The document discusses definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, inability to function adequately, and deviation from ideal mental health. It examines limitations of these definitions, such as the subjective nature of norms and functioning, and cultural differences in what is considered abnormal. Factors like race, class, and changing social attitudes over time can influence perceptions and diagnoses of abnormality.

1. AS
Psychology
Abnormality
Name:
Tutor:

2. Task:
Getting you thinking:

3. Individual Differences: Abnormality:
Definitions of Abnormality
Deviation from ______norms definition:
We have _________rules that we must abide by.
People who deviate from these are seen to abnormal.
This approach takes in to account behaviours that are
_________for the individual and for society.
Limitations: It is generally based on the opinions of ______
within society rather than the majority.
______ in society change over time as moral and social
attitudes change e.g. women wearing trousers and views on
homosexuality.
Abuse of human rights. _____ (1962) the term ‘mental illness’
is used to control people. For example _______ dissenters in
the USSR after WW2 were proclaimed ‘mentally ill’ and sent to
hospitals.
It can be valuable to break norms. The _______ movement
did this and _______ society.
Cultural Relativism: Again these rules are different for
different cultures.
They are also based on white ideas about abnormality.
________ (1977) noted that in the UK there was a high rate
of Afro-Caribbean and Asian people diagnosed as mentally ill.
Based on the diagnosis of white doctors.
________ to function adequately definition:
This means how people ____ with certain situations in life.
Most of us aim to cope with day to day life. If we don’t we are
seen as_______.
This includes _______ behaviour and behaviour that
distresses the individual/patient.

4. Limitations: Who judges? Who is to say that the way a person
lives their life is wrong? They may be comfortable and content
with the way life is. It is others who do this. _________don’t
see themselves as abnormal but they may become dangerous or
display _______ behaviour towards others.
Cultural relativism: Again we are applying a western model to
other cultures, which is inaccurate. It also affects class too.
This is why non-white and ______ status people are diagnosed
more frequently with mental illness.
Deviation from ideal mental health definition:
________ (1958) noted that there are ways in which we
diagnose physical ill health by noting the absence of key things
such as correct body temp, ______ skin colour, normal _____
pressure.
She did the same for mental health, she noted 6 categories:
Self-________ - having high self esteem and sense of self
worth.
Personal ______ and actualisation- the extent to which a
person wants to improve themselves.
Integration-being able to _____ with stressful situations.
Autonomy-being independent and self regulating.
________ perception of reality.
Mastery of the environment- Ability to work, function well in
relationships, solve problems and take on new situations.
Limitations: If we just looked at this criteria we would all be
abnormal.
It must be asked how many criteria have to be missing for us
to judge it as abnormal.

5. Cultural relativism: Self actualisation is relevant for
individualist cultures and not collectivist cultures. Is it right to
then diagnose them as ‘mentally ill’?

6. Models of Abnormality Task:
In pairs/threes I want you to pair up the
following statements to the appropriate model.
• Biological Model:
• Psychodynamic Model:
• Psychodynamic Model:
• Biological Model:
• Psychodynamic Model:
• Biological Model:
• Psychodynamic Model:
• Biological Model:
Mental Disorders result from psychological causes.
Abnormality is caused by genetics.
Early experiences cause mental disorder.
Infection causes mental illness.
Biochemistry causes mental illness.
Unresolved conflicts cause mental illness.
Unconscious motivations cause mental
illness.
It is similar to a disease and has a physical cause.

7. Models of Abnormality:
Biological Approach:
Assumptions:
 The most widely used approach.
 Mainly used in West to diagnose mental illness.
 Developed by the medical profession, hence it’s name.
 This model has many key assumptions.
1) Similar to a disease: Can be compared to a disease. It assumes that
mental illness is physiological and is to do with brain damage/dysfunction.
2) Symptoms: As with other diseases, mental illness has a list of
symptoms that are listed in a diagnostic manual. This is called the DSM-
IV ( Diagnostic Statistical Manual 4th Edition). They compare what the
patient has with the well established criteria in the manuals.
3) It is inherited through genetics: It is assumed that genes have a major
effect on the development of mental illnesses. People may have a
predisposition to the disorders. This is seen in twin/family studies.
Kendler et al (1985) saw that relatives of schizophrenics were 18 times
more likely to develop the disorder than a control group.
4)Bio-chemistry: It could be that chemical imbalances in the brain cause
mental illnesses. It has been seen that on some cases of schizophrenia
the hormone dopamine is very high. However a lot of the findings are
correlations and don’t always prove cause and effect.
5)Infection: This is common in physical illness but has also been seen on
mental illness as well. Barr et al (1990) found increased levels of
schizophrenia amongst mothers who had the flu virus whilst they were
pregnant, suggesting a possible link with the disorder.

