Abnormal Behavior and Its Treatment

Learning Outcomes Ch 1

1. Describe the different ways of defining abnormality from the perspectives of deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. * Deviance’s role in abnormality centers on the ‘norms’ of a society. Dysfunctional behavior is important to look at when deciding if a person is abnormal.

2. Discuss some of the difficulties of defining a person’s behavior as abnormal. * Many cutlers have different views so one abnormal person in one culture could be normal in another.

3. Describe the main modern treatments of abnormality. * Therapy now days can help change abnormalities.

7. Describe the current treatment of severely disturbed individuals. Contrast this with the current treatment of less severely disturbed individuals.
- Psychotropic medications are used to treat severely disturbed individuals. Less severe disturbances use outpatient therapies.

8. Discuss the impact of deinstitutionalization on the care and treatment of the severely mentally ill.
- Deinstitutionalization released hundreds of thousands of patients from public mental hospitals. Severely mentally ill people who need to be institutionalized are first given short time hospitalization.

9. Discuss the development and foci of (a) prevention programs and (b) positive psychology. How are they related to the community mental health approach?
- The community mental health approach has given a rise to the mental health care prevention. Prevention of psychological disorders includes community programs that try to correct the social conditions, which may give a rise to developing a disorder.

10. Describe the influence of managed care programs on the treatment of psychological abnormality? What is parity?
- The manage care program is a program in which the insurance company determines such key issues as which therapists its clients it may choose, the cost of a session and number of sessions a client may be reimbursed. A parity law directs insurance companies to provide equal coverage for mental and medical problems.

11. Compare and contrast the current dominant theories in abnormal psychology.
- When the introduction of psychotropic drugs came about it gave rise to the biological view. Since the 1950’s there exist more views like behavior cognitive, humanistic-existential, and socio cultural.

12. Compare and contrast the professions that study and treat abnormal behavior. - Clinical psychologists are professionals who train in abnormal functioning. Other professions in psychotherapy include, therapists, counseling, educational and social psychologists etc . . .

13. Describe the role of clinical researchers in the field of abnormal psychology. - Clinical researchers must figure out how to measure concepts as unconscious motives, private thoughts, mood changes, and human potential.

14. Describe the case study, including its uses and limitations (strengths and weaknesses). - A case study is a detailed description of ones peoples like and psychological problems.

15. Describe the correlational method. What is a positive versus a negative versus a null correlation? What are the uses and limitations of correlational research? - The correlation method is a research procedure used to determine co-relationships between variables.

16. Describe the experiment. Describe the reasons that experimenters use control groups, random assignment, and blind design. - An experiment is a research procedure in which a variable is manipulated and manipulations effect on another variable is observed. The control group is the group that is not exposed to the variable.

17. Describe the following alternative experimental designs: quasi-experimental design; natural experiments; analogue experiments; single-subject experiments. - Quasi-experiments are used when investigators cannot duplicate the variable being tested. In natural experiments the nature manipulates the independent variable. Single subject experiments are done when investigating a rare disorder.

Learning Outcomes Ch 2

1. Define and describe the basic biological terminology, including parts of neurons, the brain, and types of neurotransmitters. Discuss the various therapies used by the biological model, including a discussion of drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychosurgery. - The cerebrum consists of the cortex, which is the outer layer of the brain. The hippocampus helps control emotions and memory. The Amygdala plays the role in emotion memory. Neurotransmitters cross the synaptic to release a chemical called a neurotransmitter.

2. Summarize the origins of Freud’s theory. Describe Freud’s explanation of abnormal functioning, including descriptions of the id, ego, superego, ego defense mechanisms, and psychosexual stages. - Freud developed the theory of psychoanalysis after studying hypnosis. Freud uses the theory of psychoanalysis to explain both normal and abnormal psychological functioning.

3. Summarize the behavioral model of abnormal functioning, including the main features of classical conditioning and operant conditioning and how they are used to explain abnormal behavior.
- The behavior model focuses on behaviors. Behavioral therapists base their explanations and treatments on principles of learning. Abnormal behaviors can come out of classical conditioning.

4. Summarize the cognitive model. Give examples of typical maladaptive assumptions, specific upsetting thoughts, and illogical thinking processes. Describe cognitive therapy. * The cognitive model proposes that cognitive are at the center of behavior, thoughts, and emotions. * Cognitive therapy helps clients recognize the negative thoughts biased interpretations and errors in logic that dominate there thinking and trigger depression.

5. Summarize Rogers’s theory and therapy, including definitions of unconditional positive regard, unconditional self-regard, and conditions of worth. Describe Gestalt theory and therapy. Describe existential theories and therapies. * According to Roger, dysfunction begins in infancy. From a young age we need unconditional positive regard form our family and friends.

6. Summarize the sociocultural model. Describe the various sociocultural therapies. - According to the socio cultural model behavior is best understood in the light of the broad forces that influence an individual.

7. Summarize the integration approach. Include the bio psychosocial model, the diathesis stress approach, and the concept of eclecticism. - The bio psychosocial theories state that abnormality results from the interaction of genetic, biological, developmental, emotional, cognitive, social, cultural, and social influences. Therapists today are using the concept of eclecticism, where they combine treatments from different models.

8. Compare and contrast the various models of abnormal functioning. Describe the different ways of defining abnormality from the perspectives of deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. - Behavioral therapists take on a teacher’s role. In humanistic the therapist takes on an observer role. The four D’s can define abnormality. A person would have to show serious symptoms of those four D’s to have some type of abnormality.

Learning Outcomes Ch 3

1.Define clinical assessment and discuss the roles of the clinical interview, tests, and observations. - Clinical assessment is used to determine how and why a person is behaving abnormally and how they can be helped. Clinical assessments must be standardized, clear reliability, and validity.

2.Summarize the axis approach of the DSM series and describe the general features of DSM-IV-TR. - The DSM-IV-TR lists about 400 mental disorders. The DSM-IV-TR evaluates client’s conditions on five axis’s.

3.List the major classifications of disorders coded on Axis I, II, III, IV, and V of the DSM-IV-TR. - Axis I consists of a list of clinical syndromes that cause significant impairments. Axis II is used to determine is a person is displaying signs of a long-standing problem. Axis III asks for information concerning general medical conditions that the person is currently suffering. Axis IV asks about psychosocial or environmental problems. Axis V requires the global assessment of functioning.

4. Discuss the dangers of diagnosing and labeling in classifying mental disorders. * A misdiagnosis could potentially lead a person to believe they have a disorder, which they don’t actually have.

5. Discuss types and effectiveness of treatments for mental disorders.
- The therapy outcomes studies, studies and measures the effects of various treatments.