Contents

Objectives
Introduction
What is Abnormal Psychology?
Causes of Abnormality
~ssessmentof Psychological Disorders
Mental Disorders in Adults
Let's Us Sum Up
Key Words
Suggested Readings
Answers to check Your Progress

4.0 OBJECTIVES
By now you must be aware about the basics of general psychological concepts.
It is not difficult to understand that is one who behaving in a very disturbed or
destructive manner is abnormal since any deviation from normality is
immediately perceivable. But sometimes it happens that we come to know
that a normal looking individual is suffering from some form of mental ill-
health. Defining what is abnormal is not an easy task. In this unit you will
read about normality and abnormality. By the end of this unit you .will be able
to:
describe abnormality;
state its characteristics;
explain some mental disorders in adults; and
list the treatments available for these disorders.

4.1 INTRODUCTION
All of us have experienced problems at some or the other time of our life, but
different people react and cope with it in different ways. With rapid
industrialization and globalization many people suffer from problems like
anxiety and depression though everybody suffering with these problems do
not seek professional medical support. We have developed certain ways of
thinking and talking about behaviour that seem normal but the concepts we
use for scientifically studying human behaviour need to be free from all
subjective feelings of appropriateness which is generally attached to certain
human behaviours and activities. Let us now examine the concepts related to
abnormal behaviour.
Basics of Psychology for
Social Worker WHAT IS ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY ?
Psychology and psychiatry have a long history of debate about the interrelated
areas of normality and abnormality. Abnormal psychology is that branch of
psychology which deals with abnormi behaviour. The literal meaning termed
deviation from normal. You must be wondering as to which behaviour can be
abnormal behaviour. Abnormal behaviour cannot be defined as a single
component in a human being; rather it is a complex of several characteristics
which are interlinked. Abnormality is usually determined by the presence of
several characteristics at one time. The definition of abnormal behaviour takes
into account the characteristics of infrequent occurrence, violation of norms,
personal distress, dysfunction and unexpectedness of behaviour. Let us
understand these concepts:

1) Infrequent Occurrence: Majority of people show average behaviour as

concerned with any event in life. Those people who deviate from the
average show extreme tendencies. But frequency cannot be considered
as the sole criterion for determination of abnormal behaviour.

2) Violation of Norms: This approach is based on social norms and cultural

values that guide behaviour in particular situations. If the behaviour of a
particular individual violates social norms, threatens or makes others
anxious, it can be considered as abnormal behaviour. Abnormality is a
deviation of behaviour in higher degree from the accepted social norms.
A word of caution in this characteristic is that the social norms vary across
cultures. A social norm of one culture may be a violation of norm in
others. This concept alone is too broad as criminals and prostitutes violate
social norms but they are not necessarily studied within the domain of
abnormal psychology.

3) Personal Distress: A behaviour can be considered abnormal if it creates

distress in the person experiencing it. For example a regular and heavy
consumer of alchohol may realize his habit to be unhealthy and wish to
discontinbe his habit. This behaviour can be identified as abnormal. The
personal distress model is not self sufficient because people decide and
report on how much they are suffering. Also the levels of distress vary in
different people.

4) Dysfunctions: Dysfunction or disability considers a person to be abnormal

if his emotions, actions, or thoughts interfere with his ability to lead a
normal life in the society. For example substance abuse disorders caused
by abnormal drug use hamper a person's work performance.

5) Unexpectedness: This characteristic takes into account the unexpected

occurrence of a behaviour.
Each of the standards discussed here helps in defining abnormality. A core
feature of all abnormal behaviour is that it is maladaptive. The abnormal
behaviour makes it difficult for a person to cope with the demands of day-to-
day life. Being normal and abnormal is not based on very rigid criteria. They
are the states of mind which every individual experiences. According to a
psychologist ". . ... behaviour is abnormal, a manifestation of mental disorder,
if it is both persistent and in serious degree contrary to the continued well-
being of the individual and lor that of the liulrian ~ c ) i l l l l l ~ ~ i01'
l i twhich
~ the Normalityand ~bnormality
individual is a member." It is also important to note that to a certain extent
definitions of abnormality are culturally based. For example talking to oneself
may be considered as an abnormal behaviour but certain Polynesian countries
and South American societies consider it to be a gift of special status from the
deities.
Check Your Progress I
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

1) List any two determinants of abnormal behaviour and explain any one
with the help of an example.
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4.3 CAUSES OF ABNORMAL

--.

