Models of Psychopathology

1
Models of Psychopathology

• 02-04-05

2
Models of Psychopathology

• Biological/Medical
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Cognitive
• Humanistic/Existential
• Family Systems
• Multicultural

3
COGNITIVE MODELS

• Cognition Processes of thinking, perceiving,
  judging, and recognizing
• Schema Set of underlying assumptions that
  influence the way that person interprets stimuli.
  An individuals schema is influenced by personal
  experiences, values, and perceived capabilities.

4
COGNITIVE MODELS

• Cognitive models propose that conscious thoughts
  mediate, or modify, an individuals emotional
  state and/or behavior in response to a stimulus.
• Distorted and/or maladaptive assumptions and
  thoughts contribute to psychopathology

5
Albert Ellis A-B-C Theory of Personality

• Irrational thought patterns (e.g., musts,
  shoulds) are conditioned through interactions
  with significant others.
• Unpleasant emotional responses (e.g., depression,
  anxiety) arise from thoughts rather than actual
  events.

6
(No Transcript)
7
Aaron Beck Automatic Thoughts

• Automatic thoughts are rigid, inflexible, and
  distorted interpretations of events that seem to
  happen by reflex.
• In depression, automatic thoughts are
  characterized by negative views of the self, the
  world, and the future.

8
Becks Six Types of Faulty Thinking

• Arbitrary inference
• Selective abstraction
• Overgeneralization
• Magnification and exaggeration
• Personalization
• Polarized thinking

9
Becks Types of Faulty Thinking Magnification
and Exaggeration

• The process of overestimating the significance of
  negative events.
• Example A runner experiences shortness of
  breath and interprets it as a major health
  problem, possibly even an indication of imminent
  death.

10
Becks Types of Faulty Thinking Personalization

• Relating external events to one another when no
  objective basis for such a connection is
  apparent.
• Example A student who raises his hand in class
  and is not called on by the professor believes
  that the instructor dislikes or is biased against
  him.

11
Becks Types of Faulty Thinking Polarized
Thinking

• An all-or-nothing, good or bad, and
  either-or approach to viewing the world.
• Example At one extreme, a woman who perceives
  herself as perfect and immune from making
  mistakes at the other extreme, a woman who
  believes she is a total incompetent.

12
Banduras Social Cognitive Theory

• Observation and modeling
• Self regulation
• Self efficacy
• Reciprocal causation

Cognition/Affect
Behavior
Environment
13
Models of Psychopathology

• Biological/Medical
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Cognitive
• Humanistic/Existential
• Family Systems
• Multicultural

14
HUMANISTIC/EXISTENTIAL MODELS

• To understand an individuals thoughts and
  behaviors, one must understand her subjective
  universe (i.e., her unique experiences and how
  she construes them)
• Individuals are whole selves, not just the
  products of cause-effect formulas

15
HUMANISTIC/EXISTENTIAL

• Free will Individuals have the ability to make
  free choices, take responsibility for their
  decisions, fulfill their capacities, and lead the
  lives best suited for them.
• Self-actualization inherent tendency to strive
  toward the realization of ones full potential.

16
Humanistic ? Carl Rogers

• Society imposes conditions of worth (via
  conditional positive regard) upon individuals,
  which influences self-concept.
• Psychological distress arises due to incongruence
  between a persons inherent potential and his
  self-concept.

17
Models of Psychopathology

• Biological/Medical
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Cognitive
• Humanistic/Existential
• Family Systems
• Multicultural

18
FAMILY SYSTEMS MODELS

• Emphasizes the familys influence on individual
  behavior.
• Families are complex systems characterized by
  interdependence between members. Each family
  member influences, and is influenced by, every
  other member and the family system as a whole.

19
FAMILY SYSTEMS MODELS

• An individuals psychological symptoms or
  problems can be linked to family dynamics. For
  instance, problematic patterns of family
  communication or relationships can get in the way
  of adaptive family and individual functioning.

20
Models of Psychopathology

• Biological/Medical
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Cognitive
• Humanistic/Existential
• Family Systems
• Multicultural

21
MULTICULTURAL MODELS

• Multicultural psychology
• Cross-cultural psychiatry cultural anthropology
  social medicine
• Cultural relativism (emic approach)

Arthur Kleinman
22
MULTICULTURAL MODELS

• Multicultural models address issues related to
  race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion,
  socioeconomic status, gender, physical
  capabilities, etc.
• Early models examined differences between
  racial/ethnic minorities and Whites differences
  were interpreted as indications of minority
  inferiority.

23
MULTICULTURAL MODELS

• Contemporary multicultural models emphasize that
  difference does not equal deviancy, pathology, or
  inferiority just difference. Individual
  behaviors are evaluated from the perspectives of
  a groups value system (e.g., individualism vs.
  collectivism), beliefs, and practices.