PY 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Etiology, Rorschach Test
Several criteria exist for defining a psychological disorder. Sometimes a
person needs to meet only one criterion to be diagnosed as having a
psychological disorder. In other cases, more than one of the following criteria
may be met:
• Violation of cultural standards behavior
Example: Ted’s delusion that he is a prophet causes him to stand at street
corners lecturing people about the morality of their behavior.
• Exhibition of behavior harmful to self or others
Example: Bethanne’s excessive use of alcohol makes her unable to hold
down a job.
• Experiencing distress
Example: David suffers from chronic and painful anxiety.
Model of Psychological Disorders
Psychologists use different conceptual models for understanding, describing,
and treating psychological disorders.
THE MEDICAL MODEL
The medical model is a way of describing and explaining psychological
disorders as if they are diseases. Many terms used to discuss psychological
disorders come from the medical model. Diagnosis refers to the process of
distinguishing among disorders. Etiology refers to the cause or origin of a
disorder. Prognosis refers to a prediction about the probable course and
outcome of a disorder.
Critics argue that this model is not suitable for describing psychological
problems. They say that psychological problems are not illnesses but rather
behaviors and experiences that are morally or socially deviant.
THE VULNERABILITY-STRESS MODEL
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Document Summary
Several criteria exist for defining a psychological disorder. Sometimes a person needs to meet only one criterion to be diagnosed as having a psychological disorder. In other cases, more than one of the following criteria may be met: violation of cultural standards behavior. Example: ted"s delusion that he is a prophet causes him to stand at street corners lecturing people about the morality of their behavior: exhibition of behavior harmful to self or others. Example: bethanne"s excessive use of alcohol makes her unable to hold down a job: experiencing distress. Example: david suffers from chronic and painful anxiety. Psychologists use different conceptual models for understanding, describing, and treating psychological disorders. The medical model is a way of describing and explaining psychological disorders as if they are diseases. Many terms used to discuss psychological disorders come from the medical model. Diagnosis refers to the process of distinguishing among disorders. Etiology refers to the cause or origin of a disorder.
