Abnormal
Behavior
Abnormal
Psychology
The scientific study of mental disorders and
their treatment
Abnormal
Behavior
Is
a behavior that is DEVIANT,
MALADAPTIVE, or PERSONALLY
DISTRESSFUL. Only one of these criteria
needs to be present for the classification of
abnormal behavior, but two or three can be
present.
Ways of Defining “Abnormal”
Subjective Discomfort: Feelings of anxiety, depression,
or emotional distress. But people we would consider
definitely abnormal may not feel subjective discomfort.
Social Nonconformity: Disobeying societal standards for
normal conduct; usually leads to destructive or self-
destructive behavior. But it doesn’t always. Is being a
nonconformist always a disorder? 1984!
Statistical Abnormality: Having extreme scores on some
dimension, such as intelligence, anxiety, or depression.
But having a numerically rare characteristic isn’t always a
disorder (e.g., having an IQ of 180)
Clarifying Some Terms
Insanity: A legal term not a psychological term; refers to an
inability to manage one’s affairs or to be aware of the
consequences of one’s actions
• Those judged insane (by a court of law) are not held
legally accountable for their actions
• Can be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital
• Some movements today are trying to abolish the insanity
plea and defense; desire to make everyone accountable
for their actions
The Causes of
Abnormal Behavior
Socio-Cultural Factors: Poverty, homelessness,
overcrowding, stressful living conditions
Family Factors: Parents who are immature, mentally ill,
abusive, or criminal; poor child discipline; severe marital or
relationship problems
Psychological Factors: Low intelligence, stress, learning
disorders
Biological Factors: Genetic defects or inherited
vulnerabilities; poor prenatal care, head injuries, exposure to
toxins, chronic physical illness, or disability
The Diagnosis
and Classification
of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual
(DSM)
Criteria for a Behavior/Thought
Process to be a “Disorder”
1. Is the behavior/thought process atypical
(statistically infrequent)?
2. Is the behavior/thought process maladaptive
(i.e., does it prevent the person from
successfully functioning and adapting to life’s
demands)?
3. Is the behavior/thought process personally
distressing?
4. Is the behavior/though process irrational?
Three Major Categories
of Mental Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenic Disorders
Three Major Categories
of Clinical Disorders
Category Specific Disorders within Category
Anxiety Specific phobia, social phobia,
disorders agoraphobia, panic disorder with and
without agoraphobia, generalized
anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive
disorder
Mood Major depressive disorder, bipolar
disorders disorder
Schizophrenic Schizophrenia (paranoid, disorganized,
disorders catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual
subtypes)
ANXIETY DISORDERS
A Partial Listing of Phobias
Acrophobia - fear of high places
Aerophobia - fear of flying
Ailurophobia - fear of cats
Algophobia - fear of pain
Amaxophobia- fear of vehicles, driving
Arachnophobia- fear of spiders
Astraphobia - fear of lightning
Cynophobia - fear of dogs
Gamophobia - fear of marriage
Hydrophobia - fear of water
Mysophobia - fear of dirt
Nyctophobia - fear of darkness
Thanatophobia- fear of death
Xenophobia - fear of strangers
Panic Disorder
A condition in which a person experiences recurrent
panic attacks (i.e., sudden onsets of intense fear)
Some panic attacks occur when a person
is faced with something he dreads, such
as giving a speech, but other attacks occur
without any apparent reason
Panic disorder can occur with or without
agoraphobia.
One explanation for panic disorder is
a fear-of-fear hypothesis:
Agoraphobia is the result of the fear of having a
panic attack in public; thus, agoraphobia is a case of
classical conditioning in which the fear and avoidance
response is a conditioned response to the initial panic attack
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A disorder in which the person has
excessive, global anxiety and worry
that they cannot control, for a period
of at least 1 month
The anxiety is not tied to any specific
object or situation (as it is in a phobic
disorder)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A person experiences recurrent obsessions or
compulsions that are perceived by the person as
excessive or unreasonable, and cause significant
distress and disruption in the person’s daily life
An obsession is a persistent
intrusive thought, idea,
impulse, or image that
causes anxiety
A compulsion is a repetitive
and rigid behavior that a
person feels compelled to
perform to reduce anxiety
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
This disorder develops through exposure
to traumatic event, such as war; severely
oppressive situations, such as holocaust;
severe abuse such as rape; natural
disasters and accidental disasters.
