Abnormality - PSYA2

Topic 1: Definitions of
abnormality/psychopathology:
1. Description of deviation from social norms &
examples.
2. 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses of the deviation from social
norms definition, inc. cultural relativism.
3. Description of deviation from Ideal Mental health inc.
Jahoda’s 6 criteria.
4. 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses of the deviation from idea
mental health definition
5. Description of Failure to Function Adequately with
examples.
6. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the failure to
function adequately.

1. Description of deviation from social
norms & examples.
• Social norms are the rules that society has for
‘acceptable behaviour’.
• Deviation from social norms means acting in a
way that would be considered abnormal.

e.g. Standing too close in face-to-face
conversation.
Not queuing if you’re English.
Laughing when you should be crying.

2. 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses of the
deviation from social norms definition,
inc. cultural relativism.
• Can help to find • Cultural relativism – so,
abnormalities, for throwing tomatoes at
example if someone people in England
seems lost, they may would be weird, but in
have Alzheimer's Spain, it’s a tradition
• Fluid, so it can change • Role of context –
with the times. For singing on a stage = fine
example, homosexuality singing in a shop = weird
was deemed as
‘abnormal’ until 1967

3. Description of deviation from Ideal
Mental health inc. Jahoda’s 6 criteria.

1. Positive attitudes toward oneself
2. Self-actualisation of one’s potential
3. Resistance to stress
4. Personal autonomy
5. Accurate perception of reality
6. Adapting to and mastering the environment

4. 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses of the
deviation from idea mental health
definition
• Focuses on the positives, • Difficulty of self-actualising.
not the negatives. • Some people benefit from
working in stressed
conditions.
• Cultural issues – Jahoda’s
theory was based on
Western ideals of self-
fulfilment.
• Too simplistic.
• Someone could be assessed
when they’re having a bad
day.

5. Description of Failure to Function
Adequately with examples.

Someone who is unable to take part in everyday
life, for example, unable to work or socialise.

6. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the
failure to function adequately.
• Exceptions to the rule –
• Humane, non-invasive e.g. students feeling
way of helping to anxious about exams, not
diagnose abnormality. necessarily abnormal.
• The ‘Global Assessment • Cultural issues – minority
of Functioning Scale’ ethnic groups could feel
(GAF) is on a continuum, harassed, leading to them
and therefore allows being less social. Does not
fluidity within the model. mean abnormal.
(COCHRANE and
SASHIDHARAN 1995)

Topic 2: Models of
abnormality/psychopathology
1. Description of the BIOLOGICAL MODEL.
2. Outline 4 biological explanations for mental health
disorders (infection, biochemistry, brain damage, genetics)
3. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the approach.
4. Description of the PSYCHODYNAMIC MODEL – inc. mental
health disorders being linked to conflicts in
childhood/unconscious mind.
5. Description of the psychosexual stages, and how they link
to abnormality.
6. Either Anna O or Little Hans CASE STUDY
7. At least 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the approach
8. Description of the BEHAVIOURAL MODEL.
9. Description of operant conditioning

Topic 2: Models of
abnormality/psychopathology pt 2
10. Description of classical conditioning.
11.APFC of Little Albert (Watson and Raynor 1920)
12.2 strengths and weaknesses of the approach.
13.Description of the COGNITIVE MODEL.
14.Description of the BECK ABC MODEL.
15.Description of ELLIS’ COGNITIVE TRIAD.
16.At least 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the
Cognitive model.

1. Description of the BIOLOGICAL
MODEL.
• States that mental disorders are caused by
abnormal physiological processes.
1. Genetic
2. Biochemical
3. Illness
4. Disease

2. Outline 4 biological explanations for
mental health disorders (infection,
biochemistry, brain damage, genetics)
1. Brain damage:
As your brain wears away, you become more abnormal.
E.g. Alzheimers.
Case study: Phineas Gage – pole through head. Changed
personality type completely. Shows that different
parts of your brain account for different things.
2. Infection:
Brown et al (1990) found correlation between women
contracting influenza in their first trimester, and the
consequent onset of schizophrenia in their child.
(not reliable – not been proved since!)

3. Genetics:
Evidence suggests disorders are inherited.
Identical twins – 44.3% concordance rates of
schizophrenia, compared to
Non-identical twins – 12% concordance rates.

4. Biochemistry:
Cortisol – calms you down.
Imbalance of serotonin = Depression.
Imbalance of dopamine = Schizophrenia.
Drugs are produced to balance the imbalances.

3. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of the
approach.
• Objective – deals with • Everybody’s different.
hormones, and sciencey • Stigma – fears of being
stuff! classed as ‘mentally ill’
• ‘No blame’ – people are • Reductionist – broken
not to blame for their down into fundamental
abnormalities, levels.
therefore they should
be helped through it.
• Puts less stress on the
patient, as doctors can
try to sort things out.

4. Description of the PSYCHODYNAMIC MODEL – inc.
mental health disorders being linked to conflicts in
childhood/unconscious mind.
Freud:
Tripartite theory:
ID – I want it all.
Childish.
Superego- The nice, and
social. (can lead to
anxiety)
Ego – The balance.

Psychodynamic model - Freud
Ego defence mechanisms:
Repression – Pushing traumatic events into the
subconscious.
Regression – Reverting back to child-like state.

Denial – Refusal to admit something that has
occurred, or is currently occurring.

5. Description of the psychosexual stages, and how
they link to abnormality.
Oral – Stuck in this stage = OCD

Anal - OCD

Phallic – Jealous of parents genitalia

Latency – Social development with people
of the same gender.
Genital – Development of heterosexual
relationships.

6. Anna O
Breuer and Freud (1896):
• Anna O, 21 year old woman. V. Intellectual.
• Father became ill, she nursed him, got sick herself, became
bed ridden, lacked interest in food (regression).
• Before her father died, she also became a mute
(regression)
• Her dad died, she got anxious (superego) and depressed
(ID). Then, aggressive (ID).
• She would occasionally talk, and make links for her
symptoms. She made an association between her deafness
and when her brother caught her listening to her parents
having sex. (Phallic)
• The symptoms would worsen as she thought back.
• Anna’s deafness would go when she recalled the incident
with her Bro.

7. At least 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses
of the psychodynamic model:
• Freud’s theories have • Blames the parents, make
been enormously them feel guilty perhaps –
influential. not fair on them!
• Subjective – no science • Retrospective data means
involved. that childhood problems
may not necessarily
emerge in problems in
adults.
• Deterministic:
The philosophy that
everything is ultimately
determined by things
beyond our will/control.
simple enough?

8. Description of the BEHAVIOURAL
MODEL.
• Claim that abnormal behaviour is learned
through experience.
• But that behaviour can be changed if
dysfunctional, due to classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, and social learning
theory.

9. Description of operant conditioning
The idea that behaviours are learned.
Behaviours with good outcomes continue,
however behaviours with undesirable
consequences become less frequent.

10. Description of classical
conditioning.
Form of learning where a neutral stimulus is
paired with a response-producing stimulus, so
over time, the neutral stimulus also produces
that response.

11. APFC of Little Albert (Watson and
Raynor 1920)
Aim:
Wanted to see how a phobia could be conditioned.
Procedure:
They got Little Albert, an 11 month old child, and they tested
him to find things he was afraid of. The only thing they
found was the sound of a hammer striking a metal bar
behind his head.
Findings:
They took a tame rat, (neutral stimulus) and as Little Albert
reached out to touch the rat, the bar would be struck. Over
time, he was afraid to touch the rat. (conditioned
response).
Conclusion:
They were able to condition a phobia by (classical)
conditioning.

12. 2 strengths and weaknesses of the
approach.
• We know that phobias • Was never desensitised
can be created by as his parents removed
classical conditioning. him from the
experiment.
• No consent from Albert.
• Ethical issues – Albert
was left to play with
burning newspaper.

13. Description of the COGNITIVE
MODEL.
• Focuses on cognitive problems – such as
irrational thinking.
• Ellis 1962
• If we think rationally, we behave rationally.

14. Description of the BECK’sABC
MODEL.
Activating
Belief Consequence
event

Activating event:
An event that triggers an emotion.

Belief:
How the patient reacts… Either rationally or irrationally.

Consequences:
Other thoughts/behaviours.

15. Description ofBECKS’ COGNITIVE
TRIAD.
• Typical of depression.
• People believe they’re
Negative views
about the world worthless.
• People believe they’ll
never amount to
anything.
Negative views Negative views
• People believe the
about the future about oneself
world is against them.

16. At least 2 strengths and 2
weaknesses of the Cognitive model.
• Supported by Gustafson • No cause and effect.
1992 who found • Blaming of the
maladaptive thinking individual, which could
was linking to anxiety. draw away the need to
improve social
conditions.

