Chapter 1: Abnormal Psychology and Life
Learning Objectives
Understand key terms related to abnormal psychology, including mental disorder.
Understand key criteria used to determine if an emotion, thought, or behavior is
abnormal.
Understand the concept of a dimensional approach to mental disorder.
Receive an introduction to the history of abnormal psychology, from early
perspectives to contemporary thought.
Receive an introduction to the key themes in the textbook to be discussed in
subsequent chapters, including dimensional perspective, prevention perspective,
consumer perspective, and stigma.
Key Terms
asylums
maladaptive behavior
mass madness
mental disorder 4
abnormal psychology
mental hygiene movement
primary prevention
psychopathologists
public health model
secondary prevention
stigma
tertiary prevention
trephination
multicultural psychology
public stigma
self stigma
Outline
Case: Travis
Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
, Abnormal psychology is defined as the scientific study of problematic feelings,
thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders. This area of science is
designed to evaluate, understand, predict, and prevent mental disorder and help
those in distress.
What Is a Mental Disorder?
Case: Treva Thronberry
A mental disorder is defined as a group of emotional (feelings), cognitive (thinking), or
behavioral symptoms that cause distress or significant problems.
Deviance from the Norm
We may define abnormal behavior based on its difference or deviance from the
norm, which may include doing so statistically or using a bell curve.
Difficulties Adapting to Life Demands
Difficulty adapting to life’s demands may occur when a behavior interferes with
one’s ability to function effectively. This theme includes dangerous behavior toward
oneself or others, which clearly interferes with an ability to function effectively.
Experience of Personal Distress
Experience of personal distress can spur referrals for treatment by oneself or
others, such as family members.
Defining Abnormality
A maladaptive behavior is one that interferes with a person’s life, including the
ability to care for oneself, have good relationships with others, and function well at
school or at work. We refer to emotions, thoughts, or behaviors as abnormal when they
violate social norms, are statistically deviant, interfere with functions, or cause great
personal distress.
Dimensions Underlying Mental Disorders are Relevant to Everyone
A dimensional model of abnormal behavior focuses on the idea that
abnormality of emotions, thoughts, or behaviors is a matter of degree, not of kind,
and that emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders are
present, to some degree, in all of us. The idea that emotions, thoughts, and behaviors
exist in varying degrees on a continuum in people has important implications.
History of Abnormal Psychology
,Early Perspectives
Early writings of the Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, and Hebrews identify patterns
of and concerns about treating abnormal behavior. Early theoreticians
frequently attributed abnormal behavior to supernatural causes such as possession
by demons or evil spirits. A primary form of treatment was exorcism.
Another form, trephination, involved cutting a hole in a person’s skull to help
release a harmful spirit.
Early Greek and Roman Thought
The development of medicine and medical concepts among Egyptians and Greeks
helped replace ancient supernatural theories with natural ones. Natural theories
reject supernatural forces and instead look to things that can be observed, known,
or measured as potential causes of events. Hippocrates (460–377 B.C.), a Greek
physician, is known as the father of modern medicine.
Middle Ages
Demon possession again became a prominent explanation of abnormal behavior,
and treatment focused on prayer, holy objects or relics, pilgrimages to holy
places, confinement, and exorcism. A dramatic emergence of mass madness in
Europe also appeared during the last half of the Middle Ages. Groups of
individuals would be afflicted at the same time with the same disorder or
abnormal behaviors.
Renaissance
A rebirth of natural and scientific approaches to health and human behavior
occurred at the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Renaissance. Once
again, physicians focused on bodily functions and medical treatments. The
Renaissance period involved special institutions known as asylums, places
reserved to exclusively treat people with mental disorder. Unfortunately,
asylums did not provide much treatment, and living conditions for residents were
usually poor.
Reform Movement
A key leader of change in asylums was Philippe Pinel (1745–1826), who was in
charge of La Bicêtre in Paris. Pinel unchained patients, placed them in sunny
rooms, allowed them to exercise, and required staff to treat them with
kindness. William Tuke created the York Retreat in England, and Benjamin
Rush encouraged humane treatment of people with mental disorder in the United
States. Dorothea Dix is credited with making the most significant changes in
treating those with a mental disorder and in changing public attitudes about these
conditions in America.
, Modern Era
The modern approach includes accepting those with a mental disorder as people
who need professional attention and applying scientific, biomedical, and
psychological methods to understand and treat mental disorder. Several
theoretical perspectives were developed during the late 19th century and
throughout the 20th century to guide work on understanding and treating mental
disorders. These perspectives include biological, psychodynamic, cognitive,
behavioral, sociocultural, and other theories of abnormal behavior.
Abnormal Psychology and Life: Themes
Dimensional Perspective
The dimensional perspective is reemphasized here as a continuum of
emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that characterize mental disorder. Emotions,
thoughts, and behaviors are present along a spectrum of severity but can become
frequent or severe and thus indicate that a mental disorder is present. A
dimensional perspective thus involves the notion that people differ only in their
degree of symptoms.
Prevention Perspective
The prevention perspective stems from the concept of mental hygiene, or the
science of promoting mental health and thwarting mental disorder through
education, early treatment, and public health measures. A prevention approach is
consistent with a public health model that focuses on promoting good health and
good health practices to avert disease.
Types of Prevention
Primary prevention involves targeting large groups of people, sometimes the
entire public, who have not yet developed a mental disorder. Secondary
prevention involves addressing emerging problems while they are still
manageable and before they become resistant to intervention. Tertiary
prevention involves reducing the severity, duration, and negative effects of a
mental disorder after it has occurred.
Consumer Perspective
The popular press often advocates becoming a more informed consumer of
scientific information on mental health.
