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CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES ON ABNORMAL
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVES
BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVES
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVES
SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
HUMANISTIC-EXISTENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
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BEHAVIOURAL PERSPECTIVES
Behaviourists believe that our actions are determined largely by the experiences
we have in life, rather than by the underlying pathology of unconscious forces.
Abnormality is therefore seen as the development of behavior patterns that are
considered maladaptive (i.e. harmful) for the individual.
Behaviorism states that all behavior (including abnormal) is learned from the
environment (nurture), and that all behavior that has been learned can also be
‘unlearnt’ (which is how abnormal behavior is treated).
The emphasis of the behavioral approach is on the environment and how abnormal
behavior is acquired, through classical conditioning, operant
conditioning and social learning.
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Classical Conditioning - Ivan Pavlov (1849 – 1936)
• A response naturally elicited by one stimulus comes to be elicited by a
different, formerly neutral stimulus
• Unconditioned stimulus (US)
The stimulus that invariably causes an organism to respond in a specific
way
• Unconditioned response (UR)
A response that takes place in an organism whenever an unconditioned
stimulus occur
• Conditioned stimulus (CS)
An originally neural stimulus that is paired with an unconditioned stimulus
and eventually produces the desired response in an organism when
presented alone 3
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Before Conditioning
Bell No Response US (food) UR (Salivation)
During Conditioning
CS (Bell) –Followed by- US (Food) UR (Salivation)
After Conditioning
CS (Bell) CR (Salivation)
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Operant Conditioning
involves the acquisition of behaviors called
operant behaviors that are emitted by the
organism and that to operate upon or manipulate
the environment to produce certain effects.
Operant behaviors
Behavior designed to operate on the environment
in a way that will gain something desired or avoid
something unpleasant
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Reinforcer
- A stimulus that follows a behavior and increases the
likelihood that the behavior will be repeated
Punisher
- A stimulus that follows a behavior and decreases the
likelihood that the behavior will be repeated
Positive Reinforcer
- Any event whose presence increases the likelihood that
ongoing behavior will recur
Negative Reinforcer
- Any event whose reduction or termination increases the
likelihood that ongoing behavior will recur
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Observational Learning
emphasizes the ability to learn by observing a
model or receiving instructions without firsthand
experience by the learner
For example – phobias may be learned vicariously
by observing the fearful reactions of others in real
life
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COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR PERSPECTIVES
The cognitive behaviour approach assumes that a person’s thoughts are responsible for
their behavior. The model deals with how information is processed in the brain and the
impact of this on behavior.
• Information processing approach storage, retrieval, manipulation,
and output
• psychological disorders is the result of disturbance of these
processes
The basic assumptions are:
Maladaptive behavior is caused by faulty and irrational cognitions.
It is the way you think about a problem, rather than the problem itself that causes
mental disorders.
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Individuals can overcome mental disorders by learning to use more appropriate
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The individual is an active processor of information. How a
person, perceives, anticipates and evaluates events rather than the
events themselves, which will have an impact on behavior. This is
generally believed to be an automatic process, in other words, we
do not really think about it.
In people with psychological problems, these thought processes
tend to be negative and the cognitions (i.e. attributions, cognitive
errors) made will be inaccurate:
These cognitions cause distortions in the way we see things; Ellis
suggested it is through irrational thinking, while Beck proposed the
cognitive triad. 9
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SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
Theorists within the Sociocultural Perspective emphasize the
circumstances surrounding individuals and how their behaviors are
affected specifically by other people, social institutions, and social
forces. According to Catherine A. Sanderson (2010) “Sociocultural
perspective: A perspective describing people’s behavior and
mental processes as shaped in part by their social and/or cultural
contact, including race, gender, and nationality.”
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Socioeconomic factors
Low socioeconomic status has been linked to higher rates of mental and
physical illness (Ng, Muntaner, Chung, & Eaton, 2014) due to persistent
concern over unemployment or under-employment, low wages, lack of
health insurance, no savings, and the inability to put food on the table,
which can then lead to feeling hopeless, helpless, and dependent on
others. This situation places considerable stress on an individual and can
lead to higher anxiety disorders and depression rates.
Gender factors
Gender plays an important, though unclear role in mental illness at times.
It is important to understand that gender is not the cause of mental
illness, though differing demands placed on males and females by society
and their culture can influence the development and course of a disorder. 11
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Environmental factor
Environmental factors also play a role in the development of mental illness.
•In the case of borderline personality disorder, many people report
experiencing traumatic life events such as abandonment, abuse, unstable
relationships or hostility, and adversity during childhood.
Multicultural factor
Racial and ethnic minorities must contend with prejudice, discrimination,
racism, economic hardships, etc. as part of their daily life and these stressors
can increase vulnerability to a mental disorder (Lo & Cheng, 2014; Jones,
Cross, & DeFour, 2007; Satcher, 2001)
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HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE:
American psychologists Carl Rogers (1902–1987) and Abraham Maslow
(1908–1970) believed that people have an inborn tendency toward self-
actualization— to strive to become all they are capable of being.
Each of us possesses a singular cluster of traits and talents that gives us
our own set of feelings and needs and our own perspective on life.
By recognizing and accepting our genuine needs and feelings, by being
true to ourselves, we live authentically, with meaning and purpose.
We may not decide to act out every wish and fancy, but awareness of our
authentic feelings and subjective experiences can help us make more
meaningful choices.
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According to Rogers, abnormal behavior results from a distorted
concept of the self.
Parents can help children develop a positive self-concept by
showing them unconditional positive regard; that is, by prizing them
and showing them that they are worthy of love irrespective of their
behavior at any given time.
Parents may disapprove of a certain behavior but need to convey
to their children that the behavior is undesirable, not the child.
However, when parents show children conditional positive
regard—accept them only when they behave in the way the parents
want them to behave—the children may learn to disown all the
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors their parents have rejected.
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Children will learn to develop conditions of worth; that is, they will
think of themselves as worthwhile only if they behave in certain
approved ways.
Parental disapproval causes them to see themselves as “bad”
and their feelings as wrong, selfish, or even evil.
To retain their self-esteem, they may have to deny their genuine
feelings or disown parts of themselves. The result can be a
distorted self-concept: the children become strangers to their
true selves.
Rogers believed we become anxious when we sense that our
feelings and ideas are inconsistent with a distorted self-concept
that mirrors what others expect us to be.
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Maslow asserted that so long as basic needs
necessary for survival were met (e.g., food, water,
shelter), higher-level needs (e.g., social needs)
would begin to motivate behavior. According to
Maslow, the highest-level needs relate to self-
actualization, a process by which we achieve our
full potential.
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According to the humanists, we cannot fulfill all the wishes
of others and remain true to ourselves. This does not mean
that self-actualization invariably leads to conflict.
Rogers believed that people hurt one another or become
antisocial in their behavior only when they are frustrated in
their endeavors to reach their unique potentials.
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