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WHAT IS ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR:Dysfunction, Distress, Danger

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Abnormal Psychology ­ PSY404
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LESSON 2
WHAT IS ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
Difficulty in defining Abnormality
In this era of rapid technological advancement, you might think there would be some objective test like a
blood test or a like a brain scan that could determine whether an individual is normal or abnormal?
There is no such test available; however psychologists rely on signs, symptoms, and subjective criteria for
deciding when the observed symptoms (signs) constitute abnormality. Four criteria for defining abnormality
have been proposed. They are often called the four D's, Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction and Danger.
Deviant behavior means different extreme unusual and bizarre
Distress refers to unpleasant or upsetting behavior of an individual
Dysfunctional or disruptive in a way that possibly can became dangerous as well
Danger of hurting one self and others
1. Deviance
a.  Deviance from the Cultural Norms
b. Deviance from the Statistical Norms
a. Deviance from Cultural Norms
Every culture has certain standards, norms and yardsticks for acceptable behaviors and behavior that
deviates or differs markedly from those norms is considered abnormal. The followers of Cultural Criteria
perspective argue that we should respect each culture's definition of abnormality for the members of that
culture. By doing so we do not impose one culture's standards for behavior on another. The concept of
abnormality changes over time, within the same society. Forty years ago, most Americans would have
considered men wearing earrings as abnormal but today it's considered as differences in lifestyle rather than
as signs of abnormality differ from one society to another and over time within the same society.
b. Deviance from Statistical Norms
The word abnormal means away from the normal or away from the norm. Many characteristics such as
height, weight and intelligence cover a range of values, when measured over an entire population. Most
people for example fall within the middle range of height and few are abnormally tall or short. Abnormal
behavior is statistically infrequent or deviant from the norm. A person who is extremely intelligent or happy
would be classified as abnormal while defining Abnormal Behavior we must consider more than the
statistical frequency.
2.
Dysfunction
Abnormal behavior tends to interfere with daily functioning. It so upsets, distracts or confuses its victims
that they cannot care for themselves properly.
Example
An individual quits his job, leaves his family and prepares to withdraw from the productive and meaningful
life in order to live in an empty isolated distant apartment where he feels comfortable and satisfied. So this
dysfunctional behavior indicates psychological abnormality.
A behavior is abnormal if its maladaptive that is if it has adverse effects on the individual or on Society. A
man who is fearful of crowds that he cannot board in the bus to work.
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3. Distress
The individuals' subjective feelings of pain, anxiety, depression, agitation, disturbance in sleep, loss of
appetite, numerous aches and pains. Most people who are diagnosed with a mental disorder feel entirely
miserable while they may appear normal to the observer.
4. Danger
Psychological dysfunctioning is behavior that becomes dangerous to oneself or others. A pattern of
functioning that is marked by carelessness, poor judgment, hostility or misinterpretations can jeopardize
one's own wellbeing and that of many other people as well. A person may seem to be endangering himself
by being least bothered about his diet and health and for others by his collection of arms and guns.
None of these four criteria provide a satisfactory description of abnormal behavior, in most cases; all four
criteria are used in diagnosing abnormality. All mental health professionals and public judge abnormality by
practical consideration of
What is Abnormal Behavior?
By what criteria do we distinguish abnormal behavior from normal behavior?
a.
The content of the behavior (what a person does?) The content of behavior that causes discomfort,
appears weird, and is inefficient.
b. The context of the behavior (where and when the person does it?) Does the individual display the
behavior in public or privately.
With regard to content, behavior is likely to be judged abnormal by society if it causes
i.
Discomfort
ii.
Appears bizarre or weird
iii.
Is dysfunctional (distracts, upsets)
People will tolerate a considerable amount of discomfort even bizarreness in themselves and others if the
behavior is not so frequent or disruptive that it interferes with the demands of everyday life e.g. a successful
businessman was found to have lined all his clothes with newspapers to protect himself against harmful
radiation from alien's spaceship. Every one of his office thought that this was bizarre behavior.--
The second criteria used in the practical approach is context where and when the behavior occurs. How
would you feel if you were asked to enter a room and stare everybody who was attending a party or to tell
jokes at a funeral? You would hesitate. It is because you recognize that these actions would be in
appropriate to the situation and your behavior will be labeled as abnormal. According to the second criteria
of context of behavior (where and when the behavior takes place) --
What is Normality?
Normality is even more difficult to define as compared to Abnormality
What is Normality?
Normality refers to adjustment.
The traits or characteristics of well adjusted individuals or mentally healthy individuals or psychologically
well adjusted individual is reflected by the followings:
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1. Appropriate perception of reality. Normal individuals are realistic in appraising their reactions,
capabilities, and in interpreting in what is going on in the world around them. They do not
misinterpret what others say or so they do not overate or underestimate their abilities. They do not
avoid difficult tasks.
2. Ability to exercise voluntary control over behavior. Normal individuals feel confident about their
ability to control their behavior.
