Understanding Abnormal Behavior, 10th ed. - DPHU

1 411/10/11 1:55 PMLicensed 411/10/11 1:55 PMCopyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions,some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience.

2 The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Forvaluable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of to: Understanding Abnormal behavior , Tenth EditionDavid Sue, Derald Wing Sue, Diane Sue, and Stanley SuePublisher: Jon-David HaguePsychology Editor: Jaime PerkinsDevelopmental Editor: Tangelique WilliamsFreelance Development Editor: Thomas FinnAssistant Editor: Paige LeedsEditorial Assistant: Jessica AldermanMedia Editor: Lauren KeyesMarketing Manager: Christine SosaMarketing Assistant: Janay PryorMarketing Communications Manager: Laura Localio Content Project Manager: Charlene M.

3 CarpentierDesign Director: Rob HugelArt Director: Vernon BoesPrint Buyer: Karen HuntRights Acquisitions Specialist: Tom McDonoughProduction Service: Graphic World Designer: Cheryl CarringtonPhoto Researcher: Bill Smith GroupText Researcher: Karyn MorrisonCopy Editor: Graphic World : Graphic World Designer: Cheryl CarringtonCover Image: Geoffrey Clements/CorbisCompositor: Graphic World Inc. 2013, 2010 Wadsworth, Cengage LearningALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copy-right herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at permissions questions can be e-mailed to of Congress Control Number.

4 2011939377 Student Edition:ISBN-10: 1-111-83459-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-111-83459-3 Loose-leaf Edition:ISBN-10: 1-111-83839-9 ISBN-13: 978-1-111-83839-3 Wadsworth20 Davis Drive Belmont, CA 94002-3098 USAC engage Learning is a leading provider of customized learning solutions with office locations around the globe, including Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan. Locate your local office at Learning products are represented in Canada by Nelson Education, learn more about Wadsworth, visit any of our products at your local college store or at our preferred online store in Canada 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15 14 13 12 211/10/11 1:55 PMCopyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

5 Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require to:1AP Photo/Jim 2811/10/11 12:45 PMCopyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require to: Abnormal BehaviorIC h a p t e r O u t l i n eThe Concerns of Abnormal Psychology 2 Determining Abnormality 6 Abnormal behavior in Context: Sociopolitical and Cultural Limitations 8 The Frequency and Burden of Mental Disorders 11 Stereotypes about the Mentally Disturbed 12 Historical Perspectives on Abnormal behavior 14 Causes: Early Viewpoints 19 Contemporary Trends in Abnormal Psychology 22IM P L I C A T Io nSCo nT RoV E R SY What Role Should Spirituality and Religion Play in Mental Health Care?

6 18C R I T I C A L T H InK InG I Have It, Too: The Medical Student Syndrome 281n 2007, college student Seung Hui Cho used two semiautomatic hand-guns on the Virginia Tech campus to kill twenty-seven students and five faculty members, wound twenty-five others, and commit suicide with a shot to his head. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting in modern history and left many grief-stricken, horrified, and baffled at Cho s actions. The Virginia Tech rampage began in the early morning hours, when Cho shot a female student and male resident assistant in a dormitory. Approximately two hours later, he entered a building where classes were in session, chaining the doors to prevent easy escape. There he fired some 174 rounds, killing and wounding many students and professors as he moved from classroom to classroom.

7 Chaos ensued as students fled for their lives (summarized from the Virginia Tech Review Panel, August 2007). Abnormal BehaviorIn an attempt to make sense out of an apparently senseless act, many questions were asked. What could have motivated Cho to carry out such a heinous deed and take so many innocent lives? Why did he commit suicide? Was he deranged, a psychopathic killer, or high on drugs? Were there warning signs that he was homicidal or suicidal? Did he suffer from a mental disorder? Would therapy or medication have helped him? Did his race, culture, and immigration status play any role in his actions?These questions are extremely difficult to answer for a number of reasons. First, we do not know enough about the causes of abnor-mal behavior and mental disorders to arrive at a definitive answer.

8 Psychopathology, or Abnormal behavior , is not the result of any sin-gular cause but an interaction of many factors. Most mental disorders have multiple contributors, a fact that we discuss in the next , Cho did not survive the incident, so it was impossible to assess his state of mind. As a result, we must rely on secondary sources such as health or school records; observations by peers, family, and ac-quaintances; and any other available data (suicide notes, essays, pictures, and media communications) to construct a portrait of his state of mind. Sadly, the Virginia Tech massacre illustrates how complex the study of Abnormal psychology is in real a sense, the purpose of this book, Understanding Abnormal behavior , is to help you answer such questions.

9 To do so, however, re-quires us to first examine some basic aspects of the study of Abnormal behavior , including some of its history and emerging changes in the 111/10/11 12:45 PMCopyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require to:2field. Periodically, throughout this chapter, we use the Cho case to illustrate complex issues in the mental health Concerns of Abnormal PsychologyAbnormal psychology is an area of scientific study that attempts to describe, explain, pre-dict, and modify behaviors that are considered strange or unusual.

10 Its subject matter ranges from the bizarre and spectacular to the more commonplace from the violent homicides, suicides, and perverted sexual acts that are widely reported by the news media to unsen-sational (but more prevalent) concerns such as depression, sleep disturbances, and Abnormal BehaviorUnderstanding a particular case of Abnormal behavior begins with systematic observations by an attentive professional. These observations, usually paired with the results of the person s psychological history, become the raw material for a psychodiagnosis, an attempt to describe, assess, and systematically draw inferences about an individual s psychological example, several years before the massacre, Cho received a psychiatric evaluation at a mental health clinic in Virginia.