Announcements
Tuesday, December 11th, is the last day to participate in experiments. Research reports must be turned in on this date as well. Check your credit balance by Dec. 13th.
The final exam is on Wednesday, December 19th, 9 A.M. Bring a pencil!
Abnormal Psychology
Schizophrenia and
Personality Disorders
Axis I: Schizophrenia
Not a "split personality."
Positive symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior.
Negative symptoms: "flat" affect, language deficits, apathy, avoidance of social activity.
To be categorized as schizophrenic, a person must (a) show impairment in work, social relations, and self- care, (b) have at least 2 of the cognitive, affective, and motor symptoms, and (c) have symptoms for at least 6 months.
Axis I: Schizophrenia
Affects 1-2% of the population.
Tends to run in families. Relatives are 10 times more likely than nonrelatives to develop the disorder.
Usually diagnosed in early adulthood.
Axis I: Schizophrenia
Eight times more common in low SES than in middle and upper SES groups. Why?
Social-drift hypothesis
Lower SES conditions are more stressful.
Bias in diagnosis
Types of Schizophrenia
Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual
Psychodynamic Explanations
Primary narcissism: The person returns to early stages of development, before the ego has differentiated itself from the id.
Schizophrenogenic mother: Cold, dominant, conflict seeking, rejecting, overprotective, rigid, moralistic about sex, and fearful of intimacy.
Psychodynamic Explanations
Double-bind theory: Messages from parent to child are contradictory, simultaneously saying or doing things that are inconsistent with each other. Child is incapable of satisfying both demands, and withdraws.
Humanistic-Existential Explanations
Thomas Szasz: Mental illness is a myth; schizophrenia is an alternative way of experiencing the world.
R. D. Laing: Schizophrenia is a label applied by society to behavior it finds problematic. People become schizophrenic when they live in unlivable situations.
Cognitive-Behavioral Explanations
Sensory experiences of schizophrenics are different from those of normal individuals. Symptoms are the result of the person trying to explain these experiences to others. Schizophrenics may lack the ability to selectively attend to relevant stimuli.
Psychophysiological Explanations
Excess dopamine or interaction between dopamine & serotonin.
The most effective treatments are dopamine antagonists.
Structural abnormalities in the brain.
There is no doubt that the fundamental cause of schizophrenia is neurophysiological.
Axis II: Personality Disorders
"Broken" personality; chronic, extreme personality characteristics that cause unhappiness and impair the person’s ability to function socially.
Ingrained and inflexible; very resistant to treatment.
Types of Personality Disorders
Paranoid personality disorder
Suspicious of others; expects to be poorly treated; blames others for events; delusions of persecution.
Schizoid personality disorder
Difficulty forming relationships; indifference to other people.
Schizotypal personality disorder
Eccentric or bizarre behavior; delusional; magical thinking; may be mild form of schizophrenia.
Types of Personality Disorders
Histrionic personality disorder
On stage; dramatic & tries to draw attention; lavish in emotional displays but shallow in depth of emotional experience; manipulative & demanding.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Excessive concern with details, rules, codes of behavior; perfectionist; highly work oriented; may be cold and distant interpersonally (cf. obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder.)
Types of Personality Disorders
Narcissistic personality disorder
Inflated self image; self-centered and selfish; lacks empathy; uses others for own needs.
Avoidant personality disorder
Reluctant to enter into close relationships for fear of rejection; very low self esteem.
Dependent personality disorder
Lacks self confidence; has difficulty taking personal responsibility; subordinates own needs to those of loved ones; extremely sensitive to criticism.
Types of Personality Disorders
Borderline personality disorder
Impulsive responses to dysphoria; extreme instabilities in mood, self-image, relationships with others.
Antisocial personality disorder
No sense of responsibility & feels no shame or remorse when hurting others. Extremely self-centered; incapable of genuine love or affection. May be superficially charming & sincere; poised, calm, & verbally facile; actually insincere, untruthful, unreliable.
Giovanni Vigliotto vs. Eric Smith
Summary
Schizophrenia
"Broken" mind; severely disturbed thought processes and emotions.
Personality Disorders
"Broken" personality; extreme manifestations of normal personality characteristics.