sarason11 ch01

Chapter 1.

Definitions of

“Abnormal”

Definitions of “abnormal”

Difficulty in coping as perceived by the individual.

Difficulty in coping as perceived by others.

Theoretical model.

Statistical deviation.

Cultural & social norms.

What is included in a diagnostic system (e.g. DSM-IV)

Deviancy depends upon the context or situation.

Abnormal Psychology, 11/e by Sarason & Sarason © 2005

Markers of abnormality

Behavior

Feelings or affect

Thought or cognitive process

Physiological responses

External situation


A Working Definition of “Abnormal Behavior”

Abnormal behavior is maladaptive behavior--any behavior that does not facilitate the ultimate well-being of the individual and/or the group. A behavior is abnormal if it keeps the individual from coping with the normal stresses of life.

(Note that this definition begs the question of what the "normal” stresses of life are).


The Vulnerability Model

Vulnerability(biological, psychological,

and social)

Stressor

Processes(Biological, psychological,

and social)Outcome


Epidemiological Perspectives

Prevalence--the rate of both new & existing casesPoint prevalence - the proportion of people who have a disorder at a specific timeLifetime prevalence -the proportion of people in the general

population who have ever had a particular disorderIncidence--the rate of new cases during a defined period of time

Risk factor--a specific characteristic or condition whose presence is associated with an increased likelihood that a specific disorder is present, or will develop at a later date. Resiliency factor- a specific characteristic or condition whose presence is associated with an decreased likelihood that a specific disorder is present, or will develop at a later date.


Psychologist

Psychiatrist

Social worker

Psychiatric nurse (also R.N., Clinical Nurse Specialist)

Occupational therapist

Family Therapist

Mental Health Professions


A Brief History of Abnormal Psychology


Demonological

Medical/ biological model

Environmental/ social model

Psychogenic model

Vulnerability model--biopsychosocial model To some degree, all of these models still prevail today.

Models in Psychopathology


Historical Highlights

Stone Age; trephination, religious accounts of abnormal behavior

Early Chinese, Hebrews, Greeks

Hippocrates (470- 370 BC) - "humours" or bodily fluids: excess or too little of each led to problems, as follows.1. Blood changeability2. Black bile melancholic3. Yellow bile anxiety4. Phlegm sluggish

Recognized disorders: 1) mania; 2) melancholia; 3) phrenitis or swelling of the brain.


Historical Highlights- continued

Dark Ages (200 A.D. to the Renaissance).

European Middle Ages

Throughout this period, there was increased conflict between the church & witchcraft—

Dancing Manias

"Malleus Maleficarum” (The Witch Hammer)

Salem Witch Trials

Exorcism was a common treatment


Saint Catherine Exorcising a Possessed Woman (by Girolamo Di Benvenuto)



•Establishment of Mental Hospitals or Asylums •E.g. St. Mary’s of Bethlehem- 1547

•Reform– P. Pinel (1745- 1815) • Benjamin Rush (1745- 1813)-- moral treatment.



•Middle to late 1800s: Emergence of psychiatry (primarily medical model)

•Early diagnosis: E. Kraepelin (1856-1926) •Psychological Theories & Causes (Freud, Jung,

Adler)•Behavioral models (1920s)•The “Third Force”- humanistic models•Biological models (especially since 1950s and 60s)

•Deinstitutionalization •Cognitive revolution in psychology (1970s and

continuing)


Research Methods


Steps in Research

1. Specify the topic as clearly & precisely as possible.2. Review the relevant literature.3. Define the variables:

- Independent variables are conditions or factors that are being studied or manipulated- Dependent variables are what your observe as outcomes

4. Develop a specific hypothesis or hypotheses. 5. Select a research strategy--how will the hypothesis be tested?6. Conduct the study.7. Analysing the result, using descriptive and/or inferential

statistics. The former describe the sample (e.g. means, s.d.) & the latter provide probabilistic judgments.

8. Report the findings.


Types of Research- I

Case studies--Usually detailed clinical description of a single subject--can provide important ideas or hypotheses regarding a specific disorder, theory, etc. May be useful for rare disorders.

Correlational studies--look at the relationships between variables or sets of variables--again, has limited utility, but can provide useful preliminary information.

Assessment studies--use of objective, standardized assessment data on small or large groups of people. Essentially correlational in nature. Epidemiological studies of population disorders fall in this category.


Correlational Patterns


Types of Research- II

Epidemiological designs

Cross-sectional studies– done at a specific point in time, with specific individuals.

Longitudinal studies--assessment studies done over time, with the same group of individuals.

Follow-up studies--follow-up of smaller, more specific group of individuals, usually shorter time period than longitudinal.


Types of Research- III

Experimental studies--usually use inferential statistics. Two major types:

1. Hypothesis-testing experiment

2. Behavior-change experiment or N =1 designs(do the treatment methods impact the expected behavior change?).


Hypothesis testing


The results of a (hypothetical) true experiment

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Pre-treatment

Post-treatment

6- monthfollow-up

No treatment

Drug therapy

BehaviourTherapy

The treatment of Panic Disorder; using self-reported anxiety as the outcome


A hypothetical N = 1 design

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Self-reportedanxiety

Observedavoidancebehaviour

Pre-intervention Post-intervention

The treatment of social anxiety using behavioral assignments


Research Design, Statistical Analysis & Inference

Internal validity--are the results of the study attributable to the manipulation of the I.V.? A well controlled study usually has good internal validity.

External validity--do these results reflect any external reality? Is the manipulation in the lab related to "real life"?

Descriptive & inferential statistics

Confounding of results--an uncontrolled (& unknown) variable may affect the d.v. & mistakenly be attributed to the i.v.

Reactivity--changes in behavior as a result of being studied or observed. E.g. the "Novelty" effect of being in an experiment.

Demand characteristics--clues giving out to subjects as to how they are "supposed" to behave.

Expectancy effects--similar to above, but has to do with experimenters, assessors' expectations of how the subjects should be responding. Abnormal Psychology, 11/e

by Sarason & Sarason © 2005

Who your participants are matters!

Population

Sampling:- Random sampling- Stratified sampling

Representativesample

Experimentalgroup

Controlgroup


Ethics of Research

There are strict standards for human and animal research have been set by professional groups (e.g. American Psychological Association)

All research at universities must be approved prior to it being conducted & must follow the guidelines set by the federal granting agencies.

Most institutions have research guidelines or requirements for research conducted in them (e.g. hospitals, community programs).

All of the above have complaints procedures, and legal liabilities for failure to follow required standards.


Ethics of Research

Key issues include:

1. Informed consent2. Competence to provide consent3. Lack of coercion/ voluntary consent4. Identification of risks5. Protection of vulnerable populations (e.g. children, mentally

disordered)6. Risk management and offset


sarason11 ch01

Health & Medicine

sarason sarason

specific disorder

biopsychosocial model

theoretical model

specific characteristic

specific hypothesis

maladaptive behavior

medical model early