You must now be interested to know as to what causes the problems discussed
above. The current views of abnormal behaviour tend to be an integration of
several paradigms. A paradigm is a set of basic assumptions that together
define how to conceptualize studies and interpret data. The choice of a
paradigm has some very important consequences in which abnormal behaviour
is defined. Let us study these paradigms:

1) Biological Paradigm: This view holds that mental disorders are caused
by biological or bodily processes. This paradigm is also called as the
medical model. Individuals working with this paradigm assume that
answers to abnormal behaviour lie within the body. Let us take an example
Both researches and theory support that anxiety disorders may stem from
a defect within the autonomic nervous system that causes a person to be
easily aroused or heredity probably predisposes an individual to develop
schizophrenia. For the past many years biological research has made great
progress in elucidating brain behaviour relationship but still it is not
sufficient to say that the biological paradigm answers all the questions of
abnormal psychology.

2) The psychoanalytic Paradigm: Originally developed by Sigmund Freud

this paradigm assumes unconscious conflicts to be the reason of abnormal
behaviour. Freud particularly emphasized that intense anxiety can be caused
by forbidden impulses for sex or aggression. The Freudian view also
gives importance to guilt generated by superego in response to these
impulses. The ego is caught in between id and superego which forces a
person to adopt rigid defense mechanisms and inflexible behaviours.
Basics of Psychology for 3) 13ehavioural Paradigm: The behavioural paradigm considers maladaptive
Social Worker t~ehaviouras the result of failure in learning required for adaptive behaviour
tnd learning ineffective responses to those behaviours.
Zognitive Paradigm: This paradigm considers that the interpretations
nade by people are central to the understanding of abnormal behaviour.
rhese interpretations are based on the type of underlying experiences
tnd schemas which people have.
Keep;ing the above mentioned paradigms or perspectives let us sum up the
causes of abnormal behaviour. The causes of abnormal behaviour can be
classi fied an under:
3iological Factors: Various biological factors like genetic defects,
lysfunction in the endocrine system, brain dysfunction, may together or
ndividually become the cause of abnormal behaviour. Research has found
hat disorders like schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychoses are
;enetically transmitted. In the same way many other factors like extreme
)hysical deprivation may also lead to psychological abnormality.
'sychological Factors: The role of psychological factqrs in causing
tbnormality is indirect hence it is difficult to measure. But various
)sychological factors like relationship with parents during childhood, their
tttitude towards socialization, peer group etc. may develop faulty identity,
wer-pessimism, overindulgence or over-protectiveness in an individual.
iocio-cultural Factors: This factor is constantly being explored because
lot much specific evidence has been found. But rapid urbanisation, social
:hanges, changes in work culture etc. are making individuals more prone
o anxiety, stress and depression. These factors thus contribute to the onset
)f abnormal behaviour.

4.4 ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL

DISORDERS
Several modes of assessment are used by a psychologist for describing a patient
in the best possible way. The two main approaches of assessment are
psychological and biological assessment.

1) Psychological Assessment: Psychological assessment includes interviews,

which can be both structured and open in nature. Psychological tests like
self report personality inventories, intelligence tests are structured while
Projective Tests like Rorschach Ink Blot Test, Thematic Apperception
test are open tests. Other than these observation method is also a useful
method for assessing an individual.
Biological Assessment: This type of Assessment iilvolves imaging
techniques like CT Scan, PET Scan(Positron Emission Tomography) etc.
which help to see various structures of the brain. Also neuropsychological
tests are used to find brain defects by the variations in response to the
psychological tests like Tactile Performance Test -Time Category Test,
Speech Sounds Perception Test etc. Biological Assessment also includes
psychophysical measurements such as pulse rate, heart rate, skin
conductance etc.
 Classification of Psychological Disorders Normality and Abnormality

