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Summary Course 2.3 Problem 8 - Madness
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About the history and methodology of psychology. A rather philosophical course. Changes may have occurred in the curriculum.
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Course 2.3 History and methodology of psychologyHergenhahn
Problem 8 – Madness
Mental Illness:
= psychopathology, abnormal behavior
- Past: mad, lunatic, insane, maniac (pretty much mean the same)
- Harmful behavior (e.g. self-mutilation, suicide)
o Dependent on culture/history
- Unrealistic thoughts/perception
o False beliefs = delusions Unrealistic contact with
o False perceptions = hallucinations environment = abnormal
- Inappropriate emotions
o Inappropriate/exaggerated emotional responses → standard criteria for mentally ill
- Unpredictable behavior
o Rapid shifts in beliefs/emotions
- Right/wrong compared to members of community
o People who are labeled mentally ill: non-conforming people (intentionally/unintentionally)
Explanations:
1. Biological (= Medical model of mental illness)
- all diseases are due to malfunctioning of body part (→ brain)
- heritable (predisposition, or directly)
- injuries, tumors, toxins, disease, physical stress etc.
2. Psychological (= psychological model of mental illness)
- Experiences (e.g. grief, anxiety, disappointment, guilt, conflict)
- Organized society → stressful
3. Supernatural
- Primitive times: supernatural imposed mental and physical disorders
Philippe Pinel – one of the first to see mentally ill not as criminals/possessed; kindness + peaceful atmosphere
- Fought for humane treatment of mentally ill people
- Director of mental asylum (saw that people were chained up; guards on patrol)
o Removed chains from patients; improved standards in institution
o Forbade harsh treatment
- Distinction between different types of patients
- 1st to have case history of patients (incl. stats of cure rates)
- ↓ inmate deaths; ↑ cured + released
- Huge success in biggest asylum in Europe.
- Died a hero
- Influential → improvement of conditions for mental asylum
Thomas Szasz
- Mental illness ≠ true illness
o Problems with living and non-conformity
o Disease = bodily disease; mind ≠ body → no disease
- Belief that mental illness = real illness → harm: self-fulfilling prophecy
- “Abnormalities”/ “adjustment problems”
Franz Anton Mesmer – strong magnetic powers
- Planets influence humans through animal gravitation
- Role of magnets to cure patients
o Bias: tell patient what is expected to occur
- Challenged exorcism
- Person has magnetic force field
o Healthy: evenly distributed; unhealthy: unevenly distributed → physical symptoms
→ Magnets redistribute magnetic field
o Everything he touched → magnetic; no need for magnets.
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