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Chapter 4 Theories of Abnormality
Abnormal Psychology (PSYCH-55 )
Chaffey College
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Definitions ● Theory: A set of ideas used to explain a certain phenomenon ● Biological: Genetic vulnerability or predisposition (family history) ● Psychological: Belief system or early childhood experiences ● Social: Interpersonal relationships and the social environment ● Genotype: An individual’s genetic information ● Phenotype: An individual’s directly observable characteristics ● Epigenetics: Development results from bidirectional exchanges between heredity and all levels of environment ● Serotonin: Regulates emotions and impulse (aggression) ● Dopamine: Regulates experiences with rewards and reinforcement ● Norepinephrine: Effects mood ● Adoption Studies: Compare biological and adoptive families of individuals with disorder ● Psychoanalysis: Uncover or resolve unconscious conflicts that lead to psychopathology Approaches ● Biological ○ (e., family history) ● Psychological ○ (e., sexual abuse) ● Social ○ (e., marital problems) ● What about an integrated approach? Biological Approach ● Genotype (interior) ● Phenotype (exterior) Epigenetics ● Genes affect behavior and experiences ● Experiences and behavior affect gene expression Diathesis - Stress Model Diathesis + Stress → Disorder ● Biological ○ Factor (Vulnerability) ■ Genes, disordered biochemistry, brain anomalies ○ Trigger (Stress) ■ Onset of a disease, exposure to toxins, etc. ● Psychological ○ Factor (Vulnerability) ■ Unconscious conflicts, poor skills, maladaptive cognitions, etc. ○ Trigger (Stress) ■ Perceived loss of control, violation of trust, etc
● Social ○ Factor (Vulnerability) ■ Maladaptive upbringing, chronic stress, etc ○ Trigger (Stress) ■ Traumatic event, major loss, etc Biological Approaches: Overview ● Structural Brain Abnormalities ○ Abnormalities in the structure of the brain cause mental disorders ● Biochemical Causes ○ Imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters and hormones, or poor functioning of receptors cause mental disorders ● Genetic Factors ○ Disordered genes lead to mental disorders Biology: Structural Brain Abnormalities ● Three key areas of the brain ○ Cerebral cortex ■ E., Phineas Gage ○ Hypothalamus ○ Limbic system ● Can result from injury (e., auto accident) and diseases that cause deterioration (e., schizophrenia - cerebral dysfunction) Biochemical Causes ● The brain needs a number of chemicals and certain levels of those chemicals, to operate properly ● Neurotransmitters ○ Reuptake ○ Degradation Bio:Genetic Factors ● What are the processes by which genes affect behavior? ● To what extent are behaviors or behavioral tendencies inherited? ○ Chromosomes are made up of individual genes ○ Alterations in the structure or number of chromosomes can cause major defects ○ Polygenic process: It takes multiple genetic abnormalities to create one disorder ● Family history studies - Trace family line in 2 groups of people ○ Group 1 - Disorder; Group 2 - No disorder ● Twin Studies - Check for CONCORDANCE RATES ○ Monozygotic (Identical) - 100% of genes ○ Dizygotic (Fraternal) - 50% of genes, on average ● Adoption Studies The Social Impact of the Biological Approach to Therapy
● Secondary thinking, rational deliberation ● Conscience and ego ideal
● Unconscious - preconscious - conscious ● Psychosexual stages ○ Stages: ■ Oral ■ Anal ■ Phallic ■ Latent ■ Genital ○ Age ■ 0-18 months ■ 18 months to 3 years ■ 3-6 years ■ 6 years - puberty ■ puberty - adulthood Assessing Psychodynamic Theories ● Too much emphasis on sexual drives ● Exclusion of the environment and culture as influences on personality ● Difficult to test the assumptions ● Personality is fixed in childhood Psychodynamic Theories: Beyond Freud ● Integration of the role of the environment and early relationships ● Object relations/internal working models ○ Early relationships create <images=/representations of ourselves and others ■ Attachment measured via <The Strange Situation= ■ Affect future relationships Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment ● Secure Attachment (60-65%) ○ Internal Working Model ■ Child internalizes that they are effective at seeking support, and are worthy of response ● Insecure - Avoidant Attachment (20%) ○ Child internalizes that they are worthy of support but may not get attention so they need to provide for themselves ● Insecure - Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment (10-15%) ○ Child internalizes that they aren’t effective at signaling to the caregiver that they need support Disorganized Attachment
● Disorganized Attachment (5-10%) ○ Play and exploration ■ Cautious in play ■ Confused upon departure ■ Erratic behavior upon return ● Internal working model ○ Child has internalized an unstable sense of self ● Caregiver is unpredictable and/or threatening Psychological Behavioral Theories ● Reject the role of unconscious ○ Instead, focus on reinforcement and punishment ● Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) ○ UCS = UCR → UCS + NS = UCR → NS → CS → CS (Alone) = CR ● Operant Conditioning (Skinner) ○ Reinforcement ○ Extinction ● We also learn by watching others ○ Social learning theory (Albert Bandura) ■ Modeling ■ Observational Learning Assessing Behavioral Theories ● Laboratory Studies are artificial ○ Can’t capture behavior as it happens in the real world ● Don’t recognize people’s free will to make choices despite their surroundings Cognitive Theories ● Thoughts and beliefs shape our behaviors ● Types of cognitions ○ Casual attributions ○ Control theory ■ Learned helplessness ■ Self-efficacy ● Dysfunctional assumptions ○ Internal, stable, global Assessing Cognitive Theories ● Do maladaptive cognitions cause disorders, or are they the consequences of disorders? ○ Difficult to answer ● Assume that - beliefs are always irrational Humanistic and Existential Theories ● Focus on the person <behind= the cognitions, behaviors, and unconscious conflicts ● Belief that humans have a capacity for
Chapter 4 Theories of Abnormality
Course: Abnormal Psychology (PSYCH-55 )
University: Chaffey College