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders developed

by the American Psychiatric Association includes a classification system which
has been given in this box. This classifies the disorders based on the symptoms.
DSM IV Classification System
Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence
Mental retardation -cognitive or intellectual ability which is below the norm
for one's age group
Learning Disorders
Motor Skill Disorders - disorders related to activities that involve physical
movement of parts of the body like eye-hand coordination or other motor
activities
Communicative Disorders -disorders related to exchange of information
r
Attention -Deficit and Disruptive Disorders -disorders related to focussing
,'
attention
Feeding and Eating Disorders of Infancy

1
Other Disorders of Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence - The disorders in
this category refers to: improper mental development, blocks related to learning
like dyslexia, slow learners etc, improper eye-hand coordination, speaking
disorders, eating disorders etc.
1 Delirium, Dementia and Amnestic and other Cognitive Disorders
I Delirium which means improper speaking
Dementia or forgetting
Amnestic Disorders or problem of sleeping
Other Cognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders due to General mental condition not elsewhere classified
Substance related Disorders
Alcohol and substance abuse - People who use drugs as sedatives or for
changing their mental state like Caffeine Related Disorders, Cannabis-related,
Cocaine-related, Hallucinogen-related, Inhalant-related, Nicotine-related,
Opium-related Disorders
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia, which means that the person has a problem in focussing or has
split thinking. In this disorder the person is not able to pay attention to one
topic at a time which hampers hisfher performance.
Mood Disorder - These are disorders of emotion which need immediate
medical attention.
Depressive Disorders -This is different from depressed mood. These include
dissatisfaction and anxiety disturbance of sleep and motor functions, loss of
interest, feelings of guilt, difficulty in concentration etc. which lead to various
illness like fatigue, inability to clear thinking, feeling of worthlessness etc.
Bipolar Disorders - The individual experiences wide swings in mood from
depression to elated mood in varying degrees.
Anxiety Disorders
Any disorder that produce free floating fear with no easily identifiable source.
Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia
Basics of Psychology for Panic: Disorder with agoraphooid
Social Worker
Thesc:phobias are unrealistic fears which a person develops at any point of
time like Specific Phobia and Social Phobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Post 'Traumatic Stress Disorder
Acutc2 Stress Disorder
Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
Som:itoform Disorders: These disorders refer to physical problems for along
period with no organic basis.
Somiitisation Disorder: In this disorder the common complaints are headaches,
fatig~le, nausea, abdominal pain and vague body pains etc. These person believe
that they are sick, narrate long history to support it and take lot of medicines
Undi fferentiated Somatoform Disorder
Conversion Disorder: People suffering from this disorder exhibit symptoms of
deficits affecting motor or sensory function that suggests medical conditions
like 1~aralysis,loss of voice selective hearing etc.
HYPC~chondriasis:These people have an obsessive concern about the disease
and ar e preoccupied with their body organs.
Body Dismorphic Disorder
Factiitious Disorders
Disscxiative Disorders involve feelings of alienation, large memory gaps etc.
Dissc~ciativeAmnesia involves selective memory loss not due to any visible
indication of organic changes.
Disscciative Fugue involves unexpected travel away from home and assumption
of a Inew identity. The person may suddenly wake up and find oneself in an
unkn own place. Multiple personality Disorder - it involves disorders related
to existence of two or more than two types of personality in one person of
whic.h the person is not always aware of.
Sexua1 and Gender Identity Disorders - These disorders are related to the
normla1 sexual functioning of an individual which are related to Sexual
Dysf unction, Sexual Desire Disorders, Sexual Arousal disorders, Orgasmic
Disoirders, Sexual Pain Disorders, Paraphilias, Gender Identity Disorders. These
oftenI result in blocks which form due to some undesired incidents in the
childhood etc.
Eating Disorders
These disorders are related to eating like overeating or not eating at all
Anorexia Nervosa which is prolonged refusal to eat adequate amounts of food,
Bulimia Nervosa which is followed by deliberate purging using either vomiting
or laxatives.
Sleep Disorders
Primary Sleep Disorders, Dyssornnias, Parasomnias
Impulse Control Disorders not Elsewhere Classified
Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Kleptomania (unconscious stealing) ,
Pyromania (undue fear of Fire), Pathological Gambling etc.
 Adjustment Disorders Normality and Abnormality