8. Evaluation:
1) Humane approach: this approach attaches no blame to the person
suffering from mental health issues. It is treated as though they
have caught an infection. Or other type of illness.
2) The treatments are effective. Drug treatments benefits outweigh
the side effects. The benefits of ECT (electro-convulsive-therapy)
and psychosurgery are less clear cut. However patients are glad to
have tried them
3) The physiological evidence is well supported from techniques such
as brain scans and post mortems after death have added to our
knowledge.
4) Diagnosis is better post 1980 than it was pre 1980. This is because
of new diagnosis techniques that don’t create as much disparity.
Task:
 On pages 184-186 outline the Aim, design, results, conclusions and
evaluation of Rosenhan (1973) ‘On being sane in insane places’.
 This study provides an insight in to how diagnosis of mental health
problems was less accurate pre 1980.
 Complete this task in the space provided below:

10. The Psychodynamic Approach
Introduction
 One of the main psychologists in this approach is Sigmund Freud
 This Model assumes that experiences in our earlier years can
affect our emotions, attitudes and behaviour in later years without
us being aware that it is happening.
 Freud suggested that abnormal behaviour is caused by unresolved
conflicts in the Unconscious.
 These conflicts create anxiety, and we use defence mechanisms
such as repression and denial to protect our Ego against this
anxiety.

11. Early experiences in childhood:
 Freud (1935) stated that children proceed through Psychosexual
stages.
 During the stages certain body parts are sensitive to sexual
stimulation and the child’s libido (sexual energy)is focused on these
body parts:
1. The mouth (oral stage 0-18 months).
2. The anus (anal stage 18 months to 3 years).
3. Genital region (phallic stage 3-6 years).
 For example a child in the oral stage will seek satisfaction through
it’s mouth.
 Frustration occurs when the child can’t be satisfied.
 An overindulgence may lead to a fixation and may make a part of
that child’s libido is locked in that stage.
 This then can effect the individual in their adult life.
 The phallic stage is important in moral development.
 This is achieved through an identification with a same sex parent.
 The greater the identification the greater the conscience.
 The resolution of the Oedipus complex (sexual feelings towards his
Mother) in boys is strong, but a girls resolution of penis envy is
never complete.
 According to this approach, this is why females are less mature in
this area.
 Identification is also important in gender identity and in attitudes
to authority.
Personality:
1. Id-
2. Ego-
3. Superego-

12.  Ego ________ are created to deal with anxiety from conflicts
between the _ areas.
 The defences are _________ and explain the dynamics of many
behaviours.
 They are not totally _________ in dealing with ________, and
unconsciously __________ behaviours may, over time, result in
________ disorders.
 These defence mechanisms can include:
 Repression which is the major _______ _______ where
emotionally _________ material is repressed into the unconscious
so that it is no longer in _________ awareness.
 _______, when the individual refuses to accept that something
has happened (_____ _____ ) as a means of protection from the
trauma of having to deal with it.
Evaluation of the Psychodynamic approach:
Advantages:

