1700.
History - Exam 1 Questions and Answers
what is abnormal behavior? - Answer-statistically rare, deviant from social norms,
causes subjective discomfort, does not allow day-to-day functioning, causes a person to
be dangerous to self or others
describe & apply the 4 D's - Answer-- deviance: behaviors that do not often occur in a
society or most people in a society find the behavior to be "odd".
- distress: when a behavior causes anxiety or bad feelings or other negative feelings for
the person or others who come in contact with them.
- dysfunction: behaviors and feelings that interfere with an individual's ability to function
in daily life, work, or relationships.
- danger: behaviors are detrimental to the person or people around them.
ancient/historical views of abnormality & treatment - Answer-- ancient societies
regarded abnormal behavior as the work of evil spirits.
- trephination was performed as a treatment for severe abnormal behavior--either
hallucinations, in which people saw or heard things not actually present, or melancholia,
characterized by extreme sadness and immobility.
- exorcism was a treatment used to coax the evil spirits to leave or to make the person's
body an uncomfortable place in which to live.
- asylums were institutions whose primary purpose was to care for people with mental
illness.
prehistoric societies - Answer-- prehistoric societies apparently viewed abnormal
behavior as the work of evil spirits.
Greek & Roman times & Hippocrates - Answer-- when the Greek and Roman
civilizations thrived, philosophers, and physicians often offered explanations and
treatments for abnormal behaviors.
- Hippocrates often called the father of modern medicine, taught that illnesses had
natural causes; he saw abnormal behavior as a disease arising from internal physical
problems; he believed that some form of brain pathology was the culprit & that it
resulted from an imbalance of four fluids/humors (yellow bile, black bile, blood, and
phlegm)
Middle Ages - Answer-- deviant behavior, particularly psychological abnormality, was
seen as evidence of Satan's influence.
- people blamed the devil for these troubles and feared being possessed and plagues.
- abnormal behavior increased greatly during this period.
Renaissance - Answer-- during the early part of the Renaissance, a period of flourishing
cultural scientific activity from about 1400 to 1700.