Personality Disorders
Paranoid (pervasive, delusional thoughts, distrust, envy, jealousy), Schizoid,
Schizotypal, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic (individual who is
in love with hislher self look), Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive
(persistent, unwanted and unshakable thoughts or irresistible habitual repeated
actions.)
Check Your Progress I1
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.

1) Explain the Biological paradigm as cause of abnormal behaviour.

...................................................................................................................
I Can we assess personality disorder? Describe.
2)

4.5 MENTAL DISORDERS IN ADULTS

Mr.X is working in afirm where he is involved with public dealing. He is shy
person and gets nervous especially if he has to talk with ladies. While dealing
with ladies he used to feel a number of symptoms like wet hands, dryness of
throat, lump in the stomach. To avoid this anxiety he unconsciously developed
a number of problems like severe headache or pain irt the stomach. He was
advised rest and also asked to consult a psychologist by his physician as there
were no other physiological disorders.
This is a particular case of anxiety. But anxiety can take serious form if not
addressed and treated properly. In this section of this lesson we will read some
of the psychological disorders within the field of abnormal psychology. You
must have read the classification according to the DSM-IV manual in the
previous pages. It is not possible to study about all of them in detail hence we
will focus on:
a Anxiety
.J
Disorders '
a Personality Disorders
a Schizophrenia
Basics of Psychabgy for Anxiety Disorders
Social Worker
Anxiety can be described as a general feeling of dread or apprehension
followed by physiological reactions like increased heart rate ,sweating, tense
muscles etc. Anxiety differs from fear in one respect and that is fear has a
cause and once that cause is removed, fear subsides whereas anxiety is less
clearly linked to specific events and thus tends to be more pervasive and less
responsive to changes in the environment. Anxiety disorders are diagnosed in
the presence of subjective experienced feeling of anxiety. According to DSM-
IV there are six categories of anxiety which are phobias, panic disorder,
generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic
stress disorder. The different forms of anxiety disorders involve a range of
symptoms like frequently experienced anxiety, wony, fear etc. Sometimes many
of the symptoms are similar in various disorders. We will read first about
phobias.

1) Phobia: Phobia can be defined as a disrupting fear-mediated avoidance

that is out of proportion to the danger posed by a particular object or
situation and is recognized by the sufferer as groundless, for example,
extreme fear of heights, closed places, animals etc. The phobias have
been categorised like the most common claustrophobia which is fear of
closed places. The term phobia implies that the individual is suffering
from severe distress and social/occupational impairment.
Panic disorder: Have you ever had an experience where for no apparent
reason you suddenly felt an intense apprehension and tension that caused
your heart to pound rapidly, sweating of your palms or tremljling? If your
answer is yes then you have probably experienced panic. Panic disorder
is characterized by attacks of terror and intense fear not justified by
situation. The attacks produce physiological symptoms such as dizziness,
increased heart palpitation, trembling, shortness of breath etc. It also
produces psychological symptoms such as fear of dying or going crazy.

3) Obsessive-compulsivedisorder: It is marked by recurrent obsessions and

compulsions that create distress and have a serious effect on a person's
life. For example, repeated washing of hands. In this type of disorder a
person's profound sense of anxiety is reflected in persistent and unwanted,
irresistible, habitual, repeated action. Obsessions are persisting thoughts
or ideas and compulsions are intentional behaviours or mental activities
performed in response to these obsessions. Some common compulsions
are hand washing, touching, counting etc.

4) Post traumatic stress-disorder: People who have experienced a profoundly

traumatic event such as an assault or war often exhibit a range of distressing
symptoms as an aftermath to that event. This disorder is characterised by
flashbacks and recurrent thoughts of a traumatic and stressful event. This
disorder has a number of symptoms such as nightmares, avoiding thoughts,
exaggerated startled response such as screaming, when tapped at the back.
This can last a lifetime too.

