PSY350 Notes - Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context

PSY350 Notes - Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context 9/3/19 Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context  Abnormal behavior – different from other people, distress, impairment in daily function What is a Psychological Disorder  Psychological dysfunction associated with distress and/or impairment in functioning Being different is not abnormal What is not abnormal behavior  Deviance o Social norms o Accommodation/goodness of fit  Dangerousness o Results from intense emotional states or may signal the presence of a psychological disorder o Dangerous behavior alone cannot be labeled abnormal  Context o Group expectations (peers, culture) o Development and maturity  Culture  Eccentricity Distress, impairment and cultural context  Distress is normal in some situations  Dysfunctional distress occurs when person is much more distressed than others would be  Impairment: must be pervasive and/or significant o Mental disorders are often exaggerations of normal processes (extreme shyness or sadness)  Culture: consider “normalcy” relative to behavior of others in same cultural context Mental disorder = harmful dysfunction  Behavioral, psychological or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural context DSM-5 Describes disorders in terms of - Symptoms - Scientific basis - Clinical presentation - Etiology (cause)