Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
Psychology Student Syndrome
- It is a form of hypochondria or somatic symptom disorder in which individuals studying a
particular field, such as psychology or medicine, develop a heightened awareness of
symptoms and begin to self-diagnose themselves with various disorders they are learning
about.
The scientific study of abnormal behaviour, with the objective to:
Describe
Explain
Predict
Control
What is Psychological Abnormality?
Deviance
- Abnormal behavior, thoughts, and emotions are those that differ markedly from a society’s
ideas about proper functioning.
Distress
- Distress pertains to the subjective experience of significant emotional or psychological
discomfort, pain, or suffering. It involves evaluating whether an individual's thoughts,
feelings, or behaviors cause significant personal distress or impairment in their daily
functioning.
Dysfunction
- Dysfunction refers to behaviors or characteristics that impair an individual's ability to
perform their usual roles and responsibilities or interfere with their overall functioning. This
can include difficulties in areas such as work, relationships, social interactions, self-care, or
other important domains of life.
Danger
- Danger involves assessing whether an individual's behavior poses a risk of harm to
themselves or others. This can encompass potential self-destructive behaviors, violent
tendencies, or an inability to exercise adequate judgment or control in certain situations.
Treatment
- a procedure designed to change abnormal behavior into more normal behavior. Also called
therapy.
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 7.3% of the total population in the
Philippines (or approximately 7.6 million individuals) suffer from a mental disorder.
, How was abnormality viewed and treated in the past?
Ancient Views and Treatments
Expelling Evil Spirits
Trephination (stone age)
- A stone instrument, or trephine, was used to cut away a circular section of the skull (Ellis,
2019)
- The purpose of opening the skull was to release the evil spirits that were supposedly causing
the problem (Selling, 1940 ).
Greek and Roman Views and Treatments
Four humours (HIPPOCRATES, 500 B.C.E. TO 500 C.E)
- He saw abnormal behavior as a disease arising from internal physical problems.
- Like all other forms of disease, in his view — from an imbalance of four fluids, or humors,
that flowed through the body: yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm (Saunders,
2019 ;Javier, 2014 ).
The goal of treatment was to restore the balance by various means, such as dietary changes,
purging, bloodletting, or herbal remedies.
Psychology Student Syndrome
- It is a form of hypochondria or somatic symptom disorder in which individuals studying a
particular field, such as psychology or medicine, develop a heightened awareness of
symptoms and begin to self-diagnose themselves with various disorders they are learning
about.
The scientific study of abnormal behaviour, with the objective to:
Describe
Explain
Predict
Control
What is Psychological Abnormality?
Deviance
- Abnormal behavior, thoughts, and emotions are those that differ markedly from a society’s
ideas about proper functioning.
Distress
- Distress pertains to the subjective experience of significant emotional or psychological
discomfort, pain, or suffering. It involves evaluating whether an individual's thoughts,
feelings, or behaviors cause significant personal distress or impairment in their daily
functioning.
Dysfunction
- Dysfunction refers to behaviors or characteristics that impair an individual's ability to
perform their usual roles and responsibilities or interfere with their overall functioning. This
can include difficulties in areas such as work, relationships, social interactions, self-care, or
other important domains of life.
Danger
- Danger involves assessing whether an individual's behavior poses a risk of harm to
themselves or others. This can encompass potential self-destructive behaviors, violent
tendencies, or an inability to exercise adequate judgment or control in certain situations.
Treatment
- a procedure designed to change abnormal behavior into more normal behavior. Also called
therapy.
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 7.3% of the total population in the
Philippines (or approximately 7.6 million individuals) suffer from a mental disorder.
, How was abnormality viewed and treated in the past?
Ancient Views and Treatments
Expelling Evil Spirits
Trephination (stone age)
- A stone instrument, or trephine, was used to cut away a circular section of the skull (Ellis,
2019)
- The purpose of opening the skull was to release the evil spirits that were supposedly causing
the problem (Selling, 1940 ).
Greek and Roman Views and Treatments
Four humours (HIPPOCRATES, 500 B.C.E. TO 500 C.E)
- He saw abnormal behavior as a disease arising from internal physical problems.
- Like all other forms of disease, in his view — from an imbalance of four fluids, or humors,
that flowed through the body: yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm (Saunders,
2019 ;Javier, 2014 ).
The goal of treatment was to restore the balance by various means, such as dietary changes,
purging, bloodletting, or herbal remedies.