5) GeneralisedAnxiety disorder: Generalized Anxiety disorder is a chronic

state of anxiety so pervasive that it is often referred as "free-floating
anxiety". The psychological symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder
includes a persistent state of apprehension, worry about some danger,
 poor concentration, indecisiveness, mild depression, sensitiveness to Normality and ~ b n o r m a l i t y
criticism, upset stomach, dryness of mouth, fatigue etc. People on routine.
jobs and night duties such as security personnel and policemen sometimes
suffer from this condition.
Personality disorders: It is characterized by continuous maladaptive style of
thinking , feeling and behaving which disturb the normal functioning of an
individual's life. For example, a person with a dependent personality disorder
will always be submissive and will show clinging behaviour. This person will
not be able to take any decision for himself/herself and always show excessive
need to be taken care of. An individual with histrionic personality disorder
will display excessive emotionality and always show attention seeking
behaviour. Another major form of personality disorder is antisocial personality
disorder. It is marked by irresponsible and socially disruptive behaviour like
stealing and destroying property. Antisocial individuals do not take the initiative
for getting themselves treated.
Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and disabling of all
mental disorders characterized by extreme disruptions of perceptions, thoughts,
emotions and behaviour. Schizophrenic disorders are distinguished from other
disorders primarily by the extreme disturbances in thinking that cause people
to behave in maladaptive ways. Individuals with schizophrenia often suffer
from false beliefs or delusions and hallucinations which means perception
without stimulus. The thinking process of a schizophrenic is loss of control on
associative thinking like while talking about a close relation and then suddenly
talking about a story or any other event without any continuation-or preface.
People having schizophrenia have difficulty in keeping their mental thoughts
together.
The primary symptoms of schizophrenia are
disturbances of thoughts - most of the patients show marked differences
in their contents of thoughts like delusions, incoherence of ideas etc.
disturbances of perception - disturbed perception may result in changes
in how the body feels or feeling of separation from hislher body
(depersonalization).
disturbances in emotional expression - Another major symptom is
disturbance in expressing or incorrect expression. The patient may show
flat or blunted expression with no facial expressions. Incorrect expression
may result in laughing over the death of a loved one or crying over some
happy news.
disturbances in speech - Abnormal speech patterns like not uttering a
sound for hours or days together (mutism ) or repeating the verbatim
which is called as echolalia.
social withdrawal - Schizophrenics show an inclination to withdraw from
the company of others. They tend to be isolated and emotionally detached
from friends and family members.
diminished motivation - Marked diminished motivation is also seen in
the persons suffering with schizophrenia.
Basics of Psychology for The three main subtypes of schizophrenia are paranoid, catatonic and
Social Worker disorganized. The major symptoms of paranoids are delusions and auditory
hallucinations. They are tense, suspicious and guarded. They may feel people
are trying to harm them or planning against them. The Catatonic face motor
immobility, rigid posture or excessive motor activity including parrot like
repetition of an action or anybody's saying. The catatonics may assume a
peculiar posture for long periods of time. The symptoms of disorganized
schizophrenia are disorganized speech, bizarre behaviour and inappropriate
effect. This may be characterized by poor contact with reality, disheveled
appearance and bizarre behaviour such as laughing at inappropriate times.
Check Your Progress I11
Note : a) Use the space provided for your answer.

b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit.
1) Explain anxiety disorder.

2) What are the different types of Schizophrenia? Explain any one with an
example.

