Other Approaches to Abnormal Behaviour

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Other Approaches to Abnormal Behaviour

• The biggest challenge to Medical model the
  growth of the anti-psychiatry movement in 1960s.
  It questioned the assumptions of the medical
  model criticised psychiatrists as controlling
  those who did not fit into society
• Thomas Szasz - The Myth of Mental Illness. He
  believes-
• Mind is not like the rest of the body, so it can
  not become diseased as the rest of the body.
• All abnormal behaviour as problems with living.
  
• So called symptoms are based on an individuals
  communication within a social cultural context.
• mental illness a device to imprison
  nonconformists without trial.

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• Other critics-
• Laing(1975)
• mental illness a cry of sanity in an insane
  world which is suppressed by psychiatry.
• Gorenstein (1984)
• the term Illness leads to authorisation of
  care by physician and assignment of
  legal/ethical status that denies certain
  freedoms.

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• Behavioural model.
• Assumptions-
• Based on behaviourist learning principles of
  classical Operant conditioning.
• Maladjusted behaviour (not mental illness).
• No cause of the maladjusted behaviour but
  Maladjusted behaviour has been learned by the
  principles of operant and/or classical
  conditioning OR there is a failure to learn
  adjusted behaviour.
• Examples of maladjusted behaviour include-
• Behaviour excess e.g. a strong negative
  emotional response is shown to an object.
• Skills deficit person lacks the skills to
  perform a necessary behaviour e.g. violent
  behaviour because the person lacks the skills to
  be able to negotiate.
• Behavioural deficit person fails to perform the
  adjusted behaviour.

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• Implications of the behavioural model-
• Treatments for maladjusted behaviour aim to
  change maladjusted behaviour by learning new
  adjusted behaviour i.e. Behaviour modification
  Systematic desensitisation Flooding/ implosion
  therapy Aversion therapy.
• Evaluation of the behavioural model-
• Positive points- Principles are experimentally
  established
• Focuses on the present behaviour aim is to
  change behaviour
• Therapies have a good success rate

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• Negative points- Focus on the present may fail
  to understand why a behaviour started or ceased
  may be important to prevent future reoccurrence
  of the situation.
• Therapy is symptom substitution.
• Sees individuals as mechanistic and merely the
  product of stimulus response.
• Ignores cognitive aspects.
• Reductionist simplistic. Can all problems
  simply be reduced to stimulus response
  relationship?

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• Psychodynamic Model
• Assumptions-Based originally on the work of
  Freud
• Unconscious motives determine behaviour.
• Abnormal behaviour is the result of overuse of
  ego defence mechanisms.
• Unresolved childhood conflicts (between the id,
  ego superego), fixations, traumas etc that live
  in the unconscious mind.
• Implications -
• To understand and treat the person the
  unconscious motives and conflicts must be
  discovered this is done through psychoanalysis
  with a trained analyst.
• Therapies aim to discover the unconscious causes
  and help the person to resolve the conflicts,
  deal with the fixations and traumas.

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• Evaluation of the psychodynamic model-
• Positive points-
• Concerned with whole personality and past
  experiences of individual (as compared with
  behaviourist model)
• Looks for reasons for abnormal behaviour
• Attempts to deal with the cause of the abnormal
  behaviour.
• Negative points
• Based on Freuds theory (usual criticisms!)
• Can not check the contents of the unconscious as
  determined through psychoanalysis.
• Problems of false memories etc arising through
  psychoanalysis.
• Ignores possible current causes of abnormal
  behaviour, learned behaviour etc.
• Fisher Greenberg (1977) after studying evidence
  for Freuds theory suggest that some of it should
  be accepted and some rejected.

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• Cognitive model
• Assumptions-
• Cognitive activity (thoughts, memories
  perceptions) affect behaviour.
• Cognitive activity can be monitored and altered.
• Desired behaviour change can be brought about by
  changes in cognitive activity.
• Abnormal behaviour is caused by maladjusted
  cognitive activity-
• In order to understand a person with mental
  problems we must understand his/her cognitive
  processes.
• The individual is trying to make sense of the
  world is thinking about the meaning of his/her
  and others behaviour. e.g.
• Automatic thoughts are usually negative
• Attribution about the causes of behaviour
  (dispositional or situational) Locus of control
• Expectations

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• Implications-
• To help people with maladjusted cognitive
  activity must first understand the cognitive
  processes, then try to help the person to change
  their thought processes into adjusted processes -
  Cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Eg. Ellis REBT
• Evaluation of the cognitive model-
• Positive points,
• Concentrates on the current thought patterns of
  the individual rather than depending on what
  happened in childhood (psychodynamic model).
• Looks at thoughts, therefore doesnt ignore
  mental processes (behavioural model).
• Therapy is fairly successful in changing clients
  thought patterns.

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• Negative points
• May neglect the powerful effect that past events
  can have on the individual.
• May change thought patterns but fail to address
  the cause of the abnormal behaviour.
• Dependent upon the ability of the individual to
  reflect on his/her own thinking not always
  possible.

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• Humanistic Model
• Assumptions-
• Based on the work of Rogers Maslow.
• Each individual is unique, so no general theory
  of abnormality can be applied.
• The individuals subjective experiences are
  important.
• Rejects concept of mental illness, talks about
  problems with living
• Problems with living are caused by the person
  being unable to self-actualise often due to the
  demands of others (lack of unconditional positive
  regard, incongruency).
• Individuals have free will and are able to choose
  their behaviour, therefore they are responsible
  for their own actions. This responsibility may
  also sometimes lead people to have problems with
  living (e.g. avoid making choices decisions).

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• Implications-
• The problems with living are result of
  individual not being able to self-actualise -
  he/she needs help to grow fulfil their
  potential. He/she does not need techniques to
  solve problems.
• E.g. Client centred therapy is non directive,
  aims to offer unconditional positive regard
  -client can explore their problems and begin to
  self-actualise.
• Evaluation of the humanistic model-
• Positive points-
• The only model to emphasise Free will the whole
  person including spiritual (soul) aspects the
  subjective experience of the person, rather than
  commenting on the person from the outside.

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• Negative points.
• Makes too many assumptions e.g. many people are
  not free to choose due to restrictions such as
  lack of money etc.
• Appeals to young, rich educated people who are
  unhappy with life not much use for people with
  severe mental problems.
• Can imply that problems are individuals own
  fault.
• Can promote self actualisation at the expense of
  others well-being.

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• Task-
• On a sheet of A3 paper draw a summary diagram of
  the different models of abnormality. For each
  model you need to include-
• Notion of normality and abnormality.
• Assumptions of the model.
• Implications of these assumptions.
• Evaluation.