This document provides an overview of the historical conceptions of abnormal behavior from ancient to modern times. It discusses views from the supernatural, biological, psychological, psychoanalytic, humanistic, and behaviorist traditions. The biological tradition viewed disorders through humoral theory and treatments like bloodletting. The psychological tradition emphasized moral therapy. Psychoanalysis explored the unconscious and defense mechanisms. Modern approaches take an integrative scientific perspective.

1. C
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
IN THE HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
MAP106 – Advanced Abnormal Psychology

2. What is a Psychological Disorder?
• A dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in
functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected
Psychological Dysfunction
• Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Distress or Impairment
• Extreme feelings of being upset.
• Distress alone CANNOT define abnormality
Atypical or Not culturally expected
• Infrequent occurrence
• Violation of social norms

3. Jerome Wakefield’s
Harmful Dysfunction
• Harmful is a value term based on social norms.
• Dysfunction is a scientific term referring to the
failure of a mental mechanism to perform a
natural function for which it was designed by
evolution.

4. DSM-5 Definition
• “ a clinically significant disturbance in
cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
that indicates a dysfunction in mental
functioning that is usually associated with
significant distress or disability in work,
relationships, or other areas of functioning (p.
20).

5. Psychopathology and Its Related
Professions
• Psychopathology is the study scientific study of psychological disorders.
• RELATED PROFESSIONS:
• Clinical Psychologists & Counseling Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Psychiatric Social Workers
• Psychiatric Nurses
• Marriage and Family Therapists

6. The Scientist-Practitioner Model
• Mental health professionals taking a scientific approach.
• Keeping up with the latest scientific developments.
• Evaluation of their own assessments or treatment procedures to see whether
they work.
• Professionals may conduct studies regarding disorders or their treatment.

7. Clinical Description
• Presenting Problem refers to the specific problems or set of problems
manifested by the patients.
• Clinical Description refers to the unique combination of behaviors,
thoughts, and feelings making up a specific disorder.
• Prevalence refers to the figures on how many people in a population as a
whole have the disorder.
• Incidence refers to the statistics on how many new cases occur during a
given period.

8. Clinical Description
• Course refers to the individual pattern of a disorder.
• Chronic: tend to last a long time, sometimes a lifetime.
• Episodic: likely to cover within a few months and suffer recurrence at a later time
• Time-limited: improvement in a relatively short period without treatment with little or
no risk of recurrence
• Onset: beginning of a disorder
• Acute: begins suddenly
• Insidious: gradual development over an extended period
• Prognosis refers to the anticipated course of a disorder.
• Etiology: study of origins; includes the biological, psychological and social
dimensions.

9. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Supernatural Tradition
• Deviant behavior is a battle between
good and evil.
• Exorcism became a form of intervention.
• Tortures and beatings were done to
assure that bodies won’t be inhabitable
by evil spirits.
• Paracelsus contended that the
movement of the moon and stars has a
profound effect on psychological
functioning.

10. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Biological Tradition
• Hippocrates contends that psychological disorders could be treated like any disease.
• The brain was considered to be the seat of wisdom, consciousness, intelligence, and
emotion. Thus, any disturbances in these functioning can be traced from the brain
• Galen later adopted Hippocrates’ ideas.
• Humoral Theory of Disorder:
• Sanguine (blood; cheerful & optimistic; insomnia & delirium)
• Melancholic (depressive; black bile)
• Phlegmatic (phlegm; apathy & sluggishness; calm under stress)
• Choleric (yellow bile; hot tempered)
• Treatments:
• Bloodletting
• Regulation of the environment
• Acupuncture

11. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Biological Tradition
• Syphilis was thought to be related with psychosis
• Penicillin was used for treatment
• John P. Grey championed the biological tradition in
the U.S.
• Causes of insanity were always physical. Therefore, the
mentally ill shall be treated similar to the physically ill.
• Interventions:
• Gain rest
• Proper room temperature and ventilation

12. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: The Psychological Tradition
• Development of moral therapy, which was
aimed at treating institutionalized patients as
normally as possible. It allowed for
interaction among patients.
• Philippe Pinel began moral therapy in France
along with his colleague Jean-Baptiste
Pussin.
• William Tuke followed the lead in England
• Benjamin Rush followed the lead in the U.S
and became the father of American
Psychiatry.
• Dorothea Dix campaigned for the mental
hygiene movement.

13. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Psychoanalysis
• Franz Anton Mesmer – “animal magnetism” should be
blocked; used hypnosis
• Sigmund Freud & Josef Breuer – unconscious and
catharsis
• Case of “Anna O.”
• Structure of the Mind
• Defense Mechanisms
• Psychosexual Stages of Development
• Interventions:
• Free Association
• Dream Analysis
• Transference

14. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Humanism
• We are capable reaching our highest potential.
• Person-centered Therapy
• Unconditional Positive Regard
• Empathy

15. Historical Conceptions of Abnormal
Behavior: Behaviorism
• Pavlov – Classical Conditioning
• John B. Watson –founder of behaviorism;
emphasized scientific psychology.
• Watson & Rayner’s Little Albert
• Mary Cover Jones – first behaviorist to treat
phobia
• Systematic Desensitization – gradual exposure
to fear-inducing stimuli until it extinguishes
• B. F Skinner – Operant Conditioning

16. The Present: Scientific Method and An
Integrative Approach
• Increased sophistication in the use of scientific tools and methodology.
• No factors – biological, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or social – ever
occur in isolation