Abnormal Psychology
An Introduction of Significant Terms with Definitions
1. Psychological disorder - a psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with
distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
● Prototype - how the apparent disease or disorder matches a typical profile of a
disorder
2. Phobia - a psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object
or situation
3. Abnormal behavior - a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with
distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
4. Psychopathology - is the scientific study of psychological disorders
5. Scientist-practitioner - mental health professionals taking a scientific approach to their clinical
work
● Consumer of science - enhancing the practice
● Evaluator of science - determining the effectiveness of the practice
● Creator of science - conducting the research that leads to new procedures useful in
practice
Studying Psychological Disorders
● Description
● Causation
● Treatment and Outcomes
6. Clinical description - represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings
that make up a specific disorder
A. Presenting problem – what a patient “presents” with a specific problem or set of
problems
● Prevalence - how many people in the population as a whole have the
disorder
● Incidence - statistics on how many new cases occur during a given period,
such as a year
B. Course – disorders that follow a somewhat individual pattern
● Chronic course: continuous
● Episodic course: seasonal
● Time-limited course: for a time period
C. Onset - when the disorder has developed
● Acute onset: begin suddenly
● Insidious onset: gradually
D. Prognosis - the anticipated course of a disorder
7. Causation / Etiology - the study of origins, has to do with why a disorder begins (what causes
it) and includes biological, psychological, and social dimensions
8. Developmental psychopathology - the study of changes in abnormal behavior
9. Life-span development of psychopathology- across the entire age span
History of Abnormal Psychology
10. Exorcism - rituals performed in an effort to rid the victim of evil spirits
11. Mass Hysteria - run, dance, shout, rave and jump (emotion contagion) shared response
sometimes called mob psychology
12. Hippocrates assumed that normal brain function was related to the (4) bodily fluids or
humors
● Blood: sanguine
An Introduction of Significant Terms with Definitions
1. Psychological disorder - a psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with
distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
● Prototype - how the apparent disease or disorder matches a typical profile of a
disorder
2. Phobia - a psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object
or situation
3. Abnormal behavior - a psychological dysfunction within an individual that is associated with
distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
4. Psychopathology - is the scientific study of psychological disorders
5. Scientist-practitioner - mental health professionals taking a scientific approach to their clinical
work
● Consumer of science - enhancing the practice
● Evaluator of science - determining the effectiveness of the practice
● Creator of science - conducting the research that leads to new procedures useful in
practice
Studying Psychological Disorders
● Description
● Causation
● Treatment and Outcomes
6. Clinical description - represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings
that make up a specific disorder
A. Presenting problem – what a patient “presents” with a specific problem or set of
problems
● Prevalence - how many people in the population as a whole have the
disorder
● Incidence - statistics on how many new cases occur during a given period,
such as a year
B. Course – disorders that follow a somewhat individual pattern
● Chronic course: continuous
● Episodic course: seasonal
● Time-limited course: for a time period
C. Onset - when the disorder has developed
● Acute onset: begin suddenly
● Insidious onset: gradually
D. Prognosis - the anticipated course of a disorder
7. Causation / Etiology - the study of origins, has to do with why a disorder begins (what causes
it) and includes biological, psychological, and social dimensions
8. Developmental psychopathology - the study of changes in abnormal behavior
9. Life-span development of psychopathology- across the entire age span
History of Abnormal Psychology
10. Exorcism - rituals performed in an effort to rid the victim of evil spirits
11. Mass Hysteria - run, dance, shout, rave and jump (emotion contagion) shared response
sometimes called mob psychology
12. Hippocrates assumed that normal brain function was related to the (4) bodily fluids or
humors
● Blood: sanguine
