Psychology ABNORMAL [Studies (APFC) ,
and Terms] UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Statistical Abnormality - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that is the opposite of the
statistical normal in a given situation
Deviation from Social Norms - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that differs from the
expected rules of society and culture, which can therefore be seen as inappropriate
Failure to Function/Maladaptive Behaviour - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that
threaten's one's ability to function well within the social context, or detrimental to one's health*
Ideal Mental Health [Marie Jahoda (1958)] - CORRECT ANSWER - A differing approach,
that describes what complete mental health looks like, opposed to what mental illness looks like.
In order to identify deviation from ideal health, six key components of this were identified;
Positive attitude towards self,
Growth - Development - and Self-Actualization,
Integration,
Autonomy,
Accurate perception of reality,
Environmental mastery
Rosenhan (1973) [AIM] - CORRECT ANSWER - Aimed to investigate the hypothesis that
psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane, and those who are
not.
, Rosenhan (1973) [PROCEDURE] - CORRECT ANSWER - This hypothesis was tested
with two studies;
1) 8 Psuedopatients tried to gain access to 12 US psychiatric hospitals by complaining of hearing
voices in their heads. Other than the claim of voices, all other behaviour was made to be normal,
none of the patients showed ant symptoms of psychopathology.
2)After being given the results of Study 1, the staff in the hospitals were told that more
psuedopatients would attempt to gain access to the hospital. All the staff were asked to make
judgement about 193 patients who had been admitted for treatment with whom they'd met or
been responsible for.
Rosenhan (1973) [FINDINGS] - CORRECT ANSWER - 1) Despite their show of sanity,
the psuedopatients were never "found out" by the staff, in 11 of the 12 cases they were admitted
with Schizophrenia, and discharged with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia in Remission. It was
actually quite common for the real patients to "detect" the psuedopatient's sanity.
2) 83 actual patients were either confidentially judged or suspected of being a psuedopatient by
one or more member of staff.
Rosenhan (1973) [CONCLUSION] - CORRECT ANSWER - Psychiatrists cannot reliably
tell the difference between the sane and the insane.
It follows that the classification systems such as the DSM, cannot be valid.
Szasz (1960) - CORRECT ANSWER - We make two errors when trying to shoehorn
psychological disorders into a medical explanation.
1) it is not possible to map psychological disorders onto biological processes or structures.
2) while some personal beliefs are thought to be perfectly acceptable, others are thought to be
signs of a mental disorder, yet they are all personal beliefs.
and Terms] UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Statistical Abnormality - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that is the opposite of the
statistical normal in a given situation
Deviation from Social Norms - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that differs from the
expected rules of society and culture, which can therefore be seen as inappropriate
Failure to Function/Maladaptive Behaviour - CORRECT ANSWER - Behaviour that
threaten's one's ability to function well within the social context, or detrimental to one's health*
Ideal Mental Health [Marie Jahoda (1958)] - CORRECT ANSWER - A differing approach,
that describes what complete mental health looks like, opposed to what mental illness looks like.
In order to identify deviation from ideal health, six key components of this were identified;
Positive attitude towards self,
Growth - Development - and Self-Actualization,
Integration,
Autonomy,
Accurate perception of reality,
Environmental mastery
Rosenhan (1973) [AIM] - CORRECT ANSWER - Aimed to investigate the hypothesis that
psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane, and those who are
not.
, Rosenhan (1973) [PROCEDURE] - CORRECT ANSWER - This hypothesis was tested
with two studies;
1) 8 Psuedopatients tried to gain access to 12 US psychiatric hospitals by complaining of hearing
voices in their heads. Other than the claim of voices, all other behaviour was made to be normal,
none of the patients showed ant symptoms of psychopathology.
2)After being given the results of Study 1, the staff in the hospitals were told that more
psuedopatients would attempt to gain access to the hospital. All the staff were asked to make
judgement about 193 patients who had been admitted for treatment with whom they'd met or
been responsible for.
Rosenhan (1973) [FINDINGS] - CORRECT ANSWER - 1) Despite their show of sanity,
the psuedopatients were never "found out" by the staff, in 11 of the 12 cases they were admitted
with Schizophrenia, and discharged with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia in Remission. It was
actually quite common for the real patients to "detect" the psuedopatient's sanity.
2) 83 actual patients were either confidentially judged or suspected of being a psuedopatient by
one or more member of staff.
Rosenhan (1973) [CONCLUSION] - CORRECT ANSWER - Psychiatrists cannot reliably
tell the difference between the sane and the insane.
It follows that the classification systems such as the DSM, cannot be valid.
Szasz (1960) - CORRECT ANSWER - We make two errors when trying to shoehorn
psychological disorders into a medical explanation.
1) it is not possible to map psychological disorders onto biological processes or structures.
2) while some personal beliefs are thought to be perfectly acceptable, others are thought to be
signs of a mental disorder, yet they are all personal beliefs.
