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Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper Tiffany M Jackson University of Phoenix SYS 300 Dry. Karen Laundry 3/22/2012 Abnormal Psychology and Therapy In a “normal” environment there is no such thing as talking to oneself, or having imaginary friends. In the world of psychology there is always a reason why people do the things that they do. Knowing the difference between a disorder and and illness is also key when trying to treat a patient. Having knowledge of the psychodrama psychotherapy will also help the patient come to terms with their disorder and/or illness. Abnormal and Normal Psychology Can normal and abnormal be compared?
The only real comparison of the two is how a person is able to function in society. Sigmund Freud, who was considered to be the father of psychoanalysis, said there is no such thing as a normal person. One seems to be normal if they seem to not display any physical or mental aliments. Society deems what is normal and acceptable behavior and also how people stick to those certain roles. Being able to conform to society is a reward with in itself. Respect seems to only be given to those who play comfortable roles that society says in normal. Abnormal psychology is the study of mental illnesses and how it can be treated.
The opposite of what is deemed normal is abnormal. Society says hearing voices and responding to them is abnormal. Abnormal psychology happens when the functioning of a person’s mental abilities become so distorted, they are not able to safely function as a member of society in an expected manner. Patterns of behavior tend to be different than that of a normal person in society. Mental disorders and illnesses Mental illness is considered to be an illness of the mind, which in turn makes it official for a person to act normally in society and to have a productive life.
In short the chemicals in the brain are off balance and it makes it more difficult for a person to function as normally as possible. Mental illnesses range from depression to schizophrenia. Depression is a psychoneurosis or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies (Merriam-Webster 2010). Although depression is frequently suspected in a person who is always sad, there are some rules for ruling out other things that may be going on.
For a diagnosis of depression, these signs should be present most of the day either daily or nearly daily for at least two weeks. In addition, the depressive symptoms need to cause clinically significant distress or impairment. They cannot be due to the direct effects of a substance, for example, a drug or medication. Nor can they be the result of a medical condition such as hypothyroidism. Finally, if the symptoms occur within two months f the loss of a loved one, they will not be diagnosed as depressed.
According to Guppy and Cultural (2010), schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling mental illness affecting millions of people worldwide. The study of the etiology of schizophrenia is ongoing although perspectives have changed. Schizophrenia is described as a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as delusions), reception (as hallucinations), and behavior ??called also dementia praecox (Merriam-Webster 2010).
Schizophrenia is seen as an illness of the brain but also an alternative way of seeing the world. The inability to trust their own thoughts and a profound sense of isolation is Just some of the many feeling of those who are affected by this illness. While mental illnesses deal with a chemical imbalance of the brain, mental disorder is more specified on the brain’s functioning. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Someone who has anxiety is reluctant to indulge in social situations in fear of having an anxiety attack.
Anxiety is diagnosed if a person is unable to response to situations in a controlled way or if anxiety interferes with everyday life. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, PETS, COD, panic disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias. Personality disorders are another example of a mental disorder. According to Kowalski and Western (2011) personality disorder is characterized by long standing patterns of maladaptive behavior that denote from cultural expectations and are pervasive and inflexible, such as ordering and antisocial personality disorders (Chapter 14 Psychological Disorders).
People with personality disorders have inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. In addition, the person’s patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the expectations of society and are so rigid that they interfere with the person’s normal functioning. Some examples include antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder, and are all a part of a personality disorder.
Therapies To bring some type of relief to these illness and disorders, sometimes prescription drugs are given in addition to therapy. There are three different psychodrama psychotherapies that are heavily relied on in the psychology and psychiatric community. Free association is used to, in the words of Freud, “to make the unconscious, conscious”. Free association is a technique for patients to speak for themselves, such as fantasies, their desires, basically anything that comes to their mind without censorship, and to work through their own thoughts rather than parroting another person’s suggestions.
The second technique that is used is interpretation. Interpretation seeks to bring out, within the confines of the analytic method, the latent meaning of a subject’s words and behavior. It aims to reveal unconscious desires and the defensive conflicts that are linked to them. Technically, interpretation consists in making manifest this latent meaning, in accordance with the rules dictated by the various phases of the treatment. Interpretation is not Just a matter of what needs to be expressed but it conveys its own meaning, one that disturbs that defensive arrangements meant to maintain the effectiveness of oppression.
Care must be taken not to provide a premature “translation” of unconscious content, as it risks discouraging the patient, reinforcing his resistance and creating a purely intellectualized understanding. The third therapy technique that is used is transference. According to Kowalski and Western (2011) transference refers to the process in which people experience emotions in new relationships that mimic past relationships (Chapter 1 5 Treatment of Psychological Disorders). Transference happens when you transfer an emotion meant for one person onto a different person.
Transference is an unconscious behavior. When transference is used in psychotherapy, the client places an emotional reaction that is related to someone in their personal life, onto the therapist. The client believes the therapist is the source of their emotion turmoil, or at least they believe that the therapist represents the people who have put them through their turmoil. The aim of transference is to make the patient realize that they have hidden emotions that needs to be released. They also realize that their hidden anger, pain, and turmoil, may be the reason to their disorder. Conclusion
In order to conform to society definition of normal and abnormal one must know the difference between the two and also know what society’s definition of the two. Having a mental illness and disorder is the brain’s way of trying to function in the world around it. A mental illness or disorder is not a death sentence but a way of digging deeper within one’s self. Being able to be disposed to therapy is a way of getting in touch of the root of the illness or disorder. References Coroner, A. (2012). What to Do When Feeling Blue Resource round table on depression. Lollipop, 17(66), 55-57. Precision. (2012). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www. Merriam-Webster. Com/dictionary/depression Guppy, S. , ; Cultural, P. (2010). What is schizophrenia: a nonrepresentational or unrepresentative disorder or a combination of both? A critical analysis. Indian Journal Of psychiatry, 52(1), 21-27. Don. 4103/0019-5545. 58891 Kowalski, R. , ; Western, D. (2011). Psychology (6th De. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection schizophrenia. (2012). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http:// www. Merriam-Webster. Com/dictionary/schizophrenia