Summary AQA A Level Psychology: Psychopathology Condensed Notes
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Course
Psychopathology
Institution
AQA
This document summarises the entire topic of Psychopathology AQA A Level. AO1 is condensed into bullet points and is reinforced with AO3 strengths and also weakenesses to show examiners that you are able to counter and critique your evaluations. Easy to revise with on the way to school or use for l...
(the study of psychological disorders)
http://jfspsych.weebly.com/psychopathology-past-paper-questions.html
Definitions of abnormality
Statistical infrequency:
● Defines abnormality as a trait, thinking or behaviour that is statistically rare or
anomalous in comparison to the normal distribution graph
● E.g. average IQ is 100, there are very few extreme low and high scores
Evals:
● Some abnormal behaviours are desirable (e.g. intelligence)
● Whilst measure is objective, cut-off point is subjective (may deny people treatment)
● Some psychopahtologies are more common e.g. depression
● Most objective definition
● No valid judgements are made (infrequent rather than seen as wrong)
Deviation from social norms:
● Defines abnormality as any behaviour that deviates from implicit and unwritten rules
within a society
● Can be explicit e.g. enforced by laws
● Societies have a standard for acceptable norms
● E.g. laughing at funeral or public disturbance (both implicit and explicit)
Evals:
● Respects people’s nrorms, not a fixed definition
● Cultural bias: People living in different cultures can be judged abnormal (Cochrane
7xSZ diagnosis)
● Society discriminating against people who express individuality
● Lacks historical valdiity as social norms change (e.g. homosexuality); unreliable
● Needs an emic approach, acknowledging different cultural practices e.g. hallucination
● Distinguishes between desirable and undesirable behaviour, has a negative effect to
society
Failure to function adequately:
● Defines abnormality as the individual is unable to cope with the demands of everyday
life and live independetly in society.
● E.g. OCD or agoraphobia (public places)
● E.g. functioning tasks: gettng out of bed for work, eating regularly, washing clothes
● Can also cause suffering for people around them
Evals:
● It has practical application: geting treatment e.g.for eating disorders or depression
● Respects the individual and their experience
● Cultural relativism: functioning adequately differs
● ‘Coping’ is subjective
● Psychopaths are often able to function normally
, ● Lack internal validity as reductionist (perhaps the reason they fail to keep a job is
because of a death in the family or are now depressed)
Deviation from ideal mental health: (SAPIAM)
● Seen as abnoral if it deviates from an ideal postiive mental health
● Behaviours are associated with competence (doing them successfully)
● Self-attitudes - having positive attitudes towards yourself, e.g. high self esteem
● Autonomy- being independent
● Personal growth - self-acutalisation, becoming the best self
● Integration- coping in stressful situations
● Accurate perception of reality- not falling to delusions, coherent
● Mastery of the environment- ability to form interpersonal relationships, adjust to new
situations
Evals:
● Criteria is highly unrealistic and difficult to achieve
● Cultural bias: not everyone values concepts suuch as autonomy, collectivists rather
work together (emic —> etic)
● Holistic and positive, focusing on what is desirable rather than undesirable
Mental disorders characteristics
Phobias: (anxiety disorder)
Behavioural:
● Avoidance- behavioural adaptions to avoid encountering phobic situation (e.g.
crossing the street)
● panic
● Fight or flight/ faint or freeze
● Failure to function- can’t conduct normal behaviours due to excessive thoughts
Emotional:
● Anxiety- uncomfortable high arousal state inhibiting relaxing.
● Focused on future encounters with phobia
● Fear- intense emotional state
Cognitive:
● Irrational beliefs- overstate the potential danger of phobic object but recognise
irrational, nothing they can do
● Reduced cognitive capacity- focuses on phobic object so much it interferes with
othter tasks
OCD: (anxiety disorder)
Behavioural:
● COMPULSIONS: checking behaviour (e.g. lights), cleaning ritual behaviour (hands)
● Avoidance- avoiding behaviour that would lead to obsessive thoughts, e.g. avoid bins
for fear of germs
● Social impairment/ failure to function- unable to take part in normal behaviours due to
anxiety
, Emotional:
● Anxiety- constant presence of persistent obsessive thoughts, resisting the urge to
carry out compulsions (reduce anxiety)
● Distress/ depression- low mood as unable to enjoy activites
● Embarrassment and shame, guilt
Cognitive:
● Recurrent irrational thoughts- intrusive thoughts that are anxidty producing
● Understand irrationality- they know that the worst case is imagined by their
catastrophic thinking is very unlikely, but cannot control
Depression: (mood disorder)
Behavioural:
● Severe weight loss: appetite is reduced
● Change in activity level (low and lethargic vs high and restless)
● Changes in sleeping/ eating patterns
● Low energy: low motivation to participate in normally enjoyable activities
● Poor personal hygiene
● Self-medicate (Self harm or drinking)- injuring or even suicidal idealation
Emotional:
● Sadness- lowered mood
● Loss of interest
● Reduced self worth- feeling of guilt, hopelessness and low self esteem
● Low mood and low pleasure
Cognitive:
● Poor concentration- difficult in attention on tasks
● Persistant concern- thoughts are biased toward a negative perspective of outcomes
● Negative views about self, world and future
Behavioural approach to explaining phobias
Two process model (Mowrer) ACQUISITION and MAINTENANCE
Acquisition (CC)
● Watson and Rayner: Little Albert
● Phobic stimulus is neutral NS —-> NR
● UCS (loud noise) (fear inducing stimulus)—-> UCR (fear)
● UCS + NS —-> UCR
● NS—-> CS
● CS—> CR
● Generalisation as Little Albert was afraid of all white, fluffy things
Maintenance (OC)
● Negative reinforcement (removal of stimulus for a desirable consequence) avoidance
reduces anxiety which is pleasant
+SLT: observation of modeles having a fear repsonse can result in same response of fear
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