Psychological disorder: what makes a behavior “abnormal”? Abnormal psychology studies mental disorders to understand and treat them. People with psychological disorders experience significant distress due to dysfunctional patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that are considered deviant in their culture. Psychological disorders are out of a patient's control and may be treated with drugs or therapy, like other medical disorders. They have both biological and environmental influences, reflecting the bio-psycho-social model of illness.

1. Psychological disorder: what
makes a behavior “abnormal”?

2. What is abnormal psychology?
 the application of psychological science to
understanding and treating mental disorders
 People with psychological disorders are also
stigmatized by the people around them, resulting in
shame and embarrassment, as well as prejudice and
discrimination against them.

3. What is a psychological disorder?
 an ongoing dysfunctional pattern of thought,
emotion, and behavior that causes significant
distress, and that is considered deviant in that
person’s culture or society (as cited by

4.  Psychological disorders have much in common with
other medical disorders:
 They are out of the patient’s control
 they may in some cases be treated by drugs
 and their treatment is often covered by medical insurance.

5.  Like medical problems, psychological disorders have:
 both biological (nature)
 as well as environmental (nurture) influences.
 These causal influences are reflected in the bio-
psycho-social model of illness (as cited by
 bio-psycho-social model of Illness: A way of understanding disorder that assumes that
disorder is caused by biological, psychological, and social factors.

7. Yes No Need more info description
Jackie frequently talks to herself while she is working
out her math homework. Her roommate sometimes
hears her and wonders if she is OK.
Charlie believes that the noises made by cars and
planes going by outside his house have secret
meanings. He is convinced that he was involved in the
start of a nuclear war and that the only way for him to
survive is to find the answer to a difficult riddle.
Harriet gets very depressed during the winter months
when the light is low. She sometimes stays in her
pajamas for the whole weekend, eating chocolate and
watching TV.
Frank seems to be afraid of a lot of things. He worries
about driving on the highway and about severe
weather that may come through his neighborhood. But
mostly he fears mice, checking under his bed
frequently to see if any are present.
A worshipper speaking in “tongues” at an Evangelical
church views himself as “filled” with the Holy Spirit
and is considered blessed with the gift to speak the
“language of angels.”

8. References
 C. S. (2011). Chapter 12 Defining
Psychological Dosirders. In Introduction to
Psychology. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/9/9.00SC/M
IT9_00SCF11_text.pdf