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Defining Abnormal Behavior, Part II January 17, 2014 PSYC 2340: Abnormal Psychology Brett Deacon, Ph.D. Announcements. No class next Monday Course website is here : http:// www.uwyo.edu/psychology/faculty/psyc%202340%20abnormal%20psychology.html. From Last Class.

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Announcements

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  1. Defining Abnormal Behavior, Part IIJanuary 17, 2014PSYC 2340: Abnormal PsychologyBrett Deacon, Ph.D.

  2. Announcements • No class next Monday • Course website is here: http://www.uwyo.edu/psychology/faculty/psyc%202340%20abnormal%20psychology.html

  3. From Last Class • Distinguishing normal from abnormal behavior • Collecting vs. hoarding: case example of Frank

  4. What is Abnormal? • Behavior is unusual (statistically infrequent)

  5. What is Abnormal? • Examples of “abnormal” unusual phenomena: • Intellectual disability (IQ < 70) • Extreme lack of interest in sex • Hoardingobjects of questionable value

  6. What is Abnormal? • Does Frank have “abnormally” unusual symptoms?

  7. What is Abnormal? • Are these phenomena “abnormal?” • Intellectual giftedness • Extremely excessive interest in sex • Collectingobjects of questionable value • To what extent is the frequency of a behavior culturally determined? • Alcohol consumption as an exemplar

  8. What is Abnormal? • Behavior that is socially unacceptable, strange, or deviates from society’s standards

  9. What is Abnormal? • Examples of “abnormal” socially unacceptable, strange, or deviant phenomena: • Auditory hallucinations • Extremely low body weight • Difficulty conforming to rules of classroom behavior

  10. What is Abnormal? • Does Frank have “abnormally” socially unacceptable, strange, or deviant symptoms?

  11. What is Abnormal? • Are these phenomena “abnormal?” • Homosexuality (criteria from DSM-I below):

  12. What is Abnormal? • Behavior causes personal distress or suffering

  13. What is Abnormal? • Examples of “abnormal” personally distressing phenomena: • Anxiety and mood disorders (e.g., phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression)

  14. What is Abnormal? • Is Frank distressed by his symptoms?

  15. What is Abnormal? • Are these “abnormal” phenomena personally “distressing”? • Low body weight in anorexia • Hoarding • Sociopathy (lacking empathy or a “conscience”)

  16. What is Abnormal? • Behavior impairs one’s ability to function adequately in important areas of life

  17. What is Abnormal? • Examples of “abnormally” impairing phenomena: • Panic disorder with severe agoraphobia • Schizophrenia • Autism

  18. What is Abnormal? • Does Frank experience impairment in the ability to function adequately in one or more important areas of life?

  19. What is Abnormal? • Do these “abnormal” phenomena impair one’s ability to function adequately in important areas of life? • Narcissistic personality disorder • Caffeine dependence • Trichotillomania (hair pulling)

  20. What is Abnormal? • An individual’s perception of reality is faulty

  21. What is Abnormal? • Examples of “abnormal” perceptions of reality: • Auditory hallucinations • Paranoid delusions • Preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s appearance • Distorted body image in anorexia • Conviction, despite reliable medical evidence to the contrary, that one has an undiagnosed terminal illness

  22. What is Abnormal? • Is Frank’s perception of reality faulty?

  23. What is Abnormal? • Are these “misperceptions” of reality “abnormal?” • What is the correct reality? • People vary in their perceptions of reality… • Belief that thinking a “bad” thought means you’re a bad person, or that it will come true • Belief that being of normal weight and body shape means you will not be competitive for ideal best romantic partners • Belief that intense anxiety symptoms may lead to a medical catastrophe, loss of control, or embarrassment and social rejection

  24. Abnormality (Finally) Defined • “Mental Disorder” defined: • “A psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not typical or culturally expected”

  25. Mental Disorder • What is a mental disorder? From the DSM-IV: “a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress (e.g., painful symptom) or disability (i.e., impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom. In addition, this syndrome or pattern must not be merely an expectable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event, for example, the death of a loved one. Whatever its original cause, it must currently be considered a manifestation of a behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunction in the individual. Neither deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious, or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict is a symptom of a dysfunction in the individual, as described above.”

  26. Diagnosing Mental Disorders • Key aspects of DSM-IV definition: • Clinically significant (i.e., severe) • Associated with either distress, impairment, or interference with life • Not just a culturally accepted response

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