What are psychological abnormalities? We can categorize them into four main definitions. Statistical infrequency, which can be measured but is not the most reliable method as it only takes into account characteristic in society which, are normally distributed, such as height or intelligence. It also does not distinguish between positive and negative attributes, nor does it say if average refers to being normal or abnormal. Lets take the intelligence for an example, if someone has an IQ level below the average, that individual might be classified as being abnormal, but if someone's IQ is above the average they will be classified as being really intelligent. The main problem with statistical infrequency is that it fails to distinguish between …show more content…
These are all sorts of unwritten rules which apply in society, if you break them, you may be classified as abnormal. Whose there to say that our behaviour is normal or abnormal? If I speak to a stranger during my journey to work am I considered abnormal? If people from other countries break rules in British society are they considered abnormal? These are big cultural variations. Those rules and norms vary overtime. Norms of a psychiatrist may be different to those of people in society. Failure to function adequately is the third definition. If we form and maintain relationships, if we work or look after ourselves we are considered normal. Unfortunately some situations in life, may stop us from functioning normal, are we going to be classified as being abnormal because of that? This definition fails to take into account that some abnormalities, do not stop us from functioning adequately. For example a person, who has the obsessive compulsive disorder of sorting out clothes by their colour or size, may find that the behaviour makes them happy and able to cope with the …show more content…
These are first rank symptoms and second rank symptoms. The first rank symptoms, which are the type of symptoms you would experience if you were a schizophrenic. Those include: passivity experiences, which include thoughts being taken out or coming into the mind or thoughts which are heard by other people. Hallucinations-those normally happen in a form of a voice which tells the person, what to do or, comments on other individuals, or the environment schizophrenic happens to be in. Hallucinations can also make a person feel, as they are outside of the body. They lose the sense of touch. Delusions are another symptom. Those can be classified as delusions of grandeur, which make the person believe that they are God, The Queen etc. Delusions of persecution, those make the person think that you are wanted by the FBI or the Police. Delusions of reference, radio or TV makes you do something negative. Delusions of nihilism which means that the person thinks they are dead and that nothing else exists. The second rank symptoms, which are symptoms that are observed, include: thought process disorder which is inability to concentrate on one thing at a time, that is why during a conversation the person mixes all sorts of different topics into a conversation, uses completely wrong and mixed words 'word salad'. Disturbance of affect (emotions). These include lack of emotions, monotony during speaking, experiencing wrong emotions,
The most typical symptoms of schizophrenia are things such as, hearing things that others cannot, such as voice of people whispering, having a feeling that someone is going out of their way to make sure they harm you, having visions of things that people around you cannot see, receiving special messages from the television, radio, and other appliances, felling that you posses special powers that ca...
In this century, mental health have become just as important as physical health. Abnormal psychology is the category of psychology that explains each mental illness that human suffer from. In the case of “Disco Di”, Diana Miller is about a young girl who is registered in a psychiatric hospital for treatment for exhibiting traits that are associated with a mental illness after a long period of challenges. She is diagnosed with major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder. Is this the correct diagnosis?
Schizophrenia has multiple symptoms; according to the World of Health Organization, these symptoms include “delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior [as well as depressive behavior].” Monomania
According to our text because of the difficult distinguishing normal from abnormal behavior, psychologists have struggled to devise a precise, scientific definition of “abnormal behavior” (Psychology and Your Life Feldam 2017). What is considered abnormal for some can be considered normal for others. The lifestyle practice that one chooses or the way an individual copes with life can differ amongst individuals. Deciding which coping style or preference is normal is or abnormal is generally is based off an individual's personal perception according to their own beliefs and practices.
Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected president of the United States in 1948. This man, Thomas E. Dewy, reached the pinnacle of success, displaying such qualities as rectitude, efficiency, precision, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work.
Medline plus tells us that there are three major symptoms of the disorder; not being able to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality, incoherent conversations, and withdrawal physically and emotionally. The most common and most well-known symptom of schizophrenia is when people cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not [Medlineplus.com]. Schizophrenics often suffer from delusions and hallucinations. A delusion is a belief that is not true and a hallucination is seeing, hearing, or sensing something that is not really there [Schizophrenia.com]. Macbeth is considered a schizophrenic because he possesses all of the symptoms said above.
