This summary of Chapter 1 of Abnormal Child Psychology (7th) by Mash and Wolfe was made for SLK 310 students at Tuks/UP.
It includes all content from pages 1 to 25 excluding: pages 4 to 7 and 17 to 18.
The summary takes content directly from the textbook and is by no means original thought or co...
SLK 310 – Abnormal Child Psychology
Chapter 1: Introduction to Normal and Abnormal Behaviour in Children and
Adolescents
Study Outcomes:
To identify key historical breakthroughs in abnormal child psychology
To define the term “psychological disorder” and discuss some of the implications of this definition
To explain the purpose of defining psychological disorders
To consider some of the factors that influence a child’s development and outcomes e.g. risk and resilience
To discuss the significance of children’s mental health today
To identify some of the key factors that affect rates and expression of children’s mental disorders
Abnormal Child Psychology
Research studies in abnormal child psychology seek to address the following issues:
• Defining what constitutes normal and abnormal behaviour for children of different ages,
sexes, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
• Identifying the causes and correlates of abnormal child behaviour
• Making predictions about long-term outcomes
• Developing and evaluating methods for treatment and/or prevention
Features that distinguish most child/adolescent disorders from adult disorders
Interventions for children
When adults seek services Many child and adolescent Many problem behvaiours and adolescents are
for children, it is often problems involve failureto shown by children and intended to promote further
unclear whose "problem" it show expected youths are not entirely development rather than
is. developemental progress. abnormal. merely to restore a previous
level of functioning.
Historical Views and Breakthroughs
*does not include The Emergence of Social Consciousness or Early Biological Attributions
1
, L. Gurnell 2024
Early Psychological Attribution
To conceptualise and understand abnormal child psychology, biological influences must be balanced with important
developmental and cultural factors.
The recognition of psychological influences emerged early in the 20 th century which prompted the development of
diagnostic categories and new criminal offenses, the expansion of descriptions of deviant behaviour, and the addition
of more comprehensive monitoring procedures of identified procedures.
Psychoanalytic Theory and Behaviourism helped shape the emergence of psychological and environmental
influences.
Psychoanalytic Theory
Sigmund Freud
Explains human behaviour in terms of the interaction of various components of personality.
• Although Freud believed that individuals have in-born drives and predispositions that
strongly affect their development, he also believed that experiences play an important role
in psychopathology
• Freud was the first to give meaning to the concept of mental disorder by linking it to
childhood experiences
• Psychanalytic theory emphasized that personality and mental health outcomes had
multiple roots
• Freud’s writing shifted the view from one of children as innocent or insignificant to one of
human beings in turmoil, struggling to achieve control over biological needs and to make
themselves acceptable to society through the microcosm of the family
• Anna Freud: children’s symptoms are related more to developmental stages than are those
of adults
• Melanie Klein: all actions of children’s play could be interpreted in terms of unconscious
fantasy
• Current nosologies in the DSM-5 attempt to find common denominators that describe the
manifestations of a disorder at any age rather than in context of the development of the
individual like the Freudian approach
Behaviourism
John Watson
A theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning, and
conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment
• Watson is known for his theory of emotions, which he extrapolated from normal to
abnormal behaviour
• The study of Little Albert illustrates the importance of keeping in perspective any new
advances and insights that at first may seem like panaceas for age-old problems
• Families, communities, and societal and cultural values play a strong role in determining
how successful current child-rearing philosophies are at benefiting children
Little Albert
• Watson aimed to demonstrate how fear might be conditioned in a baby
• Him and Rayner paired a white rat with loud banging sounds to condition the fear of rats
2
, L. Gurnell 2024
• Eventually Albert developed fears to rats, rabbits, dogs, fur coats, and Santa Claus masks.
Sex in Advertising
• Watson’s emphasis on the prediction and control of human behaviour led to him finding
success in advertising
• Watson created the dramatic shifts in advertising in the 1930s toward creating images
around any given product that exploited whenever possible the sexual desires of both men
and women
Evolving Forms of Treatment
1930s to 1950s - A quiet time for research and treatment
- Most children with intellectual or mental disorders were still
institutionalised
1945 to 1965 - René Spitz raised questions about the harmful impact of
institutional life of children’s growth and development
- There was a rapid decline in the number of children in
institutions, while the number of children in foster homes and
group homes increased
1950s to 1960s - Behaviour therapy emerged as a systematic approach to the
treatment of child and family disorders
- It is based on operant and classical conditioning principles to
modify undesirable behaviours and shape adaptive abilities
- Behaviour therapy has emerged as a prominent form of therapy
Progressive Legislature
In the past few decades, many countries have enacted laws to protect the rights of those with
special needs
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: countries that ratify this convention
agree to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and also abolish legislation,
customs, and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities
What is Abnormal Behaviour in Children and Adolescents?
Adam Lanza
He was overstimulated by lights, loud sounds and touch, which would cause him to withdraw. He
became abnormally obsessed with violence
Were there any clues in Lanza’s childhood that might suggest his violent behaviour later on?
• Many questions regarding abnormal child behaviour don’t have a straightforward answer
• More often than not, childhood disorders are accompanied by various layers of abnormal
behaviour or development
• An understanding of children’s individual strengths and abilities can lead to ways to assist
them in healthy adaptation
• In order to judge what is abnormal, we need to be sensitive to each child’s stage of
development and consider each child’s unique methods of coping and ways of
compensating for difficulties
• It is difficult to distinguish between normal and abnormal functioning
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