ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

An Introduction

WHAT IS ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY?

Psychology = “the science of behavior and

mental processes.”

Define: Science, Behavior, and Mental

Processes

ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

Abnormal Psychology = the

scientific study of mental or

behavioral disorders, diseases,

illnesses, dysfunctions,

abnormalities, or problems

3 VOCAB TERMS TO DEFINE “ABNORMAL”

Subjective Discomfort: Feelings of anxiety,

depression, or emotional distress.

NOTE: But people we would consider

definitely abnormal may not feel subjective

discomfort

Example?

VOCAB. CONT.

Social Nonconformity: Disobeying societal

standards for normal conduct; usually leads to

destructive or self-destructive behavior.

NOTE: But it doesn’t always. Is being a

nonconformist always a disorder?

EXAMPLE?

VOCAB CONT.

Statistical Abnormality: Having extreme

scores on some dimension, such as intelligence,

anxiety, or depression.

NOTE: But having a numerically rare

characteristic isn’t always a disorder

Example?

STATISTICALLY ABNORMAL

TWO THINGS TO CONSIDER

Situational Context: Social situation,

behavioral setting, or general circumstances

in which an action takes place

Cultural Relativity: Judgments are made

relative to the values of one’s culture

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL?

Group 1: Gripped by a seizure, Don picks up his manager

and hurls her to her death through a window on the 11th

floor.

Group 2: Vanessa eats nothing at all for 3 days, then

gorges herself on 8 sundaes, vomits, then eats nothing

more for 3 days.

Group 3: Carla’s religious beliefs prevent her from

wearing make-up or drinking alcohol. Her friends do both

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL?

Group 4: Jack burst into the room,

wearing nothing but a bed sheet tied

around his waist with a belt. His eyes

darted from person to person. Finally, he

ran out of the room muttering to himself,

“I’ll get you.”

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL

Group 5: Mary is six years old and has always been

a handful to manage. She’s noisy and active and

never seems to play quietly or sit still. She teases

her younger sister and sometimes gets into fights at

school. She’s cute and bright, but sometimes is

aggressive about getting her own way. She

interrupts in class, takes toys away from other

children, and would prefer to be playing sports

outside rather than reading a book at her desk in

school.

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL

Group 6: Elaine became quite distraught when her

co-worker and close friend left to train as a nurse-

practitioner. Her replacement was “nice enough,”

but Elaine feared the new woman would find her

boring. At age 21, Elaine has only one other friend,

her married sister. At present, Elaine has no social

life at all. At work, she eats lunch alone and is

viewed by other workers as unfriendly

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL?

Group 7: Bill has been coming to work late

this week, and his eyes are puffy and he looks

miserable. He tries to work, but he mostly sits

at his desk weeping. When you ask him what’s

wrong, he says that his wife is leaving him and

he doesn’t know if he’ll survive. He feels that

his life would be worthless without her.

THREE CRITERIA FOR ABNORMALITY

Maladaptive Behavior: Behavior that makes it difficult to function,

to adapt to the environment, and to meet everyday demands

Significant impairment in psychological functioning: Those with

mental illness lose the ability to control thoughts, behaviors, or

feelings adequately

Atypical behavior: behavior that is not typical of the majority of the

population