1. Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context
Chapter 1
Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context

2. Myths and Misconceptions about Abnormal Behavior
No single definition of psychological abnormality
No single definition of psychological normality

3. FIGURE 1.1  The criteria defining a psychological disorder.

4. What Is a Psychological Disorder?
Psychological dysfunction
Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Personal distress
Difficulty performing appropriate and expected roles
Impairment is set in the context of a person’s background
Atypical or not culturally expected response
Reaction is outside cultural norms
Discussion Tip: Using the Activity: Distinguishing Normal From Abnormal Behavior in the Instructor Resource Manual. Have students examine both case studies to highlight the difficulty of making quick classifications of behavior.

5. Abnormal Behavior Defined
An accepted definition
A psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not typical or culturally expected
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR)
DSM Contains diagnostic criteria
The field of psychopathology
The scientific study of psychological disorders
Teaching Tip: Consult the local news/media for examples of abnormal behavior and/or keep an ongoing file of articles that exemplify this definition.
Discussion Tip: Introduce students to the idea of categorical versus dimensional classification systems and have them debate about the relevance and limitations of each approach.
Technology Tip: The American Psychiatric Association has created a web site to keep the public and professionals informed about the plans for DSM-V as well as the ongoing effort to enrich the research base as formal work on DSM-V begins. (

6. The Science of Psychopathology
Mental health professionals
The Ph.D.: Clinical and counseling psychologist
The Psy.D.: Clinical and counseling “Doctor of Psychology”
The Ed.D.: Clinical and counseling “Doctor of Education
M.D.: Psychiatrist
Psychiatric social worker
Psychiatric nurse
Family therapists

7. The Scientist-Practitioner
Stays current with research in field
Evaluates own assessment and treatment
Conducts research
Technology Tip: Download and discuss David Shapiro’s article “Renewing the Scientist-Practitioner Model” at

8. FIGURE 1.2  Functioning as a scientist-practitioner.

9. FIGURE 1.3  Three major categories make up the study and discussion of psychological disorders.

10. Clinical Description Begins with the presenting problem
Description aims to:
Distinguish clinically significant dysfunction from common human experience
Describe prevalence and incidence of disorders
Prevalence is how many people in a population have the disorder.
Incidence is the number of new cases over a period of time (i.e., per year).

11. Clinical Description Describe onset of disorders
Acute vs. insidious onset
Describe course of disorders
Episodic, time-limited, or chronic course
Prognosis
Good vs. guarded

12. Causation, Treatment, and Outcome
Etiology
What contributes to the development of psychopathology?
Treatment development
How can we help alleviate psychological suffering?
Includes pharmacologic, psychosocial, and/or combined treatments
Technology Tip: The APA Div. 12 maintains a site devoted to empirically-supported treatments that can be found at

13. Causation, Treatment, and Outcome
Treatment outcome research
How do we know that we have helped?
Limited in specifying actual causes of disorders

14. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior
Major psychological disorders have existed in all cultures and across all time periods.
Causes and treatment of abnormal behavior vary widely across cultures, time periods, world views.
Technology Tip: Visit the University of Dayton’s website for information and links about the history of psychology. (academic.udayton.edu/gregelvers/hop/welcome.asp)

15. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal Behavior
Three dominant traditions
Supernatural
Biological
Psychological
Technology Tip: Visit the Museum of London website ( to find information on the 750-year-old story of Bethlem Royal Hospital, popularly known as 'Bedlam'.

16. The Supernatural Tradition
Deviant behavior as a battle of “Good” vs. Evil
Caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, sorcery
Treatments included exorcism, torture, beatings, and crude surgeries

17. The Supernatural Tradition
Mass hysteria
Saint Vitus’s Dance and Tarantism
Modern mass hysteria
Emotion contagion
Mob psychology
The moon and the stars
Paracelsus and lunacy
Discussion Tip/Teaching Tip: Have students read their own horoscope for the week and discuss its applicability and the principles of construction (i.e., vague generalities, ambiguity).