Therapy
Various forms of therapies are available for psychological disorders. For treating
the psychological disorders psychotherapy is a known and successful therapy.
The psychotherapeutic process revolves around the relationship between the
therapist and the patient. It involves verbal and nonverbal communic3tion. One
point of caution in this therapy is that it should be practised only by a person
who has had proper training in it. The interaction between the therapist and
the patient is a confidential and dynamic relationship. These therapies aim at
changing the maladaptive behaviours of the individual which helps himlher in
adjusting to the social environment. There are three phases of the therapy, that
is, the initial phase, the middle phase and the terminal phase. The initial phase
involves interview of the patient and moves towards developing rapport with
himlher. The middle phase follows this phase which involves the therapeutic
approach. It involves relearning and experiencing, psychotherapeutic
relationship and motivations and expectations. The therapy ends with a
 successful termination process and demand follow-up action on a periodical Normality and Abnormality
basis.
Now let us talk about different types of therapies:
Bio-medical therapy: People who are trained medicaljy treat mental illness
equivalent to physical illness. Hence they also treat them medically. Some of
the therapies which are used for the treatment of psychological disorders are
Insulin coma therapy in the case of schizophrenia, Electro Convulsive Therapy
(ECT) in which a mild electric current passes through the brain of the patient
which produces convulsions. Drug treatment is also used in the case of
schizophrenia, mania, depression and anxiety. These drugs are known as
psychotropic or antipsychotic drugs.
Psychodyizamic therapies: The psychodynamic therapy is based on the
psychoanalytic perspective. The main thought behind this perspective is that
L
the psychological problems result from childhood experiences. The different
techniques used by the psychotherapist are free association where the patient
/ . is asked to say whatever comes to hidher mind which is later on analysed,
analysis of dreams, transference analysis which means that the patient react to
the therapist as they did with significant others in their life.
Behaviour therapy: This therapy is based upon the principles of learning.
The techniques of behaviour therapy which are used are systematic
desensitization, aversion therapy, assertiveness therapy, modeling technique
and bio-feedback.
Cognaive therapy: This therapy lays a great stress on recognising and changing
negative thoughts and maladaptive beliefs. One of the two therapies is Beck's
therapy which helps an individual to recognise one's negative thoughts and
interpretation. The other therapy is Rational Emotive Therapy which tries to
change the maladaptive thoughts by restructuring the self evaluation and belief
system.

4.6 LET US SUM UP

$1
i
We have discussed in this chapter about the various types and cohcepts related
to abnormal behaviour.

l1
i
I
i
Abnormality is usually determined by the presence of several characteristics at
one time. T h e definition of abnormal behaviour takes into account the
characteristics of infrequei2t occurrence, violation of norms, personal distress,
'I
3: dysfi~nctionand unexpectedness of behaviour. We have also studied the various
paradigms to study the cause of abnormal behaviour and the methods adopted
i1 for assessing the normality of behaviour. In the last section of this chapter we
P I have studied some abnormal disorders in adults like anxiety disorders,
personality disorders and schizophrenia. We have learnt about the primary
symptoms of schizophrenia and the various subtypes of schizophrenia.
Various forms of therapies are available for psychological disorders. For treating
the psychological disorders, psychotherapy is a known and successful therapy
- I which revolves around the relationship between the therapist and the patient.
There are five different types of therapies Bio-medical therapy- People who
Basics of Psychology for are trained medically treat mental illness equivalent to physical illness. Some
Social Worker of the therapies which are used for the treatment of psychological disorders
are Insulin coma, Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), Drug treatment. The
psychodynamic therapy is based on the psychoanalytic perspective. The
different techniques used by the psychotherapist are free association, analysis
of dreams, Transference analysis etc. Behavior therapy is based upon the
principles of learning. The techniques of behaviour therapy are systematic
desensitization, aversion therapy, assertiveness therapy, modeling technique
and bio-feedback. Cognitive Therapy lays a great stress on recognising and
changing negative thoughts and maladaptive beliefs.

4.7 KEYWORDS
Psychotherapy : The treatment of psychological disorders by
psychological means, within the framework of an
existent psychological theory.
Cognitive therapy : This is a school of psychotherapy which elicits
changes in mood and behaviour by identifying and
altering faculty ways of thinking.
Psychoanalytic : This is a school of psychotherapy, based o
psychotherapy classical psychoanalysis, psychotherapy which
corrects dysfunctional moods and behavioural
through an analysis and comtions of faculty ways
of dealing with conflicts.
Unconscious mind : This is the part of the mind which, despite efforts,
cannot be accessed by the consciousness.
Cognitive : These are maladaptative thinking patterns that.
distortion distort reality distortions in a negative way, and
make persons perceive the world as being more
hostile than it actually is.

