CLP 3140 Study Guide - Comprehensive Midterm Guide: Job Performance, Acute Stress Reaction, Abnormal Psychology
Document Summary
What is abnormal psychology: scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effect to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning, workers in the field may be: Many definitions have been proposed, yet none has won total acceptance, Most definitions, however, have four features in common: (cid:498)the four ds(cid:499: deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger. While this definition is a useful starting point, it has key limitations. Usually have to cause distress before being labeled abnormal. Dysfunction: abnormal behavior tends to interfere with daily functioning, culture plays a role. Danger: dangerous to oneself or others. May be exception rather than the rule. A society selects general criteria for defining abnormality and then uses those criteria to judge particular cases. Szasz finds the concept of mental illness to be invalid, a myth of sorts. Even if we assume that psychological abnormality is a valid concept: our definition may not be applied consistently, criteria often are vague and subjective.