13. Limitations:

15. The Behavioural Approach:
Definition:
This approach looks at objectively, observable behaviour, and the role of
the environment as a way of determining human behaviour.
The 2 psychologists most closely associated with this approach are J.B.
Watson and B.F. Skinner.
Outline:
• Humans are born blank slates: Behaviourists believe that all
knowledge and learning are acquired through the senses. The role
of heredity and instincts is largely ignored. Behaviourism takes the
side of nurture in the nature-nurture debate.
• All behaviour is learned through the environment: Behaviourists
believe that behaviour is learned through ones environment.
Learning is the key to behaviour and is determined by your
experiences. Experience helps us to adapt and change and
therefore survive (Tavris and Wade, 1997). Basic learning is called
conditioning.
• All behaviour is observable: They stress the importance of dealing
with behaviours that are directly observable. External events
dictate the occurrence of behaviour and these events can be
observed and measured in an objective and unbiased way.
• Humans and animals learn in a similar way: The laws of learning
apply to both humans and animals. Therefore observing animals in
the lab can help us understand the ways humans learn in their
environments.
3 main types of learning:
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning and Social Learning:
Classical Conditioning:
• Learning by association:

16. • When two environmental changes (stimuli) occur together, we learn
to associate them
• The response to one may transfer to the other
• E.g. Pavlov (1901) taught dogs to salivate when they heard a bell.
Operant Conditioning:
• Learning by consequences
• Organisms operate on their environments
• The likelihood of them repeating any given behaviour depends on its
consequences
• Reinforcement – more likely to repeat
• Punishment – less likely to repeat
Social Learning
• Learning by observation
• People observe the behaviour of other people (models).
• They may imitate the behaviour they observe
• Whether or not they do so depends on the observed consequences:
• Vicarious reinforcement (being rewarded for a behaviour).
• Vicarious punishment (being punished for a behaviour).
Using the text books page 233-234, briefly outline the main evaluation
points of the three types of learning. Use the space below to complete
the task.

19. The Cognitive Approach:
 Assumptions of the causes of abnormality
 To understand behaviour we must understand thoughts – including
how people see themselves and the world around them.
 Abnormal or disordered behaviour is caused by faulty and irrational
thought processes
 Examples of irrational thinking include:
- Magnification and minimisation – people magnify failure and minimise
achievement (the glass is half empty rather than half full)
- Overgeneralization – a person makes a sweeping conclusion based on a
single trivial event (failing an exam means you are completely useless in
life)
 Beck used the term cognitive triad to refer to the three main
forms of negative thinking – negative views of (1) self (2) world and
(3) future
 Beck's negative (irrational) thoughts that depressed individuals
have about...
 Themselves: "I am helpless and inadequate"
 The world: "The world is full of obstacles I can’t overcome"
 The future: "I am worthless, so there's no chance that the
future will be any better than the present"
Beck’s cognitive triad

20. Advantages:
 Concentrates on _______thought processes.
 It does not depend on the ______ history of the client, for
example, recovering repressed memories from the _________.
This is an ________ because details about a person’s past are
often unclear, ________, misleading and misremembered.
 Studies show that individuals who are suffering from _______
disorders and ___________ do experience irrational thoughts and
distorted processing.
 Similarly, studies show that ________ and _______ people have
various ________ biases, e.g., they remember more negative than
positive information
Limitations:
 Like all other approaches, the ________ Model rarely supplies the
complete solution to ________ behaviour by itself.
 There may be ________ and environmental influences
affecting a person’s_________ . Focusing only on a person’s
cognition may be too narrow an approach
 The thoughts could be a ______ of the disorder but they could
equally be an effect. For example, with ________ it is difficult to
know if the ________ view of the world has caused the disorder
or if it is a consequence of being depressed.
 Cognitive therapy only changes _________; it does not address
behaviour or other _________ issues.
 The Cognitive ______ sometimes places the ______ for any
disorder unfairly on the individual – “It’s your disordered thinking,
so you are at fault”.

21.  For example, a person suffering from depression may be
living in awful circumstances where depression is a perfectly
valid and rationale response to the situation. It will hardly be
surprising if he perceives the world and his future as
negative and grim.
Models of Abnormality activity:
Match each of the following statements with one or more of these
approaches:
MEDICAL
BEHAVIOURAL
COGNITIVE
PSYCHODYNAMIC
a) We do not need to know what has caused a person to have a
particular problem in order to treat them.
b) Therapy consists mainly of talking.
c) People need to be helped to make sense of how they experience the
world.
d) The root cause of the problems are to be found in childhood
experience.
e) Drugs are a useful way of helping people with problems.
f) Mental illnesses have an organic cause.