MOOD DISORDERS
Mood Disorders
Involve
dramatic changes in a person’s
emotional mood that are excessive and
unwarranted
Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder
To be classified as major depressive
disorder, a person must have experienced
one or more major depressive episodes
A major depressive episode is
characterized by symptoms such as
Feelings of intense hopelessness, low self-
esteem and worthlessness, and extreme fatigue
Dramatic changes in eating and sleeping behavior
Inability to concentrate
Greatly diminished interest in family, friends, and
activities for a period of two weeks or more
Bipolar Disorder
The person’s mood takes dramatic
swings between depression and
mania, with recurrent cycles of
depressive and manic episodes
A manic episode is a period of at
least a week of abnormally elevated
mod in which the person experiences
such symptoms as inflated self-esteem
with grandiose delusions, a decreased
need for sleep, constant talking,
distractibility, restlessness, and poor
judgment
Childbirth-related
Mood Disorders
Maternity Blues: Mild depression that lasts for one to two days
after childbirth
• Marked by crying, fitful sleep, tension, anger, and irritability
• Brief and not too severe
Postpartum Depression: Moderately severe depression that
begins within three months following childbirth
• Marked by mood swings, despondency, feelings of
inadequacy, and an inability to cope with the new baby
• May last from two months to one year
• Part of the problem may be hormonal
SCHIZOPHRENIC DISORDERS
Schizophrenic Disorders
More people are institutionalized
with schizophrenia than any other
disorder
About 1% of the population suffers
from schizophrenia
The onset tends to be in late
adolescence or early adulthood
Tends to strike men earlier and more
severely, though both sexes are
equally vulnerable
Higher incidence in lower
socioeconomic groups and for people
who are single, separated or divorced
rather than married
Schizophrenic Disorders
Is a psychotic disorder
because it is characterized
by a loss of contact with
reality
Schizophrenia means “split
mind,” as mental functions do
indeed become split from each
other and detached from reality
Characterized by distorted
thoughts and perception, odd
communication, inappropriate
emotion, abnormal motor and
social withdrawal
Technical Definition
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is
defined as the presence, most of the time
during a one-month period, of at least two of
the following symptoms
Hallucinations
Delusions
Disorganized speech
Disorganized or catatonic behavior
Any negative symptoms (such as loss of emotion)
Four Subtypes of
Schizophrenic Disorder
Subtype Symptoms
Disorganized Disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, or
inappropriate emotion
Catatonic Extreme movement symptoms ranging from excessive
motor activity to posturing (immobility for long periods)
Paranoid Organized cognition and emotion, but with
hallucinations and delusions that are usually
concerned with persecution
Undifferentiate Mixed-bag category—symptoms fit the criteria of more
d than one of the above three types or none of them
The Treatment
of Mental Disorders
Different Types of Mental
Health Professionals
Type Credential and Job Description
Clinical Doctoral degree in clinical psychology; provides therapy
psychologist for people with mental disorders
Counseling Doctoral degree in psychological or educational
psychologist counseling; counsels people with milder problems such
as academic, job, and relationship problems
Psychiatrist Medical degree with residency in mental health; provides
therapy for people with mental disorders; only therapist
who can prescribe drugs or other biomedical treatment
Psycho- Any of the above credentials, but with training from a
analyst psychoanalytic institute; provides psychoanalytic therapy
for psychological disorders
Clinical social Master’s or doctoral degree in social work with
worker specialized training in counseling; helps with social
problems (e.g., family problems)
Two Major Types of Therapy
Biomedical
Therapy Psychotherapy
Involves the use Involves the use
of biological of psychological
interventions, interventions
such as drugs
Psychotherapies
Four major types
Psychoanalysis
Behavioral
Humanistic
Cognitive
