Abnormal Psychology Essay - 855 Words

Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected†¦show more content†¦Joan was a very successful business women working for a major stock broker firm. She was quickly moving up the ladder and had just received a big promotion on what she hoped would be her way to the top. Houghtons normal life was abruptly interr upted one day when she broke down and began to see things and also hear things that did not exist. She had been in and out of mental health care her entire adult life, but now she had reached the breaking point. She began to lose touch with everyone in her life. She stopped showing up for work and eventually was committed to a mental institution by her family. Houghtons break with reality required an intense treatment during a long period of hospitalization. There are many possible explanations for Joans break down. Her life had been fairly normal expect when she was 6 years old her father molested her. Joan told her mother a few weeks later. Knowing that her husband probably did molest her she tried to convince Joan that it was just bad dream. She just could not imagine asking her husband if her had done this horrible act. She was very much afraid of him. So the molesting continued for another three years. These events haunted her entire life, and most likely were the cause of her mental break down. (Houghton, 1982,pp. 548-549) Governor Dewey and Joan Houghton might be described asShow MoreRelated Abnormal Psychology2516 Words   |  11 PagesThe field of abnormal psychology engages with the obscure line between normal and abnormal behaviour. This blur is as a result of the dissonance that occurs when the two terms are defined for example, when cultural perspectives are taken into consideration-where behaviour (for example sake, experiencing hallucinations) considered deviant in one population is normalcy in another. In attempt to make the field comprehensive a middle ground was determined by drawing on the common elements or patternsRead MoreThe Psychology Of Abnormal Behavior2157 Words   |  9 PagesThe Psychology of Abnormal Behavior can be describe as has having a behavior that deviates form what is the expected and normal. If abnormal psychology is the study of unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and though, then Hollywood depiction of mental disord er in the movie Helen meets the criterion of the teaching of Dr. Conley’s Abnormal Psychology class. Goole Play synopsis of the 2008 Sandra Nettelbeck’s Helen. On the outside, Helen( Aheley Judd) has the perfect life a loving family, a beautifulRead MoreAbnormal Psychology967 Words   |  4 PagesAbnormal Psychology Roshaun Hatchett PSY/410 April 25, 2012 Dr. Christopher Daub Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology has been in existence for more than a century. Mental illness was approached from a spiritual point of view. Individuals of certain beliefs would misdiagnose others from the spiritual perspective and would assume that evil spirits controlled his or her’s physical, mental, and observable world (Tyrer, 2010). The following will be covered in this document: theRead MoreAbnormal Psychology1605 Words   |  7 PagesAbnormal Psychology Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. It seeks to comprehend people by understanding mental functions and social behavior. It also explores neurobiological and physiological processes that can drive cognitive functions and behaviors. It is this drive to understand mental processes that pushes psychologists to want to learn about what is normal and abnormal behavior. People have tried for thousands of years to understand and define abnormal behavior. In the past 100Read MoreAbnormal Psychology. 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It is important to consider characteristics in defining abnormal such as whether the behavior is causingRead MorePathological Psychology : Abnormal Behavior948 Words   |  4 Pages According to the modern perspective of abnormal psychology, abnormal behavior exists when an individual is behaving dangerously and/or showing patterns of behavior that are dysfunctional. Nevertheless, determining insanity among sanity has proven to be much more complicated than it sou nds. An individual whose behavior strays from societal standards is not necessarily abnormally deviant or insane. John Hu simply exhibits behaviors that are different from that of typical European/French social normsRead MorePathological Psychology : Abnormal Psychology1204 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition for behavior that is labeled abnormal. It is this way due to the fact that society in its entirety has to agree on normative behavior. Because society will never have the exact same views, opinions, beliefs, or culture, an unmistakable definition will not occur. A simplified definition of this behavior is unusual conduct that goes against what is classified as ordinary in society. The study of this sort of behavior is abnormal psychology. Abnormal psychology focuses on atypical sequences of conductRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Abnormal Psychology1527 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to Cherry (2016), abnormal psychology is a branch within psychology that focuses on behaviour th at is unusual and not deemed as normal within society. This branch of psychology is composed of a variety of disorders and their causes as well as possible management and/or treatment. With this in mind and within this assignment, I will discuss the causes of abnormal behaviour, discuss the causes and symptoms of mood disorder as well as discuss the background and importance of Sigmund Freud