Post on 16-Dec-2015
CLASS 26
Abnormal Behavior
(& Psycholog
ical Disorders
)
Many Related Terms
• Crazy – too slangy
• Psycho-pathological – too formal
• Mentally ill – okay but assumes it’s medical
• Psychological disorder – vague but okay
Also…
• Milder versions: maladjusted
• Temporary version: distressed
symptoms & cause
Abnormal Behavior <--- Psychological Disorder
(observable symptoms) <--- (underlying cause)
BUT
• Other possible reasons for abnormal behavior
• All we have are the symptoms
Analyzing “Abnormal Behavior”
Some combination of four criteria
Four Standard Criteria
1. Statistical deviance
2. Cultural deviance
3. Emotional distress
4. Dysfunction
The Normal-to-Abnormal Continuum
Examples of abnormality:Are they mentally ill?
Charlie Manson?
http://serialkillercalendar.com/charlesmanson.html
Vincent van Gogh
Howie Mandel?
Scary guy?
Octo-mom?
Osama Bin Laden?
Berkeley’s naked guy?
Abnormality vs. insanity• Insanity is a legal concept
• Awareness of right-wrong at the time of the crime
• Implication: if insane, then not guilty of the crime
• Paradox: – the more abnormal the behavior is: – (a) the less guilty they are legally, but – (b) the more people want to punish
Jeffrey Dahmer
-bizarre but coherent
Andrea Yates
-bizarre but incoherent
Colonel Russell Williams
-bizarre but coherent and
successful
Two Models of Mental Illness
• Medical model
• Sociological model
Medical Model
-Abnormal behavior is caused by a disease
-Categorical
-Measurable symptoms
-Cured with appropriate therapy
Sociological Model
• completely arbitrary
• emphasizes cultural deviance criterion
• e.g., homosexuality – now only if distressing
• e.g., pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
• repression of artists, writers, political extremists,
DSM
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
• Bible for clinical psychologists and psychiatrists
• Organizes and categorizes mental illness
Five axes of the DSM
• I: Clinical disorders
• II: Personality disorders
• III: Medical conditions
• IV: Environmental conditions
• V: Global functioning
DSM-5
• New since 2013
• Even more controversial
• Even more disorders (tobacco-use disorder)
• Psychologists vs. psychiatrists