Abnormal Psychology - Behaviour That Is Not Socially Acceptable

1. Your uncle consumes a quart of whiskey per day; he has trouble remembering the names of those around him.

Taking an abnormal psychology class is not part of my requirements for my degree, but with my wanting to work with children and their families, I feel that this course was beneficial for me to take. I also enjoy learning about how the human mind works, the different disorders, and ways to help people that may be suffering from the many disorders that we covered. As I have mentioned throughout the semester, I or someone I know has or is suffering from many of the disorders we have discussed. I personally have struggled with addiction and bulimia in my past, and I feel that learning more in-depth can assist me in my future if I have a student that also struggles with similar disorders. My father suffers from schizophrenia, although he attempts to block his disorder out and refuses medication. This can be extremely hard for both me and my child to visit him because he is different. I try to remember that the disorder is not his fault and I also try to remind my daughter that he is her grandfather and she should accept him, but it is a struggle for both of us. I feel that learning a little more on schizophrenia was helpful for me and I plan on doing a little more research on my own time to also help me to cope with his “differentness”.

Abnormal behavior relates to the influence of psychological factors, biological factors as well as the social factors referring to inadequate relationships. In the face of diverse definition, abnormal behavior refers to the deviating from norm, which norm is the typical behavior or characteristic of the population. As such, Jim behavior is abnormal because it violates moral and conventional mores of the society (Violates societal standards), as such causing social discomfort to others. For instance, Jim fails to recognize the social cues in conversation thereby annoying other interlocutors. Jim is this case is behaving in a manner counterproductive to his own well being by

‘No-one really knows what hypnosis is; this is part of the attraction of the view that

The psychological aspects of hypnotherapy are associated with people’s behaviour. Two of the most recognised psychologists are Stanley Milgram and Soloman Asch. Soloman Asch constructed a series of studies of social influence known as conformity and obedience in psychological terms, conformity refers to an individual's tendency to follow the unspoken rules

In 1892, the British Medical Association (BMA) commissioned a team of doctors to undertake an evaluation of the nature and effects of hypnotherapy the report states:

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was also interested in hypnosis at this time. He was using it in his work, but eventually abandoned it in favour of psychoanalysis. With the rise of psychoanalysis in the first half of this century, hypnosis declined in popularity.

In the realm of psychology, the field of abnormal psychology has always proven to be a challeng-ing one for the psychologists because of two reasons. First, this branch as the name suggests deals with the abnormal and aberrant population of the society and understands their behaviors and emotions that in some ways vary from the social norms so the results obtained from a research cannot be generalized. Second, the medication of the patient is purely based on the symptoms that they exhibit or report. Sometimes the feelings described by the patients might not satisfy the standard criteria outlined by the Diagnostic Manual . This might lead to a delay in medication. One such abnormal psychological disorder that came into limelight after Vietnam War is Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) .

This essay will explore the difference between permissive and authoritarian approaches in hypnotherapy. Included will be history of the two approaches, background of the way they work and practical examples to show the influence they have on clients. Gathering information through various means (which will be discussed in this essay) will help the hypnotherapist create a personalized induction. The essay will explore this personalized induction and see if it will always be most effective to use a script that is modified of tailor made for the particular client.

Abnormal and clinical psychology are two branches in the field of psychological studies. In simple words, abnormal psychology can be defined as the study of people who engage in unusual behavior and emotional thoughts. These actions and thoughts are considered abnormal compared to those of other members of society, and they significantly interfere with their functioning in life. Clinical psychology goes hand in hand with abnormal psychology because it is the study that deals with the assessment and treatment of those abnormal actions. Learning about these branches of psychology can help us understand and predict behaviors of people who that are affected by these disorders. It is also essential to advance our knowledge to help assess the people who suffer these illnesses to lead a life of better quality. In this paper, a case study that entails a brief vignette of a 35 year old paralegal named Greg will be analyzed. According to concepts of abnormal and clinical psychology, Greg will be diagnosed with the psychological disorder of obsessive-compulsive disorder (more formally known as OCD) that might have originated in the anal stage of the psychoanalytic theory, for which cognitive behavioral therapy will be used as a possible treatment.

At a very early age, children learn about social norms to help them become proper citizens in society. Examples of some social norms that students learn are: “do not yell in the library,” “do not speak unless spoken to,” “do not talk to strangers,” and “close the door when you use the restroom.” As you grow older, these rules become unspoken because everyone knows how to act like a proper individual in society. The textbook definition of a social norm is something that is a rule of behavior that society accepts. (Bicchieri) Since everyone knows these unsaid rules of society, what would happen when someone decides not to follow these rules? What would people think and react? In this paper, I discuss my violation of the social norm “don’t talk to strangers” and discuss what I learned from this experiment.

Growing up handicapped and being diagnosed with polio when he was only 24 years old, Clark L. Hull has impacted the study of psychology throughout his life. Hull always dreamt of becoming an engineer but, his career quickly changed course when he suddenly became attached to the field of psychology. He was studying at Michigan University until he graduated. Soon after, Clark earned his Ph. D in psychology at the University of Wisconsin in the year 1918. Shortly after that, Hull found that his importance was on objective methods development. He devoted his next ten years of his life studying all about suggestibility and hypnosis. As he was employed at Yale University, he worked as a research professor and published Hypnosis and Suggestibility

In the twenty-first century our society has become sceptic on the controversial issue of hypnosis. Our society recognizes hypnosis as a foolish man holding a swinging stopwatch in front of people saying, "When I snap my fingers, you will feel sleepy". Our society does not recognize hypnosis as a way of therapy or treatment. Hypnosis by definition is a trancelike state that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.

Abnormal is something deviating from what is normal or usual, typical in a way that is uncommon or irregular.

Chapter 3 During the Middle Ages some “authorities” classified abnormal behaviors into two groups, those that resulted from demonic possession and those due to natural causes. The 19th-century German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin was the first modern theorist to develop a comprehensive model of classification based on the distinctive features, or symptoms, associated with abnormal behavior patterns (see Chapter 1). The most commonly used classification system today is largely an outgrowth and extension of Kraepelin’s work: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association. Why is it important to classify abnormal behavior? For one thing, classification is the core of science. Without labeling and organizing patterns of abnormal behavior, researchers could not communicate their findings to one another, and progress toward understanding these disorders would come to a halt. Moreover, important decisions are made on the basis of classification. Certain psychological disorders respond better to one therapy than another or to one drug than another.