Abnormal Psychology Is Often Misunderstood As a Essay

Abnormal Psychology is often misunderstood as a field of psychology because it deals with behavior that "creates a problem for an individual or society" -- and hence, the question immediately arises as to just what is "abnormal" and what is "normal"? The AP Psychology 7th Edition (Sharpsteen, et al., 2005) text suggests that abnormal behavior is "maladaptive or pathological behavior" and before determining whether a behavior is abnormal or not, the "total environment and impact of a person's behavior" must be taken into consideration. Moreover, abnormal psychology does not attempt to link "normal and abnormal" with the concepts of "good and bad," Kendra Cherry explains. Abnormal psychology deals with "psychopathology and abnormal behavior" covering a wide swath of disorders, including sexual deviation, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, to name a few (Cherry, 2008).

The History and Evolution of Abnormal Psychology into a Scientific Discipline

In 800 B.C., Homer believed that mental illness results when God "takes a mind away," according to Dr. Keith Millis at Northern Illinois University. Millis explains that in that same time period Asclepius, an "eminent physician," developed several approaches to treatment; he became "revered as a God of healing" and indeed, numerous temples were built in his name and in his honor. Later, a 5th century B.C. doctor named Hippocrates was among the early proponents of "somatogenic hypothesis," which author Sharpsteen describes as a theory that when there is something amiss with the "soma" (the physical body) then thought and behavior will be disturbed (p. 177). Hence, the idea that deviant behavior may be caused by problems with physical health was launched, the author explains., in the Middle Ages in Europe, Hippocrates' model was attacked and rejected; society believed that -- thanks to the teachings of the Christian Church -- deviant behavior was believed to have been caused by the devil's ability to possess the bodies of "witches," Sharpsteen explains.Author Robert Burton eclipsed Christianity's theories in 1621; he wrote The Anatomy of Melancholy that offered a more realistic, medical reference to deviant behaviors, which led to the development of asylums, Sharpsteen continues on page 177. In time, Frenchman Philippe Pinel advocated removing the chains from mentally ill patients in asylums and treating them "as sick humans rather than beasts" -- and in the process he achieved "some remarkable results," Sharpsteen continues (177). There were more remarkable results in working with mentally imbalanced individuals thanks to the pioneering work of Dorthea Dix in 1841.

Dix was a schoolteacher in Boston but she began a vigorous campaign to make the public aware of the "plight of mentally ill people"; within 30+ years her advocacy resulted in the building of 32 psychiatric hospitals, according to Millis. During the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, a theory emerged that Sharpsteen refers to as the "psychogenic theory"; this idea posited that mental disorders result from "mental malfunctions" was later fine-tuned by Sigmund Freud. Indeed, Freud is credited with the development of psychoanalysis as a treatment for mental illness, and he has received credit for bringing psychology into a scientific discipline.

Theoretical Models Related to Abnormal Psychology

In Sharpsteen's book he mentions the "medical or organic model" (also referred to in this paper as the biological/medical model); the "critical assumption" with this model is that "abnormal behavior is like a disease" (178). This model….....