Class notes

Chapter 1 - Conceptualizing "Abnormality"

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Course
PSYC 300A

Institution
University Of British Columbia (UBC )

Explore the lecture notes on conceptualizing "abnormal." Gain insights into diverse perspectives and theories surrounding abnormality in psychology. Delve into historical context, evolving definitions, and theoretical frameworks that shape our understanding. Examine the role of culture, subjectivit...

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Uploaded on May 11, 2023
Number of pages 19
Written in 2021/2022
Type Class notes
Professor(s) Sheila woody
Contains Conceptualizing "abnormal"

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PSYC 300
Chapter 1 – Conceptualizing “Abnormal”
Intro: Definitional and Historical Considerations, & Canada's Mental Health System
- The study of psychopathology: the field concerned with the nature and development of abnormal
behaviour, thoughts, and feeling.
 Challenge studying abnormal psychology  remain objective
 Humans have developed certain ways of thinking and talking about behaviour, certain
words and concepts that create preconceived notions.
- Mental health issues are at the forefront of the public consciousness
- Abnormal behaviour: patterns of emotion, thought, and action deemed pathological for one or
more of the following reasons: infrequent occurrence, violation of norms, personal distress,
disability or dysfunction, and unexpectedness.

1.1 What is Abnormal Behaviour?
- Abnormal behaviour: characteristics such as statistical infrequency, violation of norms, personal
distress, disability or dysfunction, and unexpectedness
 Hard to define with one single definition
 Abnormality is usually determined by the presence of several characteristics at one time.
- Statistical infrequency
 One aspect of abnormal behaviour is that it is infrequent in the general population.
 The normal curve (bell-shaped curve) places most people in the middle far from
characteristics, few people fall at either extreme
 An assertion that one is ‘normal’ implies that they do not deviate much from the average
in a particular trait or behavioural pattern
 Statistical infrequency is used explicitly in diagnosing mental retardation.
o E.g., when an individual's IQ is below 70, his or her intellectual functioning is
considered sufficiently subnormal to be designated as mental retardation.
o Although some infrequent behaviours or characteristics of people do strike us as
abnormal, in some instances, the relationship breaks down.
o Unfortunately, the statistical component gives us little guidance in determining
which infrequent behaviours psychopathologists should study.
- Violation of norms
 Another characteristic looks at if the behaviour violates social norms or threatens and
makes those observing it anxious.
 Explicitly makes abnormality a relative concept  varying forms of abnormal behaviour
can be tolerated depending on prevailing cultural norms.
 Criminals and prostitutes violate social norms but are not usually studied within the
domain of abnormal psychology  Vs. the highly anxious person, who is generally
regarded as a central character in the field of abnormal psychology, typically does not
violate social norms and would not be bothersome to observers.
 Cultural diversity can affect how people view social norms.
- Personal distress
 Personal suffering  behaviour is abnormal if it creates great distress and torment in the
person experiencing it.

,  Personal distress clearly fits many of the forms of abnormality  people experiencing
anxiety disorders and depression truly suffer greatly, but some disorders do not
necessarily involve distress.
o A psychopath, for example, treats others cold-heartedly and may continually
violate the law without experiencing any guilt, remorse, or anxiety whatsoever.
o Not all forms of distress, e.g., hunger or pain of childbirth belong to the field.
- Disability or dysfunction
 Disability: the impairment of some important area of life (e.g., work, or personal
relationships) because of an abnormality can also be a component.
 Substance-use disorders are defined by social or occupational disability (poor work
performance, arguments with one's spouse) created by substance abuse and addiction.
 A phobia can produce both distress & disability, e.g., a fear of flying may prevent
someone from taking a promotion  disability applies to some, but not all, disorders.
 Characteristics that might in some circumstances be considered disabilities, e.g., too
short to be a basketball player do not fall in the domain of abnormal psychology.
o We do not have a rule that tells us which disabilities belong and which do not.
- Unexpectedness
 Distress and disability are considered abnormal when they are unexpected responses to
environmental stressors.
o For example, an anxiety disorder is diagnosed when the anxiety is unexpected
and out of proportion to the situation, as when a person who is well off worries
constantly about his or her financial situation.
 There are several key characteristics of a definition for abnormal behaviour, but none
singularly yields a fully satisfactory definition  together they offer a useful framework
for beginning to define abnormality.