22. The case of Suzanne Andrews:
During the day, Suzi sits on a black bin liner on the side of the road,
smiling at people who pass by who stop and hand her some money. Many of
these people live in nice houses and feel quite protective towards her. At
night she collects all her belongings-a couple of bags-and carries them
half a mile to the doorway of a bank. She puts her things down carefully
and then stands near the curb and shouts and swears all night.
Suzi is 41 years old and her face is very red form all her outdoor living.
When she is calm she has a sweet expression on her face. She wears
layers of clothing – a black T-shirt, a loose flowery dress, and an orange
sweater. She has long brown hair and she covers it with a wooly hat. She
wears blue leg warmers and pink trainers.
Sometimes she has rational conversations but sometimes appears totally
confused. For example, one day she said to a reporter, ‘Do you know that
this is a very nice neighbourhood and is very historical, you should write a
report about it’. However a minute later she said that she owned all the
land in the area and that she had lived there for centuries.
Suzi didn’t always act this way. Growing up in Birmingham, her childhood
and adolescence were very normal. She sang in her church choir and was
invited to join her High School Council. She married and had a daughter.
Eventually though her behaviour became a little strange. Her husband
said that she made things up and started talking to herself. Most of the
time, however, she acted normally. She went to university and gained a
master’s and was a very good Mother.
After several years though her conversations with imaginary individuals
became more frequent, her mother tried numerous times to enter a
psychiatric ward. Suzi refused. Eventually Suzi agreed, but the lawyer
who met her to prepare her for her hearing convinced her that it was the
wrong thing for her to do.
Since then Suzi has lived on the streets. She is meticulous about cleaning
herself, washing daily with bottled water and she can have many coherent
conversations with people., but she has another side. There are times
when she screams for hours and swears. She argues with people who
aren’t there and also is convinced there is a government conspiracy

23. against her. She refuses psychological help. She thinks she doesn’t need
it.
Applying models of abnormality to the case of Suzi
Andrews
We have looked at 4 models of abnormality, which of the models of
abnormality brings us closest to understanding the reasons for Suzi’s
behaviour?
How might each model try to explain her behaviour?
APPROACH EXPLANATION
PSYCHODYNAMIC
BEHAVIOURAL
COGNITIVE
MEDICAL

25. Treating Abnormality:
 Biological Therapies (Drugs/ECT)
 These therapies come from the biological model of abnormality.
 These treatments assume that changing the way the body
functions will treat abnormal behaviour.
 Two main biological treatments are Drugs and ECT.
 Drug Therapy:
 Around 25% of drugs prescribed by the NHS are for mental
illness.
 They work by modifying the working of the brain, and affect mood
and behaviour.
 People suffering from mental disorders are usually prescribed
more than one drug.
 They work by entering the bloodstream in order to reach the brain.
 Drugs taken orally are absorbed by the gut and pass in to the Liver.
 Injected drugs bypass this area so a smaller dosage is needed in
contrast to the larger dose needed when taking the drug orally.
 Different doses are required for different individuals.
 Drugs affect chemicals in the nervous system.
 The chemicals are called neurotransmitters and they have a variety
of effects on behaviour.
 Some of the main neurotransmitters are: dopamine, serotonin,
acetylcholine, noradrenaline and GABA.
 The basic way the drugs work is by decreasing or increasing these
neurotransmitters and to modify the effect on a persons
behaviour.
 Drugs can exert their influence in a number of ways.
 Facilitating or inhibiting production of a neurotransmitter.

26.  Increasing or decreasing the release of a neurotransmitter,
orAltering what happens to it after it attaches to the
receptor.
 There are different drugs for different disorders (you don’t need
to know specific drugs in the exam just about them in general).
 Anti-psychotic drugs are used for schizophrenia, manic depression,
and for other psychotic symptoms.
 They lower dopamine in the brain.
 Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs, remember stress!) are given for
stress related illnesses, such as phobias.
 Antidepressants are used, unsurprisingly for stabilising mood.
Either by reducing the mood or increasing it.
 Task:
 In your own words outline the following evaluation points on drug
therapies (pages 237-238):
 Efficacy
 Side-effects
 Treating symptoms
 Ethical issues.
Eficacy:

