Unit 9
Abnormal Psychology
Big Questions: Where should we draw the line between normality and disorder? What type of psychotherapy works best?
Psychological Disorders and Therapy Objectives:
Psychological Disorders and Therapy Overview Although there is no clear-cut line between normal and abnormal behavior, we can characterize as abnormal those behaviors that are atypical, disturbing, maladaptive, and unjustifiable. This chapter discusses types of anxiety, dissociative, mood, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, as classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Although this classification system follows a medical model, in which disorders are viewed as illnesses, the chapter discusses psychological as well as physiological factors, as advocated by the current bio-psycho-social perspective. Thus, psychoanalytic theory, learning theory, social-cognitive theory, and other psychological perspectives are drawn on when relevant. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the incidence of serious psychological disorders in society today.
Your major task in this chapter is to learn about psychological disorders, their various subtypes and characteristics, and their possible causes. Since the material to be learned is extensive, it may be helpful to rehearse it by mentally completing the Chapter Review several times.
Major psychotherapies and biomedical therapies for maladaptive behaviors will also be examined. The various psychotherapies all derive from the perspectives on personality discussed earlier, namely, the psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioral, and cognitive perspectives. The chapter groups the therapies by perspective but also emphasizes the common threads that run through them. In evaluating the therapies, the chapter points out that, although people who are untreated often improve, those receiving psychotherapy tend to improve somewhat more, regardless of the type of therapy they receive.
The biomedical therapies discussed are drug therapies; electroconvulsive therapy; and psychosurgery, which is seldom used. By far the most important of the biomedical therapies, drug therapies are being used in the treatment of psychotic, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Psychological Disorders and Therapy Objectives:
- identify the criteria for judging whether behavior is psychologically disordered
- describe the medical model of psychological disorders
- describe DSM-IV and explain the reason for its development
- describe the symptoms of generalized anxiety, phobic, and obsessive-compulsive disorders
- discuss the psychoanalytic, learning theory, and biological explanations of anxiety disorders
- distinguish between a conversion disorder and hypochondriasis
- describe the characteristics and possible causes of amnesia, fugue, and multiple personality
- describe major depression and bipolar disorder
- explain the causes of mood disorders from the psychoanalytic, biological, and social-cognitive perspectives
- describe the various forms and symptoms of schizophrenic disorder and discuss research on the causes of schizophrenia
- describe the nature of personality disorders and the specific characteristics of the antisocial personality disorder
- discuss the controversy surrounding the use of diagnostic labels
- discuss the aims and methods of psychoanalysis and explain the critics’ concerns with this form of therapy
- identify the basic themes of humanistic therapies and describe Rogers’ person-centered approach
- describe Perls’ Gestalt therapy and discuss the application of humanistic principles in group therapies
- identify the basic assumptions of behavior therapy and discuss the classical conditioning techniques of systematic desensitization and aversive conditioning
- describe behavior modification and explain the critic’s concerns with this therapeutic approach
- describe the assumptions, goals, and techniques of ration-emotive therapy and of the cognitive therapies for depression
- discuss the findings regarding the effectiveness of the psychotherapies
- discuss the commonalities among the psychotherapies
- identify the common forms of drug therapy
- describe the use of electroconvulsive therapy and psychosurgery in the treatment of psychological disorders
- explain the rationale of preventive mental health programs
Psychological Disorders and Therapy Overview Although there is no clear-cut line between normal and abnormal behavior, we can characterize as abnormal those behaviors that are atypical, disturbing, maladaptive, and unjustifiable. This chapter discusses types of anxiety, dissociative, mood, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, as classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Although this classification system follows a medical model, in which disorders are viewed as illnesses, the chapter discusses psychological as well as physiological factors, as advocated by the current bio-psycho-social perspective. Thus, psychoanalytic theory, learning theory, social-cognitive theory, and other psychological perspectives are drawn on when relevant. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the incidence of serious psychological disorders in society today.
Your major task in this chapter is to learn about psychological disorders, their various subtypes and characteristics, and their possible causes. Since the material to be learned is extensive, it may be helpful to rehearse it by mentally completing the Chapter Review several times.
Major psychotherapies and biomedical therapies for maladaptive behaviors will also be examined. The various psychotherapies all derive from the perspectives on personality discussed earlier, namely, the psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioral, and cognitive perspectives. The chapter groups the therapies by perspective but also emphasizes the common threads that run through them. In evaluating the therapies, the chapter points out that, although people who are untreated often improve, those receiving psychotherapy tend to improve somewhat more, regardless of the type of therapy they receive.
The biomedical therapies discussed are drug therapies; electroconvulsive therapy; and psychosurgery, which is seldom used. By far the most important of the biomedical therapies, drug therapies are being used in the treatment of psychotic, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Unit 9 Homework
Unit 10 Assignment |
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Unit 10 Notes and Assignments
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
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Day 5
Unit 10 - Day 5 - Other Info |
Day 6 - Test Day
Day 7 - Units 6-10 Vocabulary Quiz Day
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