History Of Abnormal Psychology

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There is a vast history of abnormal psychology. From historical views to the contemporary, both have helped to shape psychology and along the way, some significant people contributed to the development of abnormal psychology. In this paper, we will look at the timeline of how abnormal psychology has developed over the years, and what the practice has led to in today’s world. The Greeks were the first to bring about the world of philosophy, which later became psychology. During the age of Greek gods, a Greek physician known as Hippocrates became referred to as the father of modern medicine. During this point in time and before Greek history, mental illness was attributed to an individual being possessed by demons, gods, or dark entities. …show more content…

It was during this time when psychiatrists started to see many mental disorders as problems that were caused by outside influences. With the dawn of the twentieth century, many asylums and hospitals had a humane way of dealing with those that dealth with mental health problems. It was during this time that medication became widely used to help those with mental disturbances, as well as deinstitutionalizing people so that they may return to society as normal citizens. More importantly, as time went on so did the view on mental illness. The emergence of contemporary mental health views began to take place. There were many biological discoveries, there was a development of a classification system that helped to understand mental illness more in-depth, psychological causation views came to light, and experiments were conducted in psychological research (Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. …show more content…

From the dark ages where people were treated inhumanly to now, in this century where mental health is taken care of and those with mental health issues are treated as equals. All of the discoveries and reforms along the way led us to some of the most significant names in the psychological field today, such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Wilhelm Wundt, B. F. Skinner, Pavlov, Watson, and E. L. Thorndike. The past paved the way for abnormal psychology to be more accepted today and made easier ways to handle those with mental disturbances. In review, from the Greeks to the contemporary contributors of modern psychology, each had a place in the timeline for creating a better world, more humane treatment of the mentally ill, and for better enlightenment of the mental health

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