Culture has a huge influence on how people view and deal with psychological disorders. Being able to successfully treat someone for a mental illness has largely to do with what they view as normal in their own culture. In Western cultures we think that going to a counselor to talk about our emotions or our individual problems and/or getting some type of drug to help with our mental illness is the best way to overcome and treat it, but in other cultures that may not be the case. In particular Western and Asian cultures vary in the way they deal with psychological disorders. In this paper I am going to discuss how Asian cultures and Western cultures are similar and different in the way they view psychological disorders, the treatments and likelihood of getting treatment, culture bound disorders, and how to overcome the differences in the cultures for optimal treatments.
There are multiple criteria that come into play when determining a psychological disorder. One reason is because, it is hard to know for sure if an action is abnormal or not. Something could be abnormal in our country, but a custom in another.
Most people want to be normal. The definition of normal however, depends on the culture of the person making the judgment. Far too often, normal is defined in America by looking at the actions and beliefs of the average white middle class family. This definition of normal fails to let other cultures to be accepted, creating distance and misunderstanding.
I’m sure you’re thinking that you’re more confused now than when you started but not to worry! What all of this means is the person exhibits symptoms of Schizophrenia and also has symptoms of a mood disorder like major depression and/or mania. Some describe Schizoaffective Disorder as Schizophrenia with Bi-polar Disorder. Although it is a little more complicated than that, it is a good overall generalization of the disorder. The symptoms of Schizophrenia include hallucinations such as hearing voices and seeing things that are not there, delusions, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, and the decrease or lack of speech, movement, or emotion. Along with these symptoms the patient will have periods of depression (disinterest in l...
You feel like others are trying to harm you in some way. You may have angry or hostile reactions to insults that someone may say to you. With paranoid, you tend to hold grudges and you think that everyone around you is unfaithful. With schizoid personality disorders you have a lack of interest in doing anything together. You like to do things alone and by yourself. You don’t like to deal with social activities or personal relationships. Most of the time you will have a limited range of emotional expression. Being different in your appearance. People with schizoid tend to direct attention toward one’s inner life and away from the world. The last personality disorder in cluster A is schizotypal. If you have a schizotypal personality disorder you are peculiar with what you wear, how you think, difference in beliefs, and speech or behavior is different. You usually tend to have inappropriate emotions. Social anxiety and you are uncomfortable with close relationships. You believe that you can influence people and events with your own thoughts and beliefs (Mayo
One common symptom is delusions, which are false beliefs that the person holds and that tend to remain fixed and unshakable even in the face of evidence that disproves the delusions (Cicarelli, p. 557). Other common symptoms include speech disturbances, in which people with schizophrenia make up words, repeat words or sentences persistently, string words together on the basis of sounds, and experience sudden interruptions in speech or thought. The thought patterns of those with schizophrenia are also significantly disturbed, as they have difficulty linking their thoughts together in logical ways (Cicarelli, p. 557). Individuals with schizophrenia may also experience hallucinations, in which they hear voices or see things or people who are not really there. Hearing voices and emotional disturbances are key symptoms in making a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
In a country based around free will, the United States contains a vast variety of personalities and behaviors. Plenty of people, probably more than we know, exert abnormal behavior. Abnormal behavior is patterns of emotion, thought, and action that are considered pathological. Historically, people blame witchcraft for this eccentric type of behavior and tended to perform exorcisms in hopes of abolishing such actions. Anxiety disorders and personality disorders, two forms of abnormal behavior, can alter a person’s personality as a result of life experiences.
To be considered normal or abnormal has been just a label society places on you to explain individuality. When we are younger, we were given a mixed message that being different and unique is acceptable, however growing up in a society that wants you to blend in and adhere to the norms and usual customs of that culture is difficult. Being dissimilar often leads you to be judged and considered deviant. What you perceive not only defines your idiosyncratic judgment, so does your culture, prejudices, upbringing and generation you belong to. In our modern day society a universal normal has not, nor ever will exist. We think, look and all act differently and the reality of it is, no one is normal.
During this course on abnormal psychology, our class learned about psychological disorders and varying types of abnormal psychological functioning. Our textbook explored these disorders and relayed well-rounded information. In our online classroom, we watched several films and discussed questions related to each chapter’s content. I learned quite a bit from this coursework and it promoted me to think more deeply about the topics at hand. This course helped me to focus in on what within psychology I would like to pursue and learn more about. In addition to that, this online course also aided me in developing my time management and writing-on-demand skills. All in all, I enjoyed this course and feel I have gained quite a bit from it.