3. They rarely act impulsively and refrain from aggressive behavior.
4. Self Esteem and Acceptance: Normal people have appreciation of their own worth and they feel
accepted by those around them. Feelings of worthlessness, alienation and lack of acceptance are
prevalent among abnormal.
5. Ability to form affectionate relationships. Normal individual are able to form close and satisfying
relationships with other people. They are sensitive to the feelings of others and do not make
excessive demands on others. Abnormal individuals are extremely self centered; they seek affection
but are unable to reciprocate.
6. Productivity: Well adjusted people are able to channel their abilities into productive activity. They
do not suffer from lack of energy and they do experience excessive fatigue.
Defining Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorder is a psychological dysfunction with in an individual that is associated with distress or
impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected.
Psychological dysfunction refers to a breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning of the
individual. A schizophrenic individual exhibits breakdown of cognitive (thinking), emotional (feeling) or
behavioral (action) functions.
The disorder or behavior must be associated with distress and impairment. It is quite normal to be
distressed or upset, if someone close to you dies. This distress and impairment makes you unable to
function socially i.e. that is an individual attempts to avoids friends, relatives and even work colleagues.
The criterion, that the response be a typical or not culturally expected. At times, something is considered
abnormal because it occurs infrequently it deviates from the average say when someone is extremely short
or tall or eccentric. So we can conclude that behavioral, emotional or cognitive dysfunction that is
unexpected in a culture and associated with personal distress or impairment in functioning is abnormal
(Jerome Wakefield. 1992, 1997).
SO LET US SEE HOW MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS STUDY ABNORMALITY
There are two guidelines for defining abnormality used by mental health professionals.
Guidelines for defining Abnormality
Impaired
Functioning
Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual
(DSM-IV-TR)
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1. Impaired Functioning
A judgment about a behavior or an experience which causes impaired functioning i.e. difficulty in
performing appropriate and expected roles. Judgment about the impairment can be made in reference to the
person's context, the back ground of behavior, the person's age, and gender, historical, social and cultural
background of the behavior.
2. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-IV-TR
Another judgment about determining abnormality is whether a person's behavior fit expert professional
rules for specific diagnosis. These rules are stated in the diagnostic and statistical manual, 4th Edition,
revision called DSM-IV-TR. This system is used around the world for classifying psychological disorders
and problems. The world health organization (WHO) publishes another manual used worldwide, the
international classification of diseases (ICD) which is similar in many respects to the DSM-IV-TR Manual.
DSM IV-TR has five diagnostic axes
Let us study the examples using these two guidelines
Example H
H was a conscientious and reliable secretary in a business office. She was cheerful and easygoing. Now she
has missed many days of work and has to force herself to go to the office. At home she prefers to be alone
away from her husband and children. She has nightmares and wakes up screaming at night. A year ago she
was working late in her office; a stranger entered the building, found H alone, and robbed her at gunpoint.
H was traumatized by the event and for days H could not go to work at her office.
The case H clearly has impaired functioning and with the help of DSM ­IV-TR she is diagnosed as
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD.
Neurosis is a term no more used now we use the term Anxiety disorders it refers to mild types of mental
disorder in which the person has contact with reality but its one area of his life which is problematic.
PSYCHOSIS is a general term that refers to several types of severe mental disorder in which the person is
considered to be out of contact with reality.
What is meant by Psychopathology?
The term Psychopathology is the scientific study of Psychological disorders. There are three major
categories of concepts that make up the study and discussion of Psychological disorder.
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Clinical Description
Study of Psychological
Causation Etiology
disorder
Treatment and
Outcome
The Clinical description represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts and feelings that make a
specific disorder. The word clinical refers to types of problems or disorders that you find in a clinic or
hospital and especially with activities connected with assessment and treatment.
The clinical description of a disorder is further elaborated by the concepts of
Prevalence
Incidence
Clinical
Description of a
disorder
Sex Ratio
Course
A Chronic
B Episodic
Prognosis
C Time Limited
D Acute
A Good
E Insidious
B  Guarded
Prevalence refers to how many people in the population as a whole have the disorder? The figure or
number of cases is called the prevalence of the disorder.
Incidence means how many new cases occur during a given period of time, say in a year?
Sex Ratio means what percentage of males and females have the disorder? And the typical age of onset
which often differs from one disorder to another.
Course refers to somewhat individual pattern that most disorders follow or take. Schizophrenia (a
Psychotic disorder) follows a chronic course which tends to last a longtime, sometimes a whole lifetime.
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Episodic Course
Mood disorders (say depression) follow an episodic course in which an individual is likely to recover within
a few months and a reoccurrence of the disorder at a later time. Time limited course means that the
disorder will improve without treatment in short period of time.
Some disorders have sudden acute onset while some disorders develop generally over an extended period of
time having an insidious onset.
