THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ABNORMALITY: BIOMEDICAL AND PSYCHODYNAMIC LECTURE OUTLINE Theoretica l perspectives Bio

2. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • ON ABNORMALITY: • BIOMEDICAL AND PSYCHODYNAMIC • LECTURE OUTLINE • Theoretical perspectives • Biomedical theories • Psychodynamic theories

3. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • What Is a Theory? • way of viewing, interpreting, explaining psychological phenomena • Why Are Theories Important? • generates research that leads to new knowledge • guides diagnostic decisions • suggests treatment approaches

4. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • What Are the Levels of Theories? • single factor theories (e.g., dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia) • interactionist theories consider multiple factors • theories vary according to their level of explanation and levels of analysis

5. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • The Value of Theories • not explanation or proof of an enduring truth • integration of knowledge/understanding of a phenomenon • prediction about phenomena not previously thought of • specifies what evidence would deny the theory

6. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • Testing Theories: The Null Hypothesis • studies don’t seek to prove theory, but rather reject or fail to reject the theory • if the null hypothesis is rejected, then there is support, not proof, for the theory

7. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES • The Search for Causes • explain the origins of a disorder • identify factors that maintain the behaviour or disorder • predict the course of the disorder • design effective treatments

8. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Roots – Hippocrates, general paresis, Kraeplin and classification • The language – etiology, symptom, disorder, diagnosis, therapy, prognosis

9. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Central Nervous System – Areas of the Brain • parts of the brain - hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain • brain damage

10. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Central Nervous System • Neurotransmission – chemical messengers that carry electrical activity from one neuron to the next; synapse – gap between 2 neurons

12. Norepinephrine (NE) Dopamine Serotonin Gama aminobutyric acid (GABA) Stress reactions, anxiety, depression Schizophrenia Depression Anxiety BIOMEDICAL THEORIESCentral Nervous SystemNeurotransmission - Monoamines

13. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Central Nervous System • Dysfunctional behaviour can result from disturbances in neurotransmission in 4 different ways • too much or too little of a neurotransmitter is produced • Too much or too little of a neurotransmitter is deactivated in the synapse

14. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Central Nervous System • Dysfunctional behaviour can result from disturbances in neurotransmission in 4 different ways • The reuptake process is defective • too many or too few receptors are available on the dendrite of the next cell

15. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Peripheral Nervous System • Somatic nervous system – muscle control • Autonomic nervous system (ANS) – which consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, which act in concert to maintain homeostatic balance

16. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Peripheral Nervous System • Sympathetic nervous system – readies the body for action during stress • Parasympathetic nervous system – shuts down non-essential functions • Chronic overactive response of sympathetic system is related to anxiety disorders

17. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Endocrine System • Hormones – chemical messengers released by various glands into the blood stream • Dysfunctional behaviour may result from hormonal imbalances

18. BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • Genetics • Genetic research provides insights into whether certain disorders may be inherited • Concordance rates among family members • Research strategies – family studies, twin studies (MZ & DZ twin comparisons), adoption studies, genetic linkage studies (genetic markers for disorder)

19. BIOMEDICAL TREATMENTS • ECT • Drug treatments • Antipsychotics • Anxiolytics • Antidepressants • Lithium • Stimulants

21. SUMMARY OF BIOMEDICAL THEORIES • There is a wide variety of biomedical theories and factors regarding different disorders • There is also a wide range in the role played by these factors in different disorders • Biomedical factors are not the whole story, but the biomedical model is dominant in the mental health field

23. PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES • Roots – Freud and his followers • Psychic structure – id, ego, superego • Levels of consciousness – conscious, preconscious, unconscious • How do psychological problems develop? Through disruptions of the psychosexual stages of development – oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital stages

24. PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES • Neurosis – Freud focused on anxiety-related disorders, including depression, formerly called the neuroses • Anxiety – the core problem of the neuroses • Types of anxiety – realistic, moral, neurotic

25. PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES • How do psychological problems develop? Through disruptions of the psychosexual stages of development – oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital stages • How are psychological problems maintained? Through the individual’s use of defense mechanisms • Defense mechanisms are ways of coping with anxiety aroused by life circumstances or events

26. PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES • Defense Mechanisms • repression • denial • rationalization • projection • displacement • reaction formation • sublimation

27. PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORIES • Neo-Freudian theories • Jung - collective unconscious • Adler – inferiority complex • Object relations theories • Bowlby – attachment theory

28. PSYCHODYNAMIC TREATMENTS • What psychodynamic treatment methods are used to treat psychological problems? • free association • dream analysis • interpretation • analysis of resistance • transference and the problem of counter-transference

29. PSYCHODYNAMIC TREATMENTS • More recent psychodynamic treatments • brief and time-limited psychodynamic therapy – importance of therapeutic alliance • ego analysis • Adler – individual psychology • Sullivan – interpersonal therapy

30. SUMMARY OF PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY • first psychological theory of abnormality, particularly the intra-psychic level • focus on early childhood roots of psychological problems • focus on anxiety disorders and defense mechanisms • focus on psychological treatment