18. The Biological Tradition
Hippocrates: Abnormal behavior as a physical disease
Hysteria “the wandering uterus”
Galen extends Hippocrates’ work
Humoral theory of mental illness
Treatments remained crude
Humors
Sanguine: blood, cheerful and optimistic, insomnia and delirium caused by too much blood in the brain
Melancholic: black bile, depressive
Phlegmatic: phlegm, apathy and sluggishness
Choleric: yellow bile, hot tempered

19. The Biological Tradition
Galenic-Hippocratic tradition
Linked abnormality with brain chemical imbalances
Foreshadowed modern views

20. The 19th Century
General paresis (syphilis) and the biological link with madness
Several unusual psychological and behavioral symptoms
Pasteur discovered the cause – a bacterial microorganism
Led to penicillin as a successful treatment
Bolstered the view that mental illness = physical illness
Technology Tip: Several sites offer comprehensive information on the etiology, effects, and treatment of syphilis:

21. The 19th Century John P. Grey and the reformers
Championed biological tradition in the U.S.

22. Consequences of the Biological Tradition
Mental illness = physical illness
Emil Kraepelin
Diagnosis and classification

23. The Psychological Tradition
The rise of moral therapy
More humane treatment of institutionalized patients
Encouraged and reinforced social interaction
Technology Tip: The University of Evansville website hosts a number of works related to Greek contributions to psychology: (

24. The Psychological Tradition
Proponents of moral therapy
Philippe Pinel and Jean-Baptiste Pussin
Benjamin Rush – led reforms in U.S.
Dorothea Dix – mental hygiene movement
William Tuke – followed Pinel’s lead in England
Asylum reform and the decline of moral therapy
Emergence of competing alternative psychological models

25. Psychoanalytic Theory
Freudian theory of the structure and function of the mind
Unconscious
Catharsis
Psychoanalytic model
Structure of the mind
Id (pleasure principle; illogical, emotional, irrational)
Ego (reality principle; logical and rational)
Superego (moral principles; keeps id and ego in balance)
Technology Tip: Visit for more information on Freud and his history.

26. Psychoanalytic Theory
Defense mechanisms: ego loses the battle with the id and superego
Displacement & denial
Rationalization & reaction formation
Projection, repression, and sublimation
Psychosexual stages of development
Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages

27. FIGURE 1.4  Freud’s structure of the mind.

28. Later Developments in Psychoanalytic Thought
Anna Freud and self-psychology
Emphasized influence of the ego in defining behavior
Melanie Klein, Otto Kernberg, and object relations theory
Emphasized how children incorporate (introject) objects
Objects – images, memories, and values of significant others
Technology Tip: Visit the following websites for more information about Anna Freud:

29. Later Developments in Psychoanalytic Thought (continued)
The “Neo-Freudians”: Departures from Freudian thought
De-emphasized the sexual core of Freud’s theory
Jung, Adler, Horney, Fromm, and Erickson

30. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: The “Talking” Cure
Unearth the hidden intrapsychic conflicts
“The real problems”
Therapy is often long-term
Techniques
Free association
Dream analysis
Examine transference and counter-transference issues
Psychodynamic psychotherapy
Little evidence for efficacy

31. Humanistic Theory Major players Major themes
Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
Major themes
People are basically good
Humans strive toward self-actualization
Discussion Tip: Have students provide examples of evidence of individuals demonstrating the self-actualizing tendency.

32. Humanistic Theory Person-centered therapy
Therapist conveys empathy and unconditional positive regard
Minimal therapist interpretation
There is no strong evidence that humanistic therapies work.

33. The Behavioral Model
Derived from a scientific approach to the study of psychopathology
Classical conditioning (Pavlov; Watson)
Ubiquitous form of learning
Contingency between neutral and unconditioned stimuli
Conditioning was extended to the acquisition of fear

34. The Beginnings of Behavior Therapy
Challenged psychoanalysis and non-scientific approaches
Early pioneers
Joseph Wolpe – systematic desensitization
Operant conditioning (Thorndike; Skinner)
Reinforcement
Another ubiquitous form of learning
Voluntary behavior is controlled by consequences
Questions:
Briefly describe classical conditioning in your own words.
What is meant by generalization and discrimination?

35. The Beginnings of Behavior Therapy
Learning traditions influenced the development of behavior therapy.
Behavior therapy tends to be time-limited and direct
Strong evidence supporting the efficacy of behavior therapies
Technology Tip /Discussion Tip: This website ( has an interesting overview of systematic desensitization presented as a “do it yourself” model. Have students check the site and then discuss how this could actually be applied and where things could potentially go wrong.

36. An Integrative Approach
Psychopathology is multiply determined.
Unidimensional accounts of psychopathology are incomplete.
Discussion Tip: Use the Blind Men and the Human Elephant activity in the Instructor Resource Manual to illustrate the importance of taking an integrative, multidimensional approach and the dangers of scientific tunnel vision.

37. An Integrative Approach
Must consider reciprocal relations among:
Biological, psychological, social, and experiential factors
Defining abnormal behavior
Complex, multifaceted, and has evolved
The supernatural tradition
Has no place in a science of abnormal behavior