Question:

One page long answer for each question.

1. What is the difference between “normal” vs “abnormal” behavior, in clinical psychology? Present and defend your best understanding, including your vies on cultural differences, environmental factors.

2. Why are movies organized around psychopathology so popular? What does that tell you about our culture’s interest in and understanding of abnormal psychology?

3. What is your best understanding of the fact that some people carry concern for their looks to the extreme of body dysmorphia?

Answer:

Title: Abnormal Psychology

1. What is the difference between “normal” vs. “abnormal” behavior, in clinical psychology? Present and defend your best understanding, including your vies on cultural differences, environmental factors.

Different clinical psychologists have proposed different criteria for differentiating between normal and abnormal behavior over the years. Most of the criteria, though, have sparked controversy.  Nevertheless, there is a widely accepted definition for determining whether one is engaging in normal or abnormal behavior; this definition was provided by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Individuals whose behavior falls within the stipulated criteria are considered to suffer from a psychological disorder. A psychological disorder is a condition in which one’s behavior, feelings, or thoughts are judged to be dysfunctional.

According to the APA (1994), in one of the criteria for determining abnormal behavior, the individual experiences significant distress or pain, complete inability to play or work, an increased death risk, and loss of freedom in very important areas of human life. Secondly, the source of such problems reside deep within the individual, due to learned habits, biological factors, or mental processes; it is a straightforward response to specific events in life, for example the recent death of a relative. Thirdly, this problem must not be a deliberate reaction to life’s conditions such as prejudice, poverty, government policy, or other social conflicts.

However, cultural and environmental factors significantly influence the extent to which people are viewed as being normal or abnormal. Cultural contexts, for example, determine the nature of stresses that people face, the types of disorders likely to manifest themselves, and the way society is likely to treat the abnormality. These differences have led to the emergence to a socio-cultural model of determining different disorders and their symptoms.

2. Why are movies organized around psychopathology so popular? What does that tell you about our culture’s interest in and understanding of abnormal psychology?

The main reason for the popularity of movies organized around psychopathology is that there is a lot of curiosity within the public on this issue. This curiosity is evident in the high level of interest that is generated with regard to the media portrayals of different mental illness and the accompanying psychiatric therapies. This popularity tells us a lot about our culture’s interest in and understanding of abnormal psychology. The media portrayals sometimes end up being perceived as useful by some medical practitioners.

The popularity of psychopathology in movie is also a major pointer to the irrational fears and prejudices that our culture has towards the understanding of abnormal psychology. The popular films present misinformation and stereotypes psychopathology while at the same time generating false impressions. However, the heightened interest that the movies generate may inspire motivation and hope for change while at the same time providing numerous opportunities for people to engage in therapeutic communication.

Sometimes, movies are used by psychiatric residents and medical students as teaching aids. This new approach to the study of clinical psychology has opened up a new frontier in the increasingly complex relationship between the psychiatry and contemporary movies. This relationship is complex because the movies are seen to have both positive and negative impacts. On top of the list of negative effects are the scientific inaccuracies that propagate irrational fears and stereotypes. On the positive front, the movies create a formidable cultural platform inspiration, communication, and therapeutic encounters.

3. What is your best understanding of the fact that some people carry concern for their looks to the extreme of body dysmorphia?

People who reach the extent of extreme body dysmorphia get preoccupied with ‘imagined’ defects in their appearance. At times, the individual may be suffering from a slight physical defect, but the person’s concern ends up being markedly excessive. My best understanding of this condition is that the individual may have experienced abuse or bullying during childhood as a result of the slight anomaly. The bullies may have attributed their stigmatic actions to the individual’s physical appearance. This may have triggered excessive preoccupation with imagined or slight physical anomalies, which may have grown remarkably in adulthood to result to body dysmorphia.

This understanding is a plausible one, considering that the affected individuals normally engage in numerous time-consuming rituals of gazing in the mirror and constantly comparing their appearance with that of other people in society. With such a perception of distorted body image, it would be obvious that the individuals lead a poor quality of life, live in social isolation, are highly depressed, and can easily commit suicide.

As Phillips points out, prior to becoming socially isolated and getting depressed, the individuals would, understandably, have tried many things to ‘improve’ their appearance, including cosmetic surgery and dermatological treatment (174). It is also understandable that this behavior may lead to suicide, considering that in most cultures, it is easy to stigmatize and trivialize the condition. Moreover, it is evident that the events that persist in one’s childhood determine the self-image that a child carries on into adulthood. My best understanding in this regard is that persistent abuse on account of a slight physical anomaly would easily lead to a situation where an individual looks down on himself on account of his physical appearance throughout his or her adult life, leading to body dysmorphia.

 

Works Cited

American Psychiatric Association, “Abnormal and normal compulsions”, Behavior Research and Therapy, 35.3, (1994): 249–252.

Phillips, Katharine. “Quality of Life for Patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder”, Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 188.3, (2000): 170-175.