4.8 SUGGESTED READINGS

Coleman, J.C. (1964), Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life, Scolt,
Foresman, Chicago.
Kagan, Jercome and Julius Segal (1988), Psychology: An Introduction, Har
Court Brace. Jovanovich Publisher, New York. !

Munn, L. Norman et al(1967), Introduction to Psychology, Oxford and IBPH

Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.

4.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

Check Your Progress I

1) Infrequent occurrence: Majority of people show average behaviour as
concerned to any event in life. Those people who deviate from the average
 show extreme tendencies. But frequency cannot be considered as the sole Normality and Abnormality
criterion for determination of abnormal beheviour.
Violation of norms: This approach is based on social norms, cultural
rules that guide behaviour in particular situations. If the behaviour of a
particular individual violates social norms, threatens or makes others
anxious, it can be considered as abnormal behaviour. Abnormality is a
deviation of behaviour in higher degree from the accepted social norms.
A word of caution in this characteristic is that the social norms vary across
cultures. A social norm of one culture may be a violation of norm in
others. This concept alone is too broad as criminals and prostitutes violate
social norms but they are not necessarily studied within the domain of
abnormal psychology.

Persolzal distress: A behaviour can be considered abnormal if it creates

distress in the person experiencing it. For example a regular and heavy
consumer of alcohol may realize his habit to be unhealthy and wish to
I
discontinue his habit. This behaviour can be identified as abnormal. The
personal distress model is not self sufficient because people decide and
report on how much they are suffering. Also the levels of distress vary in
different people.
!
I
Dysfunctions: Dysfi~nctionor disability model considers a person to be
abnormal if his emotions, actions, or thoughts interfere with his ability to
lead a normal life in the society. Foe example substance abuse disorders
caused by abnormal drug use hamper a person's work performance.
Unexpectedness: This model takes into account the unexpected
occurrence of a behaviour.

Check Your Progress I1

1) This view holds that mental disorders are caused by biological or bodily
processes. This paradigm is also called as the medical model. Individuals
working with this paradigm assume that answers to abnormal behaviour
lie within the body. Let us take an example Both researches and theory
support that anxiety disorders may stem from a defect within the
autonomic nervous system that causes a person to be easily aroused or
heredity probably predisposes an individual to develop schizophrenia.
For the past many years biological research has made great progress in
elucidating brain behaviour relationship but still it is not sufficient to
say that the biological paradigm answers all the questions of abnormal
psychology.

2) The two main approaches of assessment are psychological and biological

assessment.

Psychological Assessmelzt: Psyc)ological assessment includes interviews,

which can be both structured and open in nature. Psychological tests like
self report personality inventories, intelligence tests are closed tests.
Projective Tests like Rorschach Ink Blot Test, Thematic Apperception
test are open tests. Other than these observation method is also a useful
method for assessing an individual.
Basics of Psychology for Biological Assessmerzt: Biological Assessment involves imaging techniques
Social Worker like CT Scan, PET Scan(Positron Emission Tomography ) etc. which
help to see various structures of the brain.
Check Your Progress I11
1) Anxiety can be described as a general feeling of dread or apprehension
followed by physiological reactions like increased heart rate, sweating,
tense muscles etc. Anxiety differs from fear in one respect and that is fear
has a cause and once that cause is removed, fear subsides, whereas anxiety
is less clearly linked to specific events and thus tends to be more pervasive
and less responsive to changes in the environment. Anxiety disorders are
diagnosed in the presence of subjective experienced feeling of anxiety.

2) The three main subtypes of schizophrenia are paranoid, catatonic and

disorganized. The major symptoms of paranoids are delusions and
auditory hallucinations. They are tense, suspicious and guarded. They
may feel people are trying to harm them or planning against them. The
Catatonic face motor immobility, rigid posture or excessive motor activity
including parrot like repetition of an action or anybody's saying. The
catatonics may assume a peculiar posture for long periods of time.