PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS - NCERT

1 Chapter 4 PSYCHOLOGICAL Disorders69 PSYPSYPSYPSYPSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSI ntroductionConcepts of Abnormality and PSYCHOLOGICAL DisordersClassification of PSYCHOLOGICAL DisordersFactors Underlying Abnormal BehaviourMajor PSYCHOLOGICAL DisordersAnxiety DisordersSomatoform DisordersDissociative DisordersSalient Features of Somatoform and DissociativeDisorders (Box )Mood DisordersSchizophrenic DisordersSub-types of Schizophrenia (Box )Behavioural and Developmental DisordersSubstance-use DisordersEffects of Alcohol : Some Facts (Box )Commonly Abused Substances (Box )CONTENTSKey TermsSummaryReview QuestionsProject IdeasWeblinksPedagogical HintsAfter reading this chapter, you would be able to:understand the basic issues in abnormal behaviour and the criteria used to identify suchbehaviours,appreciate the factors which cause abnormal behaviour,explain the different models of abnormal behaviour, anddescribe the major PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS .

2 NCERTnot to be republishedPsychology70 CONCEPTS OF ABNORMALITY ANDPSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERSA lthough many definitions of abnormalityhave been used over the years, none haswon universal acceptance. Still, mostdefinitions have certain common features,often called the four Ds : deviance,distress, dysfunction and danger. That is, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS are deviant(different, extreme, unusual, even bizarre),distressing (unpleasant and upsetting tothe person and to others), dysfunctional(interfering with the person s ability tocarry out daily activities in a constructiveYou must have come across people who are unhappy, troubled anddissatisfied.)

3 Their minds and hearts are filled with sorrow, unrest andtension and they feel that they are unable to move ahead in their lives; theyfeel life is a painful, uphill struggle, sometimes not worth living. Famousanalytical psychologist Carl Jung has quite remarkably said, How can Ibe substantial without casting a shadow? I must have a dark side, too, if Iam to be whole and by becoming conscious of my shadow, I rememberonce more that I am a human being like any other . At times, some of youmay have felt nervous before an important examination, tense and concernedabout your future career or anxious when someone close to you was of us face major problems at some point of our lives.

4 However, somepeople have an extreme reaction to the problems and stresses of life. In thischapter, we will try to understand what goes wrong when people developpsychological problems, what are the causes and factors which lead toabnormal behaviour, and what are the various signs and symptomsassociated with different types of PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS ?The study of PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS has intrigued and mystified allcultures for more than 2,500 years. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS or mentaldisorders (as they are commonly referred to), like anything unusual maymake us uncomfortable and even a little frightened.

5 Unhappiness,discomfort, anxiety, and unrealised potential are seen all over the failures in living are due mainly to failures in adaptation to lifechallenges. As you must have studied in the previous chapters, adaptationrefers to the person s ability to modify her/his behaviour in response tochanging environmental requirements. When the behaviour cannot bemodified according to the needs of the situation, it is said to be Psychology is the area within psychology that is focused onmaladaptive behaviour its causes, consequences, and ), and possibly dangerous (to theperson or to others).

6 This definition is a useful starting pointfrom which we can explore psychologicalabnormality. Since the word abnormal literally means away from the normal , itimplies deviation from some clearly definednorms or standards. In psychology, wehave no ideal model or even normalmodel of human behaviour to use as abase for comparison. Various approacheshave been used in distinguishing betweennormal and abnormal behaviours. Fromthese approaches, there emerge two basicand conflicting views : NCERTnot to be republishedChapter 4 PSYCHOLOGICAL Disorders71 The first approach views abnormalbehaviour as a deviation from socialnorms.

7 Many psychologists have statedthat abnormal is simply a label that isgiven to a behaviour which is deviant fromsocial expectations. Abnormal behaviour,thoughts and emotions are those that differmarkedly from a society s ideas of properfunctioning. Each society has norms,which are stated or unstated rules forproper conduct. Behaviours, thoughts andemotions that break societal norms arecalled abnormal. A society s norms growfrom its particular culture its history,values, institutions, habits, skills,technology, and arts. Thus, a society whoseculture values competition andassertiveness may accept aggressivebehaviour, whereas one that emphasisescooperation and family values (such as inIndia) may consider aggressive behaviouras unacceptable or even abnormal.

8 Asociety s values may change over time,causing its views of what is psychologicallyabnormal to change as well. Seriousquestions have been raised about thisdefinition. It is based on the assumptionthat socially accepted behaviour is notabnormal, and that normality is nothingmore than conformity to social second approach views abnormalbehaviour as maladaptive. Manypsychologists believe that the best criterionfor determining the normality of behaviouris not whether society accepts it butwhether it fosters the well-being of theindividual and eventually of the group towhich s/he belongs.

9 Well-being is notsimply maintenance and survival but alsoincludes growth and fulfilment, theactualisation of potential, which you musthave studied in Maslow s need hierarchytheory. According to this criterion,conforming behaviour can be seen asabnormal if it is maladaptive, if itinterferes with optimal functioning andgrowth. For example, a student in the classprefers to remain silent even when s/hehas questions in her/his mind. Describingbehaviour as maladaptive implies that aproblem exists; it also suggests thatvulnerability in the individual, inability tocope, or exceptional stress in theenvironment have led to problems in life.

10 If you talk to people around, you willsee that they have vague ideas aboutpsychological DISORDERS that arecharacterised by superstition, ignoranceand fear. Again it is commonly believedthat PSYCHOLOGICAL disorder is something tobe ashamed of. The stigma attached tomental illness means that people arehesitant to consult a doctor or psychologistbecause they are ashamed of theirproblems. Actually, PSYCHOLOGICAL disorderwhich indicates a failure in adaptationshould be viewed as any other to three people: one of yourfriends, a friend of your parents, andyour them if they have seensomeone who is mentally ill or who hasmental problems.