6/4/25, 9:40 AM Psychopathology
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (PSYCHOLOGY) ESSAY PLANS
NEWEST VERSION 2025-2026 \LATEST UPDATE WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE DETAILED
ANSWERS \ACTUAL EXAM WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
\GRADED A+
•Distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour
Deviation from social norms unlike statically
AO3 - distinguishes between infrequency - also takes into account the effect that
desirable and undesirable behaviour has on others - this definition therefore offers
a practical and useful way of identifying undesirable and
potentially damaging behaviour, which may alert others
to the need to secure help for the person concerned
Deviation from social norms • Cultural relativism - different norms in different cultures
AO3 - cultural relativism - hard to compare and have universal definition
• proprosed by Jahoda
• Instead of focuses on abnormality, looks at what
would comprise the ideal mental state of an
individual
• Criteria :
Deviation from ideal mental
health AO1 1. Having ability to self-actualise (fulfill one's potential)
2. Having accurate perception of ourselves + realty
3. Not being distressed
4. Being able to maintain normal levels of motivation to carry out
day to day tasks
5. Displaying high self esteem
- unrealistic criteria
- physical health
Deviation from ideal mental
- positives rather than negatives
health AO3
- cultural relativism
/ 1/17
,6/4/25, 10:45 AM Psychopathology essay plans
•unrealistic criteria - based on the criteria, most people would be
abnormal, the
Deviation from ideal mental criteria are ideal but not realistic - how many criteria
health AO3 - unrealistic need to be lacking for someone to be abnormal - also
criteria the criteria are hard to measure - this means that this
approach may be an interesting concept but not
really useable when it comes to identifying
abnormality
• It tries to apply the principles of physical health to
Deviation from ideal mental mental health - many mental disorders are the
health AO3 - physical health consequences of kids experiences unlike physical
illness which is
caused by bacteria or injury - therefore it is unlikely that
we could diagnose mental abnormality in the same way
that we can diagnose physical abnormality
• Focuses on positives rather than negatives - offers an
alternative perspective on mental disorder that focuses
Deviation from ideal mental
on the ideal (desire rather than undesirable- the ideas
health AO3 - positives rather
have had some influence and are in accord with the
than negatives
positive psychology movement
- a strength is that it has a positive outlook and it's
influence on humanistic approaches
• Cultural relativism - many of the criteria are cultural
bound - e.g the goal of self actualisation is relevant
Deviation from ideal mental
to members of individualist cultures but not
health AO3 - cultural
collectivist
relativism
cultures where people promote the needs of the group
not themselves - if we apply the criteria to people from
other cultures we will probably find a higher incidence
of abnormality - this limits the usefulness of this
definition to certain cultural groups
• phobias can be learnt through association
Behavioural approach to • Classical conditioning and operant conditioning
explaining phobias AO1 • Little Albert
• Modelling - phobias can be learnt through other people
- specific event
Behavioural approach to
- not everyone who went through trauma
explaining phobias AO3
2/1
7
, 6/4/25, 10:45 AM Psychopathology essay plans
- treating
• people with phobias often recall specific event as
theory suggests (sue et al - supports classical
conditioning as shows how association with a negative
stimulus causes phobia development) - suggests
Behavioural approach to classical conditioning does have a role in developing
explaining phobias AO3 - phobias so therefore phobias can be learnt through
specific event association - however, not everyone who has a
phobia can recall a specific event that may have
triggered it - it could be that the event has been
forgotten or repressed, or that it didn't happen - sue
et al suggests that different phobias may be the
result of
different processes - for example, agoraphobics were most likely
to explain their
disorder in terms of a specific incident, whereas
arachnophobics were most likely to cite modelling as
the cause
• Not everyone who went through a traumatic event
developed a phobia - di nardo - found that not
Behavioural approach to everyone who is bittern by a dog develops a phobia
explaining phobias AO3 - of dogs -
not everyone with trauma explained by diathesis stress model (inherit genetic
vulnerability which could give rise to phobia when
triggered) - not complete explanation so diathesis
stress model provides a better explanation as it
incorporates both biological and learnt mechanisms
Behavioural approach to • behavioural approach has helped us treat phobias
explaining phobias AO3 - - doesn't mean they were necessarily learnt but
treatment suggests that learning is a crucial part of
