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Summary Psychopathology AQA a level psychology
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Psychopathology a level aqa psychology notes with AO1 and ao3
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Psychopathology: Definitions of abnormality
Behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and OCD
Behavioural approach to treating phobias and explaining phobias
Cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression – Beck’s negative triad, Ellis’ ABC
model
Biological approach to explaining and treating OCD
Definitions AO1 AO3
Statistical infrequency Behaviour is classified as + usefulness – used in
abnormal if it is rare or classical diagnosis of mental
statistically unusual e.g. if health disorders as a
individual has an IQ above or comparison with a baseline
below the average level or ‘normal’ value
- makes the assumption that
any abnormal characteristics
are automatically negative
e.g. would not thinking that
someone having a high IQ is
negative, someone having
low depression score on BDI
as abnormal – not a
sufficient way of defining
abnormality
Deviation from social norms ‘abnormal’ behaviour is based + usefulness – signs of
upon straying away from antisocial personality
social norms specific to a disorder are examples of
certain culture, general norms deviations from social norms
+ culture specific norms à applications in psychiatry
- variability between social
norms in different cultures +
situations à discrimination
- reliance on subjective
social norms à cultural
relativism
Failure to function adequately Rosenhan and Seligman + takes into account the
(1989) – if a person’s current patient’s perspective, final
mental state is preventing diagnosis will combine
them from leading a ‘normal’ patient’s self-reported
life, alongside the associated symptoms and psychiatrist’s
normal levels of motivation opinion à more accurate
and obedience to social norms diagnosis as it is not limited
à considered as abnormal to statistics
- easy to label non-standard
lifestyle choices as
abnormal, does little to
challenge traditional
negative stereotypes about
, mental health disorders, not
everyone with mental health
disorder requires a diagnosis
esp if they have a high
quality of life
Deviation from ideal mental occurs when someone does + highly comprehensive,
health not meet a set of criteria for includes range of criteria
mental health that can be analysed and
Jahoda (1958) – criteria discussed by with
No symptoms or professionals, we can assess
distress, rational ourselves
thinking and can - Jahoda may have an
perceive ourselves unrealistic expectation of
accurately, self ideal mental health –
actualisation, can majority of population could
cope with stress, be considered abnormal
realistic view of the - suffers from cultural
world, good self- relativism e.g. self
esteem and lack guilt, actualisation can be viewed
independent, as selfish in collectivist
successfully work, cultures but may be popular
love and enjoy our in individualist cultures,
leisure would only be seen as
abnormal in some cultures
Characteristics of phobias:
Phobia – irrational fear of an object or situation
Specific phobia – phobia of an object or situation
Social anxiety (social phobia) – phobia of a social situation e.g. public speaking
Agoraphobia – phobia of being outside or in a public place
Behavioural characteristics:
Panic: heightened physiological arousal upon exposure to phobic stimulus e.g. screaming, crying,
running away
Avoidance: negatively reinforced to avoid unpleasant consequence of exposure to phobic stimulus à
severely impacts patients ability to continue with their day to day life
Endurance: patient remains exposed to the phobic stimulus for an extended period of time, but also
experiences heightened levels of anxiety during this time
Emotional characteristics:
Anxiety: unpleasant state of high arousal, physiological response of panic
Fear: immediate and unpleasant response we get when we encounter or think about phobic
stimulus, experienced for shorter periods than anxiety
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