Do you believe there is such a thing as “abnormal behavior” -- or are you like Szasz and Laing and believe that there is no such thing? How would you recognize abnormal behavior?
We select criteria to make this judgment.
- Criteria change with time and culture.
- Szasz (1961) calls these “problems in living” rather than “mental illness.”
- Society has invented concept to control or change people whose unusual behavior threatens social order.
- Can a common behavior be abnormal?
- What’s the difference between someone who is abnormal and one who is eccentric?
We began looking at McMurphy from the viewpoint that he had a problem. What evidence is there that he does not have a problem? What about Snow White?
Euro-Americans:Asians:
- Autonomy
- Independence
Latin Americans
- Character
- Dependence
- Family
- Respeto
- Familism
- Machismo
People frequently jump to conclusions about the actions of others. Sometimes our conclusions make sense, sometimes not. Psychologists try to avoid this problem by making careful observations. Pay attention to the number of times that you automatically make inferences today rather than thinking about the basis for these.
ObservationInference
- Something we see, hear or touch.
- Everyone can agree on observation.
- Values are not added
- Values or interpretations are added to the observation
- Two reasonable people may disagree
- Convergence of facts pointing towards an inference increases our confidence
Age, race, sex, marital status, etc. as appropriate.
Snow White is a 17-year-old female...
At the time of the interview she was well-dressed in simple but well-made clothes consistent with her role as princess of this kingdom. She was also well-groomed, with her hair pulled back in a simple ribbon, her clothes newly pressed, and wearing light make-up.
Snow White appeared to be of average intelligence.
She reported having completed seven years of home schooling, but described
her housekeeping skills and her ability to "communicate with" animals as
real strengths. Notable is that she reports keeping house for seven
men after being thrown out of her home. While abstract thinking
skills seemed poor and she was only able to respond to the simplest proverbs,
her social judgment was strong and she was able to give appropriate responses
to each social question.
Snow White's mood was calm during the interview,
her affect restricted. She was restrained and quiet even when playing checkers.
She responded matter-of-factly to winning the game. She was also
quiet and "objective" in describing the attempts on her life. At
no point did she cry or her voice crack. While this might be seen
as some avoidance symptoms associated with the trauma, both she and her
father reported that she has "always been that way." In fact, her
father described her as "passive" and ”unflappable" as a child.
A good relationship with the interviewer was
established easily and she responded in a nondefensive way to questions
with minimal hesitation and good eye contact throughout. The one
exception to the latter was when she was asked about her relationship with
her parents. At this point in the interview eye contact was broken,
she stammered, then attempted to change the subject….
Snow White reported confusion as to why she was being interviewed and denied any negative impact following the attempted murder. Her denial of symptoms was consistent with superficial behavioral observations. No indication of increased startle response, hypervigilance, fidgeting, or shaking were present. She denied suicidal and homicidal ideation.
While no problems are being observed or reported
at this point in time, the events of the last several days would be expected
to produce post-traumatic symptoms or depression for most people. For this
reason, it is recommended that Snow White be monitored for the next several
months.
Snow White is a 17-year-old female with very pale skin and very dark hair who appears younger than her stated age. She presented for an hour-long intake interview following her stepmother's alleged attempts to murder her. Her father accompanied her to the interview and was interviewed alone after she was seen.At the time of the interview she was well-dressed in simple but well-made clothes consistent with her role as princess of this kingdom. She was also well-groomed, with her hair pulled back in a simple ribbon, her clothes newly pressed, and wearing light make-up. A good relationship with the interviewer was established easily and she responded in a nondefensive way to questions with minimal hesitation and good eye contact throughout. The one exception to the latter was when she was asked about her relationship with her parents. At this point in the interview eye contact was broken, she stammered, then attempted to change the subject.
Snow White appeared to be of average intelligence. She reported having completed seven years of home schooling, although described her housekeeping skills and her ability to "communicate with" animals as real strengths. Notable is that she reports keeping house for seven men following running away from home. While abstract thinking skills seemed poor and she was only able to respond to the simplest proverbs, her social judgment was strong and she was able to give appropriate responses to each social question.
Snow White reported confusion as to why she was being interviewed and denied any negative impact following the attempted murder. Her denial of symptoms was consistent with superficial behavioral observations. No indication of increased startle response, hypervigilance, fidgeting, or shaking were present. She denied suicidal and homicidal ideation.
Her father, probably a poor reporter as he indicated that he had little contact with his daughter, leaving her care to his wife and the servants, stated that he had not noticed any problems since the incident in question. No nightmares or social withdrawal was reported. She also denied symptoms.
Snow White's mood was calm during the interview, her affect restricted. She was restrained and quiet even when playing checkers. She responded matter-of-factly to winning the game. She was also quiet and "objective" in describing the attempts on her life. At no point did she cry or her voice crack. While this might be seen as some avoidance symptoms associated with the trauma, both she and her father reported that she has "always been that way." In fact, her father described her as "passive" and ”unflappable" as a child.
While no problems are being observed or reported at this point in time, the events of the last several days would be expected to produce post-traumatic symptoms or depression for most people. For this reason, it is recommended that she be monitored for the next several months.
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URL= http://psy1.clarion.edu/jms/Abn1abnormal.html
Last modified September 9, 2001.