1. Abnormal Psychology: Past and Present
Chapter 1
Abnormal Psychology:
Past and Present

2. Defining Psychological Abnormality and Treatment
______ - different, extreme, or unusual (thoughts, feelings, or behaviors)
______ - unpleasant and upsetting to the person
________ - interferes with ability to function
_____ - to oneself or others

3. Causes of Abnormality ____________ _____________ genetic inheritance
medical conditions
______________________
exposure to environmental stimuli
_____________________________
learned associations
__________________________
faulty ways of thinking
_____________
disturbances in _____________________
problems in extended relationships
_________________________________
discrimination toward one’s social group

4. Biopsychosocial Perspective
Diathesis-Stress Model:
people are born with a predisposition (or “__________”) that places them at risk for developing a psychological disorder if exposed to certain extremely stressful life experiences.
Related to the biopsychosocial approach is the diathesis-stress model.

5. Three prominent themes in explaining psychological disorders recur throughout history:
The mystical
The scientific
The humanitarian
Mystical explanations attribute abnormality to possession by evil or demonic spirits. This theme was prevalent during prehistoric times and again in the Middle Ages.
The scientific approach looks for natural causes, psychological, or physical disturbances within the person. This theme had its origins in ancient Greece and Rome, and it has predominated since the 19th Century.
Humanitarian explanations view abnormality as the result of cruelty, nonacceptance, or poor living conditions. This theme predominated during the reform movements of the 18th Century and is still evident in contemporary society.
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6. How Was Abnormality Viewed and Treated in the Past?
Ancient Views
caused by ________
treated through _____________________
Greek and Roman Views
disease caused by ___________: imbalance of humors (fluids in the body)
warm and supportive atmosphere
Europe in the Middle Ages: Demonology Returns
conflict between _______
mass madness
physical abuse in order to _______________
________________

7. The Renaissance and the Rise of Asylums
Johann Weyer (founder of ________________)
more humane treatment
asylums were established (eventually turned into filthy places)
The Nineteenth Century: Reform and Moral Treatment
___________: emphasized moral guidance and humane techniques
Benjamin Rush and Dorothea Dix in US
________________; not everyone could be cured with these techniques

8. The Early Twentieth Century: The Somatogenic and Psychogenic Perspectives
_________:
biological discoveries linked mental health symptoms to physical factors
lobotomies & tooth extraction were not successful techniques
________
Mesmer: treated patients with _________
______: psychoanalysis
Current trends
(1950s)
psychotropic medications
_____________________
health insurance
other mental health professionals

9. (the outcome measured)
Research Methods
Experiment
independent variable
(the possible cause)
dependent variable
(the outcome measured)
Correlation
In the experimental method, the researcher adjusts the level of the independent variable and observes its effects on the dependent variable.
The independent variable is the experimental variable that the researcher manipulates. An experimental group receives the “treatment” thought to influence the behavior under study, and the control group does not. (A special kind of control group in a placebo condition would receive an inert substance or treatment similar in all other ways except for its lack of the independent variable’s “treatment.”)
The dependent variable is measured because it is believed to depend on the manipulated changes in the independent variable.
The quasi-experimental method is a variant of this procedure and is used to compare groups that differ on a predetermined characteristic.
an association (or co-relation) between two variables.

10. The Survey Method ______________: ________________:
gather information from a sample considered representative of a particular population
______________:
The frequency of new cases within a given time period.
Survey method: A research tool used to gather information from a sample of people considered representative of a particular population in which participants are asked to answer questions about the topic of concern.
________________:
The number of people who ever had a disorder or the total number of cases at a given time.

11. Single-Subject Design –experiment conducted on _______________________
The Case Study Method – _______________ of an individual or small group
Single-Subject Design –experiment conducted on _______________________
In the case study method, one individual is studied intensively, and a detailed and careful analysis of that individual is conducted.
In the single-subject design, one person at a time is studied in both the experimental and control conditions, as treatment is applied and removed in alternating phases.
Studies of genetic influence may examine concordance rates, biological markers, or genetic mapping.
Concordance rate: Agreement ratios between people diagnosed as having a particular disorder and their relatives.
Biological markers: Measurable characteristics or traits whose patterns parallel the inheritance of a disorder or other characteristic.
Genetic mapping: The attempt by biological researchers to identify the structure of a gene and the characteristics it controls.