27. Side effects:
Treating symptoms:
Ethical issues:

28. Biological Therapies continued: ECT:
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
 This therapy is used with drug resistant depressive disorders.
 It is most commonly used when medication and psychological
therapies have not worked or the patient does not respond to
them.
 Approximately 22,000 people each year undergo ECT, in the UK.
 The course of treatments usually consists of 6-12 treatments.
 Nowadays the patient is usually under a general anaesthetic and
muscle relaxants to ensure the patient does not feel pain.
 Electrodes are placed on the head with a controlled series of
110mv pulses entering the brain.
 This causes a seizure in the brain for around a minute. After 5-10
minutes the patients wake up.
 Types of ECT:
1. Unilateral ECT-One side of the brain is stimulated. Usually the
non-dominant hemisphere (left hand side of the brain, for left
handed people).
2. Bilateral ECT-Where both sides of the brain are stimulated.
 There are still arguments as to what makes ECT work on certain
individuals.
 Some say it is to do with a change in various neurotransmitters
that are sensitive to the release of hormones such as serotonin and
GABA, noradrenaline and dopamine (Sasa, 1999).

29. Evaluation:
Positive: Negative:

30. Psychological Therapies
Psychoanalysis:
 This is taken from Freud’s ideas, although the treatments were
taken from Freud, they aren’t practiced in the same way that he
did them.
 It places importance on childhood and repressed memories.
 The goal is to bring the unconscious into the conscious. The patient
can then learn to deal with them with the help of the therapist.
 There are a number of techniques to do this.
 One such treatment is Free Association.
 This technique allows the patient to lie on the therapists couch and
talk about whatever comes to mind, it doesn’t matter whether it
makes any sense or not.
 They can say anything. The therapist doesn’t comment, and if they
do it is always in a positive way.
 As the patient is not responsible for what they are saying, they
feel relaxed and then hopefully unconscious thoughts can come to
the conscious mind and be dealt with.
 The patient’s collection of thoughts gives the therapist clues to
help understand the unconscious mind.
 Another technique used is Dream analysis.
 Freud believed that dreams influence our lives a lot. He called them
‘the royal road into the unconscious’.
 Freud thought that our ego defences are lowered during sleep and
that repressed material surfaces in symbolic form.
 They are disguised so that unacceptable thoughts don’t wake us up.
 The anxieties and concerns are ‘hidden’ (latent content), whereas
the manifest content is what is immediately apparent in dreams.
 The aim is to reveal the latent content in dreams. For example a
dream about a collapsing bridge (manifest content) may be
symbolised as a problem with the patient’s marriage (latent
content).

31.  There are a number of stages involved in both dream analysis and
free association.
1.
2.
3.

32. 4.
Give 4 evaluation points of psychoanalysis on page 241 of the textbook

33. • Behavioural therapies:
• These therapies are based on classical and operant conditioning
techniques to alter a persons behaviour.
• Behaviourists look to treat symptoms, not the causes of abnormal
behaviour.
• They believe there is little point in looking for causes and it is more
beneficial to treat the symptoms.
• Critics argue that symptoms of abnormality are merely the tip of
the iceberg, and that other symptoms will then take over from the
ones removed.
• Systematic desensitisation:
• This therapy is used to create a counter response to a phobia. They
remove the fear response they have to something and replace it
with a relaxation response.
• It is based on the idea of classical conditioning.
• This conditioning is used very gradually and introduces the feared
stimulus in a step-by-step way. This is why it is called systematic
desensitisation.
• SD involves 3 steps:
• Training the patient to relax (using deep muscle relaxation and/or
tranquilisers).
• Establishing an anxiety hierarchy of the stimuli involved.
• Counter conditioning relaxation as a response to each feared
stimulus, beginning with the least anxiety provoking stimulus (e.g.
toy spider) and then systematically moving on to the next anxiety-
provoking stimulus (e.g. spider in a glass box). This goes on until all
the things in the anxiety hierarchy have been dealt with
successfully.
• Evaluation:
• It is seen as an effective treatment for simple or specific phobias
(Marks, 1987).
• Wolpe and Wolpe (1988) both agree that it is effective. They
claimed that around 80-90% of patients are either cured or much
improved after around 25-30 sessions.