Prognosis refers to chances of improvement of the disorder, so when we say that "prognosis" is "good", it
means that the individual will improve ( more chances of improvement),while the statement that
"prognosis" is "guarded" means that the probable outcome does not looks good (less chances of
improvement)
Developmental
Psychology
Behavior
(A study of children)
Changes
Developmental
Psychopathology
(A study of adolescents,
adults and older adults)
Life Span Developmental
Psychopathology
(A study across whole
life span)
The study of changes in behavior overtime refers to science developmental psychology while the study of
changes in abnormal behavior forms the discipline of developmental psychopathology (A relatively new and
challenging field)
The study of behavior across the entire age span is referred as Life Span Developmental Psychopathology.
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Psychological
Etiology (Description
Disorder
of symptoms)
Causation
A.  Biological
B.  Psychological
C.  Social
Treatment Approach
A.
Psychodynamic
B.
Cognitive
C.
Behavioral
D.
Humanistic
The Etiology or study of origins has to do why a disorder begins (what causes it) and it includes the
biological, psychological and social dimensions.
Treatment /Intervention/Therapy can be during a medication or psychosocial treatment such as
Psychodynamic, cognitive, behavior or humanistic therapy. The triad approach of Etiology, the causation,
and the treatment of disorder is currently used.
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Table of Contents:
  1. ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY:PSYCHOSIS, Team approach in psychology
  2. WHAT IS ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR:Dysfunction, Distress, Danger
  3. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT:Supernatural Model, Biological Model
  4. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT:Free association, Dream analysis
  5. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT:Humanistic Model, Classical Conditioning
  6. RESEARCH METHODS:To Read Research, To Evaluate Research, To increase marketability
  7. RESEARCH DESIGNS:Types of Variables, Confounding variables or extraneous
  8. EXPERIMENTAL REASEARCH DESIGNS:Control Groups, Placebo Control Groups
  9. GENETICS:Adoption Studies, Twin Studies, Sequential Design, Follow back studies
  10. RESEARCH ETHICS:Approval for the research project, Risk, Consent
  11. CAUSES OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR:Biological Dimensions
  12. THE STRUCTURE OF BRAIN:Peripheral Nervous System, Psychoanalytic Model
  13. CAUSES OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Biomedical Model, Humanistic model
  14. CAUSES OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS OF ABNORMALITY
  15. CLASSIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT:Reliability, Test retest, Split Half
  16. DIAGNOSING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS:The categorical approach, Prototypical approach
  17. EVALUATING SYSTEMS:Basic Issues in Assessment, Interviews
  18. ASSESSMENT of PERSONALITY:Advantages of MMPI-2, Intelligence Tests
  19. ASSESSMENT of PERSONALITY (2):Neuropsychological Tests, Biofeedback
  20. PSYCHOTHERAPY:Global Therapies, Individual therapy, Brief Historical Perspective
  21. PSYCHOTHERAPY:Problem based therapies, Gestalt therapy, Behavioral therapies
  22. PSYCHOTHERAPY:Ego Analysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Aversion Therapy
  23. PSYCHOTHERAPY:Humanistic Psychotherapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Gestalt therapy
  24. ANXIETY DISORDERS:THEORIES ABOUT ANXIETY DISORDERS
  25. ANXIETY DISORDERS:Social Phobias, Agoraphobia, Treating Phobias
  26. MOOD DISORDERS:Emotional Symptoms, Cognitive Symptoms, Bipolar Disorders
  27. MOOD DISORDERS:DIAGNOSIS, Further Descriptions and Subtypes, Social Factors
  28. SUICIDE:PRECIPITATING FACTORS IN SUICIDE, VIEWS ON SUICIDE
  29. STRESS:Stress as a Life Event, Coping, Optimism, Health Behavior
  30. STRESS:Psychophysiological Responses to Stress, Health Behavior
  31. ACUTE AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDERS
  32. DISSOCIATIVE AND SOMATOFORM DISORDERS:DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
  33. DISSOCIATIVE and SOMATOFORM DISORDERS:SOMATOFORM DISORDERS
  34. PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Causes of Personality Disorders, Motive
  35. PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Paranoid Personality, Schizoid Personality, The Diagnosis
  36. ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE RELATED DISORDERS:Poly Drug Use
  37. ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE RELATED DISORDERS:Integrated Systems
  38. SCHIZOPHRENIA:Prodromal Phase, Residual Phase, Negative symptoms
  39. SCHIZOPHRENIA:Related Psychotic Disorders, Causes of Schizophrenia
  40. DEMENTIA DELIRIUM AND AMNESTIC DISORDERS:DELIRIUM, Causes of Delirium
  41. DEMENTIA DELIRIUM AND AMNESTIC DISORDERS:Amnesia
  42. MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
  43. MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
  44. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF CHILDHOOD:Kinds of Internalizing Disorders
  45. LIFE CYCLE TRANSITIONS AND ADULT DEVELOPMENT:Aging