Learning Objectives
Understand key terms related to abnormal psychology, including mental disorder.
Understand key criteria used to determine if an emotion, thought, or behavior is
abnormal.
Understand the concept of a dimensional approach to mental disorder.
Receive an introduction to the history of abnormal psychology, from early
perspectives to contemporary thought.
Receive an introduction to the key themes in the textbook to be discussed in
subsequent chapters, including dimensional perspective, prevention perspective,
consumer perspective, and stigma.
Key Terms
asylums
maladaptive behavior
mass madness
mental disorder 4
abnormal psychology
mental hygiene movement
primary prevention
psychopathologists
public health model
secondary prevention
stigma
tertiary prevention
trephination
multicultural psychology
public stigma
self stigma
Outline
Case: Travis
Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
, Abnormal psychology is defined as the scientific study of problematic feelings,
thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders. This area of science is
designed to evaluate, understand, predict, and prevent mental disorder and help
those in distress.
What Is a Mental Disorder?
Case: Treva Thronberry
A mental disorder is defined as a group of emotional (feelings), cognitive (thinking), or
behavioral symptoms that cause distress or significant problems.
Deviance from the Norm
We may define abnormal behavior based on its difference or deviance from the
norm, which may include doing so statistically or using a bell curve.
Difficulties Adapting to Life Demands
Difficulty adapting to life’s demands may occur when a behavior interferes with
one’s ability to function effectively. This theme includes dangerous behavior toward
oneself or others, which clearly interferes with an ability to function effectively.
Experience of Personal Distress
Experience of personal distress can spur referrals for treatment by oneself or
others, such as family members.
Defining Abnormality
A maladaptive behavior is one that interferes with a person’s life, including the
ability to care for oneself, have good relationships with others, and function well at
school or at work. We refer to emotions, thoughts, or behaviors as abnormal when they
violate social norms, are statistically deviant, interfere with functions, or cause great
personal distress.
Dimensions Underlying Mental Disorders are Relevant to Everyone
A dimensional model of abnormal behavior focuses on the idea that
abnormality of emotions, thoughts, or behaviors is a matter of degree, not of kind,
and that emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders are
present, to some degree, in all of us. The idea that emotions, thoughts, and behaviors
exist in varying degrees on a continuum in people has important implications.
History of Abnormal Psychology
,Early Perspectives
Early writings of the Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, and Hebrews identify patterns
of and concerns about treating abnormal behavior. Early theoreticians
frequently attributed abnormal behavior to supernatural causes such as possession
by demons or evil spirits. A primary form of treatment was exorcism.
Another form, trephination, involved cutting a hole in a person’s skull to help
release a harmful spirit.
Early Greek and Roman Thought
The development of medicine and medical concepts among Egyptians and Greeks
helped replace ancient supernatural theories with natural ones. Natural theories
reject supernatural forces and instead look to things that can be observed, known,
or measured as potential causes of events. Hippocrates (460–377 B.C.), a Greek
physician, is known as the father of modern medicine.
Middle Ages
Demon possession again became a prominent explanation of abnormal behavior,
and treatment focused on prayer, holy objects or relics, pilgrimages to holy
places, confinement, and exorcism. A dramatic emergence of mass madness in
Europe also appeared during the last half of the Middle Ages. Groups of
individuals would be afflicted at the same time with the same disorder or
abnormal behaviors.
Renaissance
A rebirth of natural and scientific approaches to health and human behavior
occurred at the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Renaissance. Once
again, physicians focused on bodily functions and medical treatments. The
Renaissance period involved special institutions known as asylums, places
reserved to exclusively treat people with mental disorder. Unfortunately,
asylums did not provide much treatment, and living conditions for residents were
usually poor.
Reform Movement
A key leader of change in asylums was Philippe Pinel (1745–1826), who was in
charge of La Bicêtre in Paris. Pinel unchained patients, placed them in sunny
rooms, allowed them to exercise, and required staff to treat them with
kindness. William Tuke created the York Retreat in England, and Benjamin
Rush encouraged humane treatment of people with mental disorder in the United
States. Dorothea Dix is credited with making the most significant changes in
treating those with a mental disorder and in changing public attitudes about these
conditions in America.
, Modern Era
The modern approach includes accepting those with a mental disorder as people
who need professional attention and applying scientific, biomedical, and
psychological methods to understand and treat mental disorder. Several
theoretical perspectives were developed during the late 19th century and
throughout the 20th century to guide work on understanding and treating mental
disorders. These perspectives include biological, psychodynamic, cognitive,
behavioral, sociocultural, and other theories of abnormal behavior.
Abnormal Psychology and Life: Themes
Dimensional Perspective
The dimensional perspective is reemphasized here as a continuum of
emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that characterize mental disorder. Emotions,
thoughts, and behaviors are present along a spectrum of severity but can become
frequent or severe and thus indicate that a mental disorder is present. A
dimensional perspective thus involves the notion that people differ only in their
degree of symptoms.
Prevention Perspective
The prevention perspective stems from the concept of mental hygiene, or the
science of promoting mental health and thwarting mental disorder through
education, early treatment, and public health measures. A prevention approach is
consistent with a public health model that focuses on promoting good health and
good health practices to avert disease.
Types of Prevention
Primary prevention involves targeting large groups of people, sometimes the
entire public, who have not yet developed a mental disorder. Secondary
prevention involves addressing emerging problems while they are still
manageable and before they become resistant to intervention. Tertiary
prevention involves reducing the severity, duration, and negative effects of a
mental disorder after it has occurred.
Consumer Perspective
The popular press often advocates becoming a more informed consumer of
scientific information on mental health.
