AQA A Psychology - Abnormality

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health 

Psychologists have a list of characteristics of what would be considered normal. a person is deemed abnormal if they deviate from the list.

• Positive veiw of self
• capability for growth and development
• Autonomy and independence
• Accuraty perception of reality

Limitations

• Cultural relativism - what is considered ideal varies across time and culture
• Very few meet would meet all the criteria for ideal mental health
•  Mentally healthy might percieve things to be fine when they might not be - this is not accurate. Depression is the only mental illness in which a person has accurate perception of reality.

Deviation from Social Norms

A person's thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it goes against the (unwritten) rules about what is expected and acceptable in society

Limitations

• Cultural relativism - social norms vary with culture and time
• For example, in france its the norm to kiss when greeting someone. or in Africa where the women do not wear shirts.

• Classification of abnormality can only be explained in context in which it occurs
• jumping out of a window may seem abnormal but put into context, if there was a fire and that was the only way out, that would be perfectly acceptable.

Failure to Function Adequately

There's a practical criteria used to define inadequate functioning. if behaviour interferes with daily life, according to this criteria, it may be considered abnormal.

• Maladaptiveness
• Vividness & unconventionality
• Loss of control
• Irrationality/incomprehensibilty

Limitations

• Most people may have difficulty carrying out their every day lives at some point, this does not necessarily mean they're abnormal.
• When a person is greiving they're often unable to function adequately
• Many people engage in behaviour thats maladaptive/ harmful or threatening to themselves but we do not class them as abnormal
• People who go skydiving or paragliding are not considered abnormal

Biological

Key Features

• All mental disorders have a physical cause e.g. genes, brain structure, brain chemicals etc.
• Treatment involves drugs to alter balance of brain chemicals
• Mental illnesses are diagnosed in the same way as physical illnesses, in terms of a cluster of symptoms

Evaluation

• Offers people a role, and treatments they are familiar with
• Encourages them to be passive and hand over control of their lives to expert
• Biological processes are beyond patients control; not blamed for behaviour
• Society isolates and stigmatises the mentally ill
• Model lead to drug therapies with effectively control symptoms
• When drugs are discontinued, symptoms often return
• Lots of evidence to show mental illness is linked with biological changes
• Often impossible to tell whether such changesare cause or effect

Psychodynamic

Key Features

• Psychological disorders are caused by emotional problems in the unconscious mind
• The causes of emtional problems are usually linked with childhood
• Relationship between parent and child is crucial to mental health
• Mental illness can be caused by an imbalance between the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO

Evaluation

• First theory to focus of importance of childhood
• Blames parents for mental illness - consequence of childhood experiences
• Importance of unconscious was recognised - explains repressed memories
• Often accused of being deterministic - we have no control over adult life
• Many of it is based in inconscious so cannot be proven right or wrong

Cognitive

Key Features

• Abnormaliy caused by faulty thinking - inaccurate perception of reality
• The individual is in control
• Treatment involves changing faulty thinking to make it more positive

Evaluation

• We are in control and can cure ourselves
• Offers very successful treatment (CBT) for some conditions
• Very positive, forward thinking model
• Ignores unerlying causes
• Unclear if faulty thinking is cause or effect
• Blames the idividual
• Some negative thoughts can be rational

Behavioural

Key Features

• All behaviour (including abnormal) is learnt through conditioning (classical - association, Operant - reinforcement)
• Only behaviour that can be observed is important
• Same laws apply to human and non-human behaviours
• All behaviour can be unlearnt using same method as waas learnt

Evaluation

• Scientifically tested
• Lots of research evidence - mainly on animals
• Treatments can be successful (CBT)
• Ignores thoughts and emotions
• Ignores genetics
• Treats symptoms not cause
• Too simplistic

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

• Mainly used in severly ill patients
• Electrode placed above each temple, patient is unconscious, given small electric shock, current produces seizure for about a minute
• ECT given 3 times a week for up to 5 weeks

Evaluation

• Can be life saving to suicidal patients
• 60-70% effective
• Seems to restart the brain
• Sham ECT can work too (placebo) suggesting attention is important - not actually treatment that workds, just thoughts that they've had treatment
• 84% relapse within 6 months
• Side effects - memory problems, headaches, anxiety and even death

Drugs

Antidepressants

• Lower activity of neurotransmitter, Serotonin
• Most common antidepressants (SSRI's) reduce the reuptake of serotonin i.e. make serotonin hand around in synapse longer

Antimanics

• Used to treat bipolar depression
• Still unknown how they work in reducing mania
• Many patients relucant to take lithium as they enjoy the feeling of mania

Antianxiety

• Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium)
• Used for OCD, social anxiety, eating disorders
• Slows down activity of central nervous system
• Increase activity of GABA (natural anxiety relief) making people feel calmer

Drugs

Antipsychotics

• Treat symptoms of Schizophrenia (delusions and hallicinations)
• Schizophreia associated with high levels of dopamine activity
• Block neurotransmitter, Dopamine, at receptor site
• reduces amount of dopamine stimulating next neurone

Evaluation

• Antipsychotics effective in short and long term
• easy to use, require little effort on part of the patient
• Most effective if used along side psychological treatment
• Not always effective e.g. some antidepressants dont really work
• Hands over responsibility to 'expert' (encourages passivity)
• All drugs have side effects e.g. SSRI's cause insomnia and nausea
• treats symptoms, not cause

Psychoanalysis

• Based in psychodynamic model - repressed conflicts
• Aims to bring unconscious thoughts into conscious mind so patients can deal with them

Techniques

• Free association - saying whatever comes to mind
• Word association - responding to word therapist reads out
• Dream analysis
• Projective test - reporting what they see in ambiguous pictures
• Transference - treating therapist as despised person

Evaluation

• Most effective for milder anxiety or depression
• Works best if patient is prepared to open up and verbalise thoughts
• Can cause false memories - just what been told by parents
• Based on theories which lack evidence
• Time consuming and expensive

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Based on cognitive and behavioural models
• Irrational thoughts influence behaviour and vice versa, so both must be changed for effective treatment
• Cognitive - make irrational thoughts rational
• Behavioural make patients do everday tasks to prove irrational beliefs wrong

Evaluation

• Successful in treating a range of disorders
• Gives tools so patient can treat themselves (Lifelong)
• Useful for whole population, not just mentally ill (e.g. anxiety before exams)
• Treats symptoms not cause
• Requires continual effort on part of client
• Environment is still beyond patients control

Systematic Desensitisation

• Based on behavioural model - behvaiour can be unlearnt
• Maladaptive behaviour is deconditioned by learning new association

Technique

• Patient learns to relax
• Patient visualises or is placed in fearful situation and learns to relax
• Gradual exposure following hierarchy of fearful situations

Evaluation

• Most effective in disorders where anxiety is main problem
• 75% effective in treating phobias
• Relatively quick (6-8 sessions)
• Involves clients being placed in very stressful situations
• Not successful in phobias with evoluationary basis (i.e. fear of wild animals)
• Doesn't treat cause of some disorders e.g. Schizophrenia & anorexia