34. • Klosko et al (1990), found that SD was as good as or better than
the most popular drugs. It was found SD treatment group was 87%
free of panic, compared to drug 50%, placebo 36%.
• Therapies can be applied by non-professionals
• Patients are in control of their own therapy as they work with the
therapist on their own hierarchy. They can also move back in the
hierarchy if they feel uncomfortable.
• It is not always practical for the patient to confront real
situations. Real-life hierarchies can be difficult to arrange and
control.
• This method only works well for minor anxiety disorders such as
phobias.
• It is claimed that the hierarchy and the relaxation techniques
aren’t needed, and exposure to the feared situation is the most
important aspect.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT):
• This assumes that abnormal behaviour comes from
faulty/disordered thinking.
• It is an umbrella term for a number of therapies.
• Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) (Ellis, 1975)
• Irrational thoughts cause emotional distress. Irrational thoughts
cause negative self-statements.
• Therapy involves making these thoughts more positive and rational.
• Ellis (1990) thought that there are a number of beliefs that are
emotionally damaging e.g. ‘I must be loved by everyone’.
• The aim is to challenge thinking and show how irrational their
thoughts are.
• Ellis (1975) used the ABC technique.
• It involves 3 steps to analyse the way a person has developed their
irrational beliefs:
• A-Activating event: client records the event that lead to the
disordered thinking (failing exams).
• B-Beliefs: client recalls the negative thoughts associated with the
event (I’m useless and stupid).
• C-Consequence: the client records the negative thoughts that
follows (feeling upset about leaving school).

35. • The client is then challenged to think of the situation in a more
positive light e.g. there was little time for revision, the exam was
difficult.
• Treatment of automatic thoughts (Beck, 1967, 1993)
• This therapy is often used for depression.
• Beck thought that depressed people see the world negatively.
• Depressed people expect to fail in life, blame themselves and have
a negative view of themselves.
• This forms the cognitive triad-negative view of self, world and
future.
• Beck identified a number of cognitive biases and distortions that
occur in depressed people. Some of these are:
• Arbitrary inference-drawing unjustified conclusions based on little
or no evidence.
• Selective abstraction- the focusing of attention on one detail
without regard to the rest of the picture.
• Over-generalisation-the drawing of a general conclusion based on a
limited event.
• Therapy is a joint effort between the therapist and client.
• The first thing is to identify the problem and the desired goal.
• Then it is to challenge the negative thoughts.
• The last step is to get the client to monitor their own perceptions
accurately.
• When they do this the client can then learn why they hold these
thoughts.

36. Task:
Give 3 evaluation points on the Behavioural therapies on page 246 of
the textbook.

37. In groups plan the answer to the following 12 mark essay question:
“Abnormality is very difficult to define. It can be hard to decide
where normal behaviour ends and abnormal behaviour begins”.
Discuss two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks).
You have 20 mins to plan this answer. Then on your own, and using your
plan, you will have 20 mins to write the answer to the question above.
You may use this page to plan your answer.
Use a separate sheet of paper when you are answering the question.

38. Homework and past paper questions:
SPECIMEN PAPER
9. One assumption of the biological approach to psychopathology is that abnormality is
inherited.
Explain ONE way in which psychologists have investigated the genetic basis of abnormality (4
marks)
10. Outline key features of the psychodynamic approach to psychopathology (6 marks)
11. James is afraid of flying. Just thinking about flying causes him distress and even going to
the airport is a problem. In order to overcome this fear, he consults a behavioural
psychologist who feels that he may benefit from systematic de-sensitisation.
(a) Which approach to psychopathology would be most likely to advocate the use of
systematic de-sensitisation? (1 marks)
(b) Explain how systematic de-sensitisation might be carried out to overcome James’s fear of
flying. (6 marks)
ADDITIONAL SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Three of the following statements descibe limitations of different definitions of
abnormality.
A What seems like abnormal behaviour may actually be beneficial to an individual
B This definition does not tell us which infrequent behaviours are undesirable
C It is difficult, maybe impossible, for an individual to achieve all the criteria that
make up this definition