Mental Health Professions
- Training of clinicians, various professionals authorized to provide psychological services, takes
different forms. There are several types of clinicians:
- Clinical Psychologist
 Typically requires a Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree (four to seven years of graduate study).
 In Canada, a psychologist may have either a doctoral or a master's level degree
 In some jurisdictions the title “psychologist” is reserved for doctoral-level registrants,
whereas master's-level registrants are referred to as “psychological associates.”
 There was effectively no consensus among the provinces on the minimal academic
requirements, the required length of supervised practice, and the timing of such practice.
 Training for a Ph.D. in clinical psychology requires heavy lab work, research design,
statistics, and the empirically based study of human and animal behaviour.
o The Ph.D. is basically a research degree, and candidates are required to research
and write a dissertation on a specialized topic.
o Candidates in clinical psychology learn skills in two additional areas, which
distinguishes them from other Ph.D. candidates in psychology.
1. They learn techniques of assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders.
2. They learn how to practise psychotherapy, a primarily verbal means of
helping troubled individuals change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviour
to reduce distress and to achieve greater life satisfaction.

, o Students take courses in which they master specific techniques under close
professional supervision; then, during an intensive internship or post-doctoral
training, they gradually assume increasing responsibility for the care of clients.
- Psychiatrist
 Holds an MD degree and has had postgraduate training, called a residency, in which he
or she has received supervision in the practice of diagnosis and psychotherapy.
 By virtue of the medical degree, and in contrast with psychologists, psychiatrists can
also continue functioning as physicians, giving physical examinations, diagnosing
medical problems, and the like.
 Most often, however, the primary aspect of medical practice in which psychiatrists
engage is prescribing psychoactive drugs, chemical compounds that can influence how
people feel and think.
- Psychoanalyst
 A psychoanalyst has received specialized training at a psychoanalytic institute.
 The program usually involves several years of clinical training as well as the in-depth
psychoanalysis of the trainee.
 It can take up to 10 years of graduate work to become a psychoanalyst and there are
proportionally fewer psychoanalysts in modern times.
- Social Worker
 A social worker obtains an M.S.W. (Master of Social Work) degree.
 Programs for counselling psychologists are somewhat like graduate training in clinical
psychology but usually have less emphasis on research and the more severe forms of
psychopathology.
- Counselling Psychologist
 How does counselling psychology differ from clinical psychology in Canada?
 While there are many similarities, there also key differences.
 A key difference is that counselling programs tend to be terminal, meaning that students
earn a master's degree and there is no doctoral progress that follows.
 Clinical psychology programs tend to have a large proportion of their faculty members
registered as clinical psychologists

SUMMARY
- The study of psychopathology is a search for why people behave, think, and feel in unexpected,
sometimes bizarre, and typically self-defeating ways  much less is known than we would like.
- Characteristics considered in evaluating whether a behaviour is abnormal: statistical infrequency,
violation of societal norms, personal distress, disability/dysfunction, & unexpectedness.
 Each characteristic tells us something about what can be considered abnormal, but none
by itself provides a fully satisfactory definition.
 Impossible to offer a simple definition that captures abnormality in its entirety.

1.2 History of Psychopathology
- Psychopathology: the field concerned with the nature and development of mental disorders.
- Before the age of scientific inquiry, all good and bad manifestations of power beyond the control
of humankind, eclipses, earthquakes, storms, fire, serious and disabling diseases, the passing of
the seasons were regarded as supernatural.
- Behaviour seemingly outside individual control was subject to similar interpretation.

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