Topic 3: Treatments of
abnormality/psychology:
Biological treatments:
1. Explain how chemotherapy works
2. Outline the 3 types of drugs
• Anti-anxiety- beta blockers, BZ
• Anti-psychotics – conventional & atypical
• Anti-depressants – tricyclics and SSRI’s.
3. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of chemotherapy (&
side effects)
4. Outline the two types of ECT (uni + bilateral)
5. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of ECT (& side effects)

1. Explain how chemotherapy works:
Drug therapy, to treat mental disorders often by
stabilising chemical imbalance.

2. Outline the 3 types of drugs
1. Anti-anxiety drugs
• BZs (Benzodiazepines) - Calming effect
• Enhance GABA, calming brain activity.
2. Anti-depressants
• SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors)
• Increase serotonin to improve mood.
3. Anti-psychotic drugs
• Major tranquillisers
• Seduce and alleviate symptoms like hallucinations
• Stop schizophrenia

3. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of
chemotherapy (& side effects)
• Quick to get. • Doesn’t necessarily
• Easily obtainable. work for everyone
• Only have to take pills. (FISHER AND
GREENBERG 1989)
• Side effects such as
tiredness, stiffness and
tremors.
• Only treats the
symptoms, not the
cause.

4. Outline the two types of ECT (uni +
bilateral)
• Unilateral – one electrode to either one
temple, or the centre of the head.
• Bilateral – two electrodes on both temples.

• The patient is shocked with 70-130V, for ½ a
second.
• Patient is anaesthetised, and has no memory
of the shocks.

5. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of ECT
(& side effects)

• Quick, and effective. • Side effects, inc.
• Proven to work, memory loss, and bone
objective. fractures.
• Last resort. • Don’t know how ECT
works.
• Ethical issues – has
been used without
consent to
institutionalised people.

2. Psychoanalysis:
- Explain how treatment is focused upon the
unconscious mind, outline 3 treatments:
1) Dream analysis
2) Free association
3) Transference
- 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of
psychoanalysis, i.e. lack of side effects.

1. Explain how treatment is focused
upon the unconscious mind, outline 3
treatments:
1. Dream analysis – the unconscious mind may
be revealed in dreams. Freud believed in
repressed memories.
2. Free association – clients let their thoughts
wander, and say the first thing they think of.
Bringing out repressed memories/thoughts.
3. Transference – Client projects characteristics
of other people onto the analyst.

psychoanalysis, i.e. lack of side effects.
• No side effects. • Expensive – lots of time
• Allows the patient to taken, therefore lots of
move along at their own money.
pace, no pressures. • Works better for neurotic
disorders (anxiety) than
psychotic disorders
(schizophrenia).
• Difficulty in evaluating.
• Subjective.
• Ethical issues MASSON
1988 said all the power
was with the analyst.

3. Behavioural treatments:
1. Explain how treatment changes BEHAVIOUR,
not the underlying cause. (Hierachy;
systematic desensitisation)
2. 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of systematic
desensitisation. Inc. lack of side effects.

1. Explain how treatment changes BEHAVIOUR, not
the underlying cause. (Hierarchy; systematic
desensitisation)
Systematic desensitisation:
Uses counter-conditioning to replace a bad response
(fear) to a healthier response (relaxation).
Hierarchy:
With the hierarchy method, a graded series of thought
provoking situations is created, and the patient moves up
them.

These methods only change the behaviour, as they only
change the response to the fear, not the fear itself.

systematic desensitisation. Inc. lack of
side effects.
• No side effects. • Time consuming,
• Allows patient to feel therefore expensive.
comfortable with each • Heavily involved in
stage before moving on. imagination – not
suited to all patients.

4. Cognitive behavioural therapy:
- Explain how treatment is focused on changing
faulty thoughts and perceptions to lead to a
change in behaviour; outline REBT/ABC model
(Beck)
- 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of CBT, inc.
focus on free will.

1. Explain how treatment is focused on changing faulty
thoughts and perceptions to lead to a change in behaviour;
outline REBT/ABC model (Beck)

• REBT (ELLIS 1962) – Rational-emotive
behaviour therapy.
• They become calm over a long period of time.
• (ADAPTED BY) Ellis 1991 – ABC model.
• Activating event, Beliefs, Consequences.

Abnormality - PSYA2

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