Abnormal Psychology Study Guide with 100% solution

Abnormal Psychology:abnormal behavior, thoughts, and emotions are those that differ markedly from a society’s ideas about proper functioning. Each society establishes norms—stated and unstated rules for proper conduct. Behavior that breaks legal norms is considered to be criminal. Behavior, thoughts, and emotions that break norms of psychological functioning are called abnormal. Judgments of abnormality vary from society to society. A society’s norms grow from its particular culture—its history, values, institutions, habits, skills, technology, and arts. A society that values competition and assertiveness may accept aggressive behavior, whereas one that emphasizes cooperation and gentleness may consider aggressive behavior unacceptable and even abnormal. A society’s values may also change over time, causing its views of what is psychologically abnormal to change as well. In Western society, for example, a woman seeking the power of running a major corporation or indeed of leading the country would have been considered inappropriate and even delusional a hundred years ago. Today the same behavior is valued. Judgments of abnormality depend on specific circumstances as well as on cultural norms. What if, for example, we were to learn that Johanne is a citizen of Haiti and that her desperate unhappiness began in the days, weeks, and months following the massive earthquake that struck her country, already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, on January 12, 2010? The quake, one of the worst natural disasters in history, killed 250,000 Haitians and left 1.5 million homeless. Half of Haiti’s homes and buildings were immediately turned into rubble, and its electricity and other forms of power disappeared. Tent cities replaced homes for most people (Granitz, 2014; Wilkinson, 2011). In the weeks and months that followed the earthquake, Johanne came to accept that she wouldn’t get all of the help she needed and that she might never again see the friends and neighbors who had once given her life so much meaning. As she and her daughters moved from one temporary tent or hut to another throughout the country, always at risk of developing serious diseases, she gradually gave up all hope that her life would ever return to normal. In this light, Johanne’s reactions do not seem quite so inappropriate. If anything is abnormal here, it is her situation. Many human experiences produce intense reactions—financial ruin, large-scale catastrophes and disasters, rape, child abuse, war, terminal illness, chronic pain (Janssen et al., 2015). Is there an “appropriate” way to react to such things? Should we ever call reactions to such experiences abnormal? Distress ing that is considered unusual does not necessarily qualify as abnormal. According to many clinical theorists, behavior, ideas, or emotions usually have to cause distress before they can be labeled abnormal. Consider the Ice Breakers, a group of people in Michigan who go swimming in lakes throughout the state every weekend from November through February. The colder the weather, the better they like it. One man, a member of the group for 17 years, says he loves the challenge of human against nature. A 37-year-old lawyer believes that the weekly shock is good for her health. “It cleanses me,” she says. “It perks me up and gives me strength.” Page 4 Certainly these people are different from most of us, but is their behavior abnormal? Far from experiencing distress, they feel energized and challenged. Their positive feelings must cause us to hesitate before we decide that they are functioning abnormally. Should we conclude, then, that feelings of distress must always be present before a person’s functioning can be considered abnormal? Not necessarily. Some people who function abnormally maintain a positive frame of mind. Consider once again Alberto, the young man who hears mysterious voices. What if he enjoyed listening to the voices, felt honored to be chosen, loved sending out warnings on the Internet, and looked forward to saving the world? Shouldn’t we still regard his functioning as abnormal? Dysfunction Abnormal behavior tends to be dysfunctional; that is, it interferes with daily functioning (Bergner & Bunford, 2014). It so upsets, distracts, or confuses people that they cannot care for themselves properly, participate in ordinary social interactions, or work productively. Alberto, for example, has quit his job, left his family, and prepared to withdraw from the productive life he once led. Because our society holds that it is important to carry out daily activities in an effective manner, Alberto’s behavior is likely to be regarded as abnormal and undesirable. In contrast, the Ice Breakers, who continue to perform well in their jobs and enjoy fulfilling relationships, would probably be considered simply unusual. Danger Perhaps the ultimate in psychological dysfunctioning is behavior that becomes dangerous to oneself or others. Individuals whose behavior is consistently careless, hostile, or confused may be placing themselves or those around them at risk. Alberto, for example, seems to be endangering both himself, with his diet, and others, with his buildup of arms and ammunition. Although danger is often cited as a feature of abnormal psychological functioning, research suggests that it is actually the exception rather than the rule (Stuber et al., 2014). Most people struggling with anxiety, depression, and even bizarre thinking pose no immediate danger to themselves or to anyone else. The Elusive Nature of Abnormality What behaviors fit the criteria of deviant, distressful, dysfunctional, or dangerous but would not be cons people?