Abnormal Psychology

Barlow, D., & Durand, V. (2015). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach(Seventh ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage

“A psychological disorder is a condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, defining what is "normal" and "abnormal" is a subject of much debate.”

The following paper includes such topics of normal and abnormal psychology. Discussed with these topics are definitions of each as well as the similarities and differences between them both. Included here also is a discussion and explanation of two mental disorders and two mental illnesses all taken from the psychology perspective. As the reader will see, normal and abnormal psychology as well as the mental disorders and illnesses are common issues that could happen to any person or affect any family at any time. In addition to learning about the disorders and illnesses the reader will also learn about possible therapies for treating these mental disorders and illnesses. Mental disorders and mental illnesses objectively studied

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.

Abnormal behavior was once viewed as an embarrassment to society. Those who suffered from a mental illness or displayed abnormal behavior were locked away and never spoken of. Today abnormal behavior is viewed much differently. With the study of psychology and the help of the medical field, abnormal behavior has become better understood. This essay will discuss the major theories for the cause of abnormal behavior, how abnormal behavior is diagnosed and what type of behavioral issues are related to abnormal behavior.

"even our negative emotions help us survive. for example, aren't our suspicious often justified?" most likely someone with a ______ theoretical perspective made this statement "I knew right after we got home from the hospital that our kid had a problem," the parents said. unless the parent is using 20-20 hindsight, the child's diagnosis most likely is "i'm concerned about Ritalin use; its possible effects on children's growth, and its increasing heart-attack risk in hypertensive adults" an acquaintance worries. your best reply, based on the most recent research is "it is obvious that this case of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder arises from an early childhood fixation." which type of psychologist

Physical well-being is assumed to be directly associated with the mental and behavioural well-being of an individual. It is commonly noted that people adopt difficult and irritating behaviour once they are not in perfect state of physical health. The root cause of depression is often attributed to disturbed situation one is facing. However, it may not be valid in all cases.

After reading Chapter 2 of Ronald J. Comer’s book, Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, I now understand key principles of 4 models that that contribute to understanding abnormalities. The first model is the biological model, which can be linked to Roman and Greek times as I read in chapter 1. It mainly states that the cause of psychological abnormalities is that of physical illness. In addition, the abnormalities are introduced because of malfunctioning parts in the brain. This includes the possible malfunction of neurons that are found in the cerebrum and the possible malfunction of these neurons and the transmissions between them. Other factors may include genes, evolution and viral infections

Francies sounded extremely upset and with a loud voice started talking regarding yesterday appointment. The writer tried hard to listen and follows what she said, as she was telling her many things at once and she could hear Francies’ daughter talking in the background.

My choice of character is Joan Crawford who was played by Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. Joan Crawford was a successful iconic actress from 1920’s through the 1960’s. Mommie Dearest movie was based a memoir written by Ms. Crawford’s adoptive daughter Christina which made a claim that she was abusive to her and her brother Christopher. In the movie depiction of Joan Crawford in this movie she demonstrated abnormal behaviors which gave to question to whether there were mental health issues that guided her actions.

At times, Kay wrongly felt like she could stop taking the Lithium and she was the

Jeffrey was arrested in the same year, 1988, for sexually fondling and drugging a young teenage boy (age thirteen); for this, he was put on probation for five years and for one year he was assigned to a work release camp where he was registered as a sex offender from the incident with the thirteen year old boy. Due to good behavior and a built up trust with the authorities, Dahmer was paroled from his work release camp two months early.

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.

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