39. D This criteria has sometimes been used as a justification to punish social deviants
In the table below, insert the limitation A B C or D that matches the corresponding
definition of abnormality (3 marks)
Definitions of abnormality Limitation of definitions
Deviation from ideal mental health
Failure to function adequately
Deviation from social norms
2. Some patients, especially children and those with mental impairments, may not be able to
give informed consent for treatment of their mental disorders.
Explain how informed consent could be gained in an ethical manner for these types of
patients (4 marks)
3. (a) Which of the following three options describes ECT as a type of treatment? (1 mark)
A A biological therapy
B A form of psychoanalysis
C A cognitive behavioural therapy
4. Discuss the behavioural approach to explaining psychological abnormality (12 marks)
FURTHER PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Describe the use of electro-convulsive therapy in the treatment of mental disorders (6
marks)

40. 2. Describe the use of drugs to treat psychological disorders (4 marks)
3. Discuss the use of drugs to traet psychological disorders (6 marks)
4. Outline ONE definition of abnormality (3 marks)
5. (a) The following are four approaches to the understanding of mental disorder:
A Psychodynamic
B Behaviourist
C Cognitive
D Biological
In the table below, write down which approach, A B C or D, is associated with each
assumption. (3 marks)
Assumption about abnormality Approach
People become ill because of negative thoughts
People become ill due to imbalances of
neurotransmitters
People become ill due to unresolved unconscious
conflicts
(b) Select ONE of the approaches, A B C or D, and explain ONE strength of this approach
(3 marks)
JANUARY 2009
1. Before leaving the house each morning, Angus has to go round checking that all the
lights are switched off. He has to do this several times before he leaves and it makes
him late for work.

41. a) Give ONE definition of abnormality (1 mark)
b) Use this definition to explain why Angus’ behaviour might be viewed as
abnormal (2 marks)
2. A) Which TWO of the following statements apply to the behavioural approach to
psychopathology? (2 marks)
A Unresolved conflicts in childhood affect adult behaviour
B All behaviour is learned in the same way
C Abnormal behaviour is caused by faulty thinking
D The same basic laws that explain animal behavour can also
explain human beahviour
E Irrational thoughts lead to abnormal behaviour
B) Explain ONE limitation of the behavioural approach to psychopathology (2 marks)
3. Claire constantly worries that she will be unable to finish a task. She thinks that if
she does not complete it perfectly, it will not be worth doing. These thoughts are so
bad that she finds it difficult starting anything and her work is suffering.
a) Outline what is involved in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (3 marks)
b) Why might Cognitive Behavioural Therapy be appropriate for Claire? (2 marks)
4. Outline and evaluate the biological approach to psychopathology (12 marks)
May 2009
1. A) Describe key features of the behavioural approach to psychopathology (4 marks)
B) Outline ONE limitation of the behavioural approach to psychopathology (2 marks)
2. One way of defining abnormality is to see whether or not someone meets the
criteria for mental health. Ivan has high self-esteem and a strong sense of identity.
a) Describe TWO other criteria that you would expect Ivan to display if he were
psychologically healthy (2+2 marks)
b) Outline ONE weakness of defining abnormality in terms of mental health (2
marks)
3. Sally often gets anxious for no apparent reason. She believes that people do not like
her and becomes distressed when she has to meet strangers. She is very nervous

42. when faced with new or unexpected situations. Sally has been referred to a
therapist for psychoanalysis.
a) Outline TWO techniques used in psychoanalysis (2+2 marks)
b) Sally asks whether there are any problems with this therapy. What would you
tell her? (2 marks)
c) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is another psychological therapy. Explain why this
might be an appropriate therapy for Sally’s problems. (2 marks)
4. Describe the use of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) in treating abnormality (4
marks)
January 2010
1. Identify and outline key features of TWO psychological approaches to
psychopathology (6 marks)
2. Hamish has a phobia of heights. This phobia has now become so bad that he has
difficulty in going to his office on the third floor, and he cannot even sit on the top
deck of a bus any more. He has decided to try systematic de-sensitisation to help
him with his problem.
Explain how the therapist might use systematic to help Hamish to overcome his
phobia. (6 mark)