PSYC 223 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE
1. What is meant by “normal” and “abnormal?” What is meant by dysfunction? How about
malfunction?
- “Normal”: average/mean/mode; conforming to the standard or common type (usual for a
particular social context or person)
- “Abnormal”: refers to behavior, thoughts, or feelings that deviate significantly from the
norm and may cause distress or impairment in functioning.
- Dysfunction: some form of abnormality or impairment in the function of a specified
bodily organ or system (e.g. heart attack – a blockage in blood flow prevents the heart
from serving its usual function)
- Malfunction: a function is present, but it’s the wrong one/improper function operating in
a system (e.g. cancer – cells are multiplying, as they do, but are out of control)
a. In what situations does the dysfunction account of psychopathology fall short?
The dysfunction account of psychopathology falls short in situations where cultural or
contextual factors influence what is considered dysfunctional (e.g. hallucinatory experiences:
many cultures do not treat this as dysfunctional, and in fact some cultures reward this behavior)
b. What is meant by the subjective distress account of psychopathology? What might be one
problem with relying on one’s report of distress to categorize someone as mentally ill or not? Be
sure to know what malingering is and in what situations it is likely to occur.
Subjective distress account of psychopathology: An individual’s verbal and non-verbal
reports of pain, suffering, distress, etc.
- Not every experience of distress is indicative of a behavior disorder; distress is a
requisite for growth (e.g. intense physical activity: unpleasant in the short-term,
but leads to positive long-term physical changes; reacting to negative news: being
upset about this would be normal, anxiety also prepares us for action)
- Not every disorder is accompanied by subjective distress; some disordered
behavior does not cause distress to the individual – lack of subjective distress can
be the problem! (e.g. serial killers: low levels of remorse over their deeds, low
level of physiological arousal accompanying high-risk behaviors; an individual’s
house is set on fire and they feel no anxiety)
- subjective distress is neither necessary or sufficient to explain and categorize
abnormal behavior
- relying solely on self-report may overlook cases of malingering, where
individuals feign or exaggerate symptoms for secondary gain
2. How do social norms influence the definition and diagnosis of mental illness? What functions
do social and political factors serve?
, Social norms influence the definition and diagnosis of mental illness by shaping
perceptions of acceptable behavior. Social and political factors serve functions such as
determining access to resources, shaping public policies, and influencing stigma associated with
mental illness.
- Not scientifically determined; not an essential characteristic; reflect more so the person
doing the classification than the thing in and of itself
- e.g. homosexuality was defined as a behavior disorder not because of any essential
features, but because of social norms/values
3. What is neurodiversity and how does it factor into our understanding of behavior disorders?
Neurodiversity: variations in the human brain with respect to learning, attention, etc.; tt
factors into our understanding of behavior disorders by emphasizing acceptance and
accommodation rather than pathologization.
4. What are the two components of the harmful dysfunction model and what are some of the
problems with this model? What term did Widiger and Sankis (2000) propose instead and what
does it mean?
The harmful dysfunction model proposes that mental disorders result from a combination
of a factual component (dysfunction) and a value component (harmful).
Potential problems:
- Who decides what is harmful (same issue with purely constructionist models)?
- Also unclear how particular psychological phenomena are designed by evolution
- e.g. “just-so” hypothesizing: the idea that any phenomenon that evolved to exist
must have done so to serve the function it currently (Chomsky)
- birds have feathers for temperature regulation, not flight
- don’t actually know why many psychological phenomena evolved
- Not all disorders represent dysfunction in a biological/evolutionary sense (e.g. anxiety:
system is working just fine)
Widiger and Sankis (2000) proposed the term “dyscontrolled maladaptivity” as an alternative,
focusing on maladaptive functioning rather than dysfunction (there must be some kind of flawed
behavior or symptom, but it must also not be within the individual's control).
5. What is the purpose of classification; that is, why do we need a classification system for
behavior disorders?
- Consistent nomenclature - a means to communicate from provider to provider (allows
for appropriate treatment and consistent understanding etc.)
- Descriptive psychopathology - observing and providing a detailed description of the
problem
, - Etiology - how did the problem start and develop over time?
- Both allow for research funding and support for individuals experiencing the
diagnosis (insurance coverage, intervention services in schools, etc.)
- Sociopolitical functions - funding, coverage, support
- How we address our current mental health crisis is not possible without a
diagnostic and classification scheme
- Tower of Babel phenomenon: if everyone is “speaking a different language” regarding
behavior disorders, how will we know what’s going on?
- Common during DSM-I and DSM-II
- Ultimate goal of classification is utility
6. Understand the different models of behavior disorders throughout time (e.g., biological, moral,
supernatural), how they have influenced classification and their current standing in terms of how
they inform our understanding of behavior disorders.
Supernatural models: prior to scientific explanations, behavior disorders may have been
explained as supernatural phenomena; the idea that abnormal behavior reflects possession by
demons, witchcraft, displeasure of the gods, eclipses, etc.
- e.g. St. Vitus’ Dance: a condition where individuals would begin to dance uncontrollably
for hours, days, months; eventually would collapse out of exhaustion; we now know that
these individuals were dealing with ergot fungus (which produces a chemical similar to
LSD) - had consumed it through bread and lead to the abnormal behavior
- Recommended interventions also reflect the beliefs of the time - at this time, trepanning
(drilling a hole in the head for spirits to escape), magical religious rituals, threat, bribery,
punishment
Modern form of supernatural models: focus on whether spiritual issues should be incorporated
into our understanding of mental health issues and their treatment
- Psychology has generally ignored religion/spirituality, but religious behavior is associated
with positive outcomes (lower anxiety, depression, substance use)
- Sense of connection to the universe may be more broadly integral to mental health
- Most clients are in some way spiritual, and the goals of religion/spirituality are
often aligned with psychiatric interventions
- Lack of empirical data or studies
- Caveat - certain types of religious practice/beliefs can be problematic from the standpoint
of mental health
- e.g. Individuals who believe that their fate is out of their control tend to have
worse outcomes (less perceived control over outcomes)