phobias
3/1
7
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (PSYCHOLOGY) ESSAY PLANS
NEWEST VERSION 2025-2026 \LATEST UPDATE WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE DETAILED
ANSWERS \ACTUAL EXAM WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
\GRADED A+
•Distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour
Deviation from social norms unlike statically
AO3 - distinguishes between infrequency - also takes into account the effect that
desirable and undesirable behaviour has on others - this definition therefore offers
a practical and useful way of identifying undesirable and
potentially damaging behaviour, which may alert others
to the need to secure help for the person concerned
Deviation from social norms • Cultural relativism - different norms in different cultures
AO3 - cultural relativism - hard to compare and have universal definition
• proprosed by Jahoda
• Instead of focuses on abnormality, looks at what
would comprise the ideal mental state of an
individual
• Criteria :
Deviation from ideal mental
health AO1 1. Having ability to self-actualise (fulfill one's potential)
2. Having accurate perception of ourselves + realty
3. Not being distressed
4. Being able to maintain normal levels of motivation to carry out
day to day tasks
5. Displaying high self esteem
- unrealistic criteria
- physical health
Deviation from ideal mental
- positives rather than negatives
health AO3
- cultural relativism
/ 1/17
,6/4/25, 10:45 AM Psychopathology essay plans
•unrealistic criteria - based on the criteria, most people would be
abnormal, the
Deviation from ideal mental criteria are ideal but not realistic - how many criteria
health AO3 - unrealistic need to be lacking for someone to be abnormal - also
criteria the criteria are hard to measure - this means that this
approach may be an interesting concept but not
really useable when it comes to identifying
abnormality
• It tries to apply the principles of physical health to
Deviation from ideal mental mental health - many mental disorders are the
health AO3 - physical health consequences of kids experiences unlike physical
illness which is
caused by bacteria or injury - therefore it is unlikely that
we could diagnose mental abnormality in the same way
that we can diagnose physical abnormality
• Focuses on positives rather than negatives - offers an
alternative perspective on mental disorder that focuses
Deviation from ideal mental
on the ideal (desire rather than undesirable- the ideas
health AO3 - positives rather
have had some influence and are in accord with the
than negatives
positive psychology movement
- a strength is that it has a positive outlook and it's
influence on humanistic approaches
• Cultural relativism - many of the criteria are cultural
bound - e.g the goal of self actualisation is relevant
Deviation from ideal mental
to members of individualist cultures but not
health AO3 - cultural
collectivist
relativism
cultures where people promote the needs of the group
not themselves - if we apply the criteria to people from
other cultures we will probably find a higher incidence
of abnormality - this limits the usefulness of this
definition to certain cultural groups
• phobias can be learnt through association
Behavioural approach to • Classical conditioning and operant conditioning
explaining phobias AO1 • Little Albert
• Modelling - phobias can be learnt through other people
- specific event
Behavioural approach to
- not everyone who went through trauma
explaining phobias AO3
2/1
7
, 6/4/25, 10:45 AM Psychopathology essay plans
- treating
• people with phobias often recall specific event as
theory suggests (sue et al - supports classical
conditioning as shows how association with a negative
stimulus causes phobia development) - suggests
Behavioural approach to classical conditioning does have a role in developing
explaining phobias AO3 - phobias so therefore phobias can be learnt through
specific event association - however, not everyone who has a
phobia can recall a specific event that may have
triggered it - it could be that the event has been
forgotten or repressed, or that it didn't happen - sue
et al suggests that different phobias may be the
result of
different processes - for example, agoraphobics were most likely
to explain their
disorder in terms of a specific incident, whereas
arachnophobics were most likely to cite modelling as
the cause
• Not everyone who went through a traumatic event
developed a phobia - di nardo - found that not
Behavioural approach to everyone who is bittern by a dog develops a phobia
explaining phobias AO3 - of dogs -
not everyone with trauma explained by diathesis stress model (inherit genetic
vulnerability which could give rise to phobia when
triggered) - not complete explanation so diathesis
stress model provides a better explanation as it
incorporates both biological and learnt mechanisms
Behavioural approach to • behavioural approach has helped us treat phobias
explaining phobias AO3 - - doesn't mean they were necessarily learnt but
treatment suggests that learning is a crucial part of
